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This ultra moist sour cream pound cake recipe is a recipe that has been passed down from my great aunt and has been captivating tastebuds for years! It’s rich, soft, and slightly dense with that classic old-fashioned pound cake texture. The subtle tanginess of the sour cream perfectly balances the buttery sweetness of the cake, making every bite creamy and moist. It’s one of the best pound cakes you’ll ever make!
Listen, we need to have a little family meeting about this sour cream pound cake because baby, she deserves the floor! This old fashioned sour cream pound cake is inspired by my late Aunt Hazel’s recipe, and it’s one I’ve cherished for years.
She gave me her recipe during one of my last visits with her, and it has held such a special place in my heart ever since. It’s buttery, soft, rich, and tender with that classic pound cake texture that makes you close your eyes after the first bite. Add that simple vanilla glaze on top and whew… this is the kind of cake that makes you understand why recipes get passed down.
The Best Sour Cream Pound Cake
I know there are plenty of sour cream pound cake recipes on the internet, but this one is tried and true, easy to make, and upgraded with a little food science and a whole lot of love. Let me share my secret ingredients and tell you why I use them!
Drum roll please! I use a touch of buttermilk for extra tenderness, cake flour for that soft, plush crumb, and just a little nutmeg to make this buttery cake shine. Together, they give this delicious sour cream pound cake a moist texture, tender crumb, and rich old-fashioned flavor that makes every slice feel extra special.
For more pound cake recipes, try my Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Sock it to Me Cake and Mile High Pound Cake!
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
(full recipe and list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card below)
- Cake Flour has a lower protein content than all purpose flour, resulting in a soft, fine crumb. You can use all purpose flour, but the texture will be slightly denser.
- Full-Fat Sour Cream adds moisture, a subtle tang, and lots of richness while keeping the crumb tender.
- Salted Butter adds rich buttery flavor and structure. You can use unsalted butter if you prefer!
- Just a little Vegetable Oil boosts moisture by adding a little extra fat. Because it stays liquid at room temperature, it keeps the cake soft for days.
- Large Eggs and Egg Yolk provide structure and richness. The extra yolk adds a little more fat, creating a richer flavor and moist crumb.
- Sugar sweetens the cake while trapping air during the creaming process, which helps the cake rise. It also slows gluten formation for a softer, more tender crumb.
- Whole Fat Buttermilk is my secret ingredient. It enhances the slight tang of the sour cream and gives the cake a tender texture. Use leftovers and make my lemon buttermilk pound cake or peanut butter pound cake next!
Substitutions and Variations
- Add in more flavorings if you’d like! Lemon extract, rum, orange, and almond extract are superb with this recipe. It’s a super buttery pound cake and these flavors add brightness to the cake.
- Greek yogurt is a good substitute for sour cream. If you wanna get fancy, you can also use creme fraiche like I did in my creme fraiche pound cake!
- Add a lemon glaze on top for a pop of citrus. Use my easy recipe for lemon glaze from my lemon cream cheese pound cake.
How to make a Sour Cream Pound Cake
Prep: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – cake flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Step 1: Combine sugar, room temperature butter, and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix together on medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl half way through. Reduce mixer to low speed and begin adding eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated prior to adding the next.
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Step 2: Add half of the mixture, mix until just combined, then add the vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract), sour cream, and buttermilk. Mix until smooth, then scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the remainder of the flour mixture and mix until just smooth, about 30 seconds.
Step 3: Spray a 10 or 12-cup bundt cake pan with nonstick baking spray. Pour the pound cake batter into the pan and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The top should spring back lightly when pressed when it’s fully baked. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn over onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4: While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. Combine melted butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk together until combined and pour on top of the cooled cake and enjoy!
Pro Baking Tips
- Don’t Overmix: Once you add the dry ingredients to the batter, mix until just combined. Overmixing can result in a dense and heavy cake.
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Allow your butter, eggs, and sour cream to come to room temperature before incorporating them into the batter. Let them sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours. This helps ensure the creaming process is done properly for a smooth batter.
- Sift the Dry Ingredients: This tip is from my Aunt Hazel! Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together before adding them to the batter. Sifting removes lumps and aerates the ingredients, contributing to a finer crumb structure.
