By using the cold-oven method, this decadent cream cheese pound cake has just the right crust- not too thick or crunchy, just delightfully caramelized and perfect for dusting with powdered sugar or drizzling with fruit sauce. This pound cake is gorgeous and versatile, perfect for any occasion or season! Bonus points for a pretty pan, but certainly any loaf pan works great for this recipe.
Let's talk ingredients-
Butter. Because this pound cake doesn't have a lot of ingredients to hide behind, it's really important to make sure to use the best quality ingredients that you can for this recipe. For example, this is one of the times where I tend to splurge for the fancy Irish butter. The texture and flavor (and color too!) is noticeably more rich when compared side by side. However, it's pricey, so I totally understand if it's not worth it to you. Any unsalted butter will do, but I LOVE using Kerrygold Irish Butter in this recipe. (Not sponsored, I just like it.)
Cream Cheese AND Sour Cream. Please be sure to use full fat cream cheese and sour cream in this recipe and make sure they're at room temperature. The texture and consistency really depends on it. The cream cheese and sour cream add a layer of tangy moisture that makes this pound cake really shine. It makes for a fantastic flavor in the cake that makes it delicious served plain, which I can't say about many of the pound cakes I've tried over the years.
Cake flour. I typically use either Swan's Down or King Arthur Cake Flour. Either will work well in this recipe. I do recommend sifting the cake flour with the baking powder and salt prior to adding it to the batter to help eliminate any potential lumps and to make your pound cake as velvety smooth and light textured as possible.
About the pan...
While I'm a huge fan of simple loaf cakes for pound cake, I absolutely love this fancy loaf cake size pan that I got recently. It's the size of a loaf cake but in the pretty style of a Bundt pan. It's the best of both worlds! Plus I find it tends to come out cleaner than some Bundt pans do. Anyway, I love this pan and think it is worth having around as a smaller alternative to a regular Bundt pan. (If you would like to make this recipe in a typical round Bundt pan, you'll need to double the recipe and adjust the baking time a bit longer.) This recipe yields a loaf pan sized cake, about 6 cup volume.
Why start with a cold oven?
I have been meaning to try the cold oven method for a while, and after reading about it in this article on Epicurious earlier this year I got to work recipe-testing to see for myself. The overall idea though is that by placing the cake into the oven prior to preheating, that slow warmup allows the cake to rise better because it gives more time for the rising agents to work before the crust sets. This leads to a more fluffy result with a more delicate crust. Plus, if you're going to be baking in the summer months, you might as well make use of the preheat time instead of heating an empty oven. Low and slow is the goal here, and a cold oven is a great way to start the process.
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Cream Cheese Pound Cake (Cold Oven Method)
This pound cake is the only pound cake recipe you'll ever need. It's so versatile, perfect for any season or occasion. The delicate, buttery crust is rich and delicious, and then you bite into the light, fluffy, buttery cake inside and you'll want to keep the entire cake for yourself. I've included a recipe for a quick berry sauce to accompany the cake, but you don't absolutely need it. It's incredible all on its own.
Ingredients
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces (113g) cream cheese (not nonfat), at room temperature
1 ¾ cup (250g) granulated sugar
¼ cup ( g) sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ cups (196g) cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 loaf pan (6 cup volume)
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
For the berry sauce-
2 cups pitted fresh cherries or berries of your choosing (I love a combination of cherries and blueberries, or raspberries)
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
½ teaspoon corn starch
Whipped cream, optional
Instructions
In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Add cream cheese and continue beating until smooth and combined, scraping down sides as needed. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about a minute. Add the sour cream and vanilla, beating until smooth.
Adjust speed to low and gradually add the eggs one at a time, allowing to combine before adding the next egg. As soon as the last egg is added, turn off the mixer to avoid overbeating.
Add the flour mixture to the mixer and turn speed to low just until combined. Using a spatula, scrape down the bowl and stir by hand to be sure any pockets of flour are combined.
Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. The batter will be quite thick and creamy. Smooth the top with a knife or spatula, then place directly into the cold oven. Turn the oven to 325°F and bake 70-75 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a rack to cool completely.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream and fresh berries or a berry sauce.
To make a simple berry sauce: combine 2 cups of berries/cherries, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup water in a medium saucepan over low heat for 10-15 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine ½ teaspoon corn starch and ½ teaspoon water and add to the saucepan, stirring to combine. Continue simmering until thickened and syrupy. Sauce will thicken more as it cools. Set aside to cool to room temperature while the cake is cooling.
Dust cooled cake with confectioners sugar and serve with berry sauce and whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
To make this in a full size Bundt pan, double the recipe and add about 10 minutes to baking time.
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