- Toothpick test: here’s the secret, you don’t actually want to use a toothpick or butter knife to check for doneness. A toothpick doesn’t go deep enough and because a butter knife is smooth, under-baked batter will slide right off of it making you think the cake is done when it’s not. Get a wooden skewer and stick it to the bottom of the bundt pan. When it comes out with just a few crumbs, it’s done!
What to Serve with Pound Cake
Feel free to add your personal touch to this classic pound cake recipe! You can top it with a chocolate sauce and a dollop of homemade whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries.
Sometimes I like to keep it simple and omit the glaze and just add sprinkle of powdered sugar for a little zhush on top. It’s so delicious you can eat it all by itself! It’s also great with a cup of coffee or homemade peach sweet tea.
Recipe FAQs
Traditional pound cakes don’t use leavening agents and rely mostly on eggs for structure, but a small amount of baking soda helps with a gentle lift. Baking soda works well here because it reacts with the acidity in sour cream and buttermilk, giving the cake a gentle lift while keeping the crumb tender.
Store in an airtight container or tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture. To freeze, wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap, then cover in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Pound Cake Recipes
Desserts
Brown Sugar Pound Cake
Desserts
7 Flavor Pound Cake
Desserts
Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
Desserts
Vanilla Pound Cake Recipe
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
Sour Cream Pound Cake
Equipment
- 10 or 12 cup Bundt Pan
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (344 g) Cake Flour
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 cup (227 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
- 2 1/4 cups (450 g) Sugar
- 2 tbsp (28 g) Vegetable Oil
- 4 (200 g) Eggs, (room temperature)
- 1 (18 g) Egg Yolk
- 1 tbsp (15 g) Vanilla Bean Paste , (or Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup (240 g) Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Buttermilk, (room temperature)
Vanilla Glaze
- 2 tbsp (28 g) Salted Butter, (melted)
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) Powdered Sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3-4 tbsp Milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – cake flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and nutmeg. Set aside. 2 3/4 cups Cake Flour 1/4 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
- Combine sugar, room temperature butter, and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix together on medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl half way through. Reduce mixer to low speed and begin adding eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated prior to adding the next. 2 1/4 cups Sugar 1 cup Salted Butter 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil 4 Eggs 1 Egg Yolk
- Add half of the flour mixture, mix until just combined, then add the vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract), sour cream, and buttermilk. Mix until smooth, then scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the remainder of the flour mixture and mix until just smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl one last time, ensuring all of the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth. 1 tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste 1 cup Sour Cream 1/4 cup Buttermilk
- Spray a 10 or 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Pour the pound cake batter into the pan and bake for 70-80 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn over onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. Combine melted butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk together until combined and pour on top of the cooled cake. 2 tbsp Salted Butter 1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract 3-4 tbsp Milk
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Main Course
Caprese Grilled Chicken
Easy Side Dishes
Baked Corn On The Cob
Desserts
Banana Pudding Cake
Desserts
Hola! quería saber la diferencia ente la mantequilla y la manteca para asegurarme utilizar la adecuada.
te refieres a aceite vegetal o manteca de cerdo o vegetal?
Gracias
Hi! I’m referring to vegetable shortening. I hope that you loved this recipe! / ¡Hola! Me refiero a la manteca vegetal. ¡Espero que te haya gustado esta receta!
This is a great recipe with a great family story. Extremely moist, anything with sour cream or cream cheese I’m in.
i’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
It’s so wonderful that you have the recipe in her handwriting, and I love that it’s got ‘kitchen marks’ on it. I’ve got recipe cards from both of my grandmothers, and they’re so precious to me.
This is take to a special occasion good! Thank you for the recipe. One thing I did with a special recipe that was written in my grandma’s handwriting was I had it printed onto tea towels for the kitchen. I love it so much.
That’s such an awesome idea! I’m so happy that the cake turned out well for you! Thank you for your feedback 🙂
I must make this. This sounds like a delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing the story and woman behind it. Food and family and memories are all linked for me as well, so I know how special sharing a recipe like this truly is.
Hi Christine! It’s so true, food brings so many memories and is so personal. I hope that you love this recipe 🙂