Old Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake

This Old Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake has a beautiful golden sugary crust and is fluffy yet dense inside. And the vanilla and almond flavor combo is to die for!

One of our favorite treats to make for holidays is today’s old fashioned sour cream pound cake. Once you have this cake you will also want our vanilla bean pound cake, pistachio pound cake, and cranberry orange pound cake!

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake

Our Favorite Sour Cream Pound Cake

This is a family recipe from my husband’s side, and it’s one that I absolutely LOVE!

My mother-in-law makes this pound cake all of the time… and for good reason! It’s got a beautiful golden sugary crust and is fluffy yet dense inside. Plus the vanilla and almond flavor combo is to die for!

And if you are curious why it’s called a pound cake (because I always thought it was a funny name for a cake!) it’s because it used to be made with a pound of flour, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs and a pound of butter!! No wonder I LOVE this cake so much. 😉

Pound Cake in pan

How to Make Sour Cream Pound Cake 

Follow the recipe card to achieve this amazing pound cake but make sure to note the following key steps:

  • Begin by spraying your bundt pan (or two loaf pans, if you don’t have a bundt pan) with cooking spray and then coat it with about 1 tbsp of granulated sugar! This step is optional but I love the texture it adds and it helps the cake not stick to the pan! 
  • Add each egg yolk, one at a time and mix after each one
  • Alternate adding dry ingredients and sour cream while continually mixing on low
  • Gently fold in your egg whites (should be stiff peaks)
  • Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan

Recipe Tips:

  • Have your ingredients be at room temperature
  • Take your time to really cream the butter and sugar so that there’s a good, light, and fluffy texture. 
  • Sour cream adds extra moistness and some extra fat to make the cake creamier.
  • If you don’t own a large bundt pan, you can split the batter between loaf pans or use a smaller decorative bunt along with a loaf pan. Just adjust the baking time accordingly.

Sour Cream Pound Cake with powdered sugar

Pound Cake Toppings

We usually eat it plain, but this time I decided to do something a little extra- serve it up with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries. It’s got that whole red, white and blue thing going on which is perfectly patriotic 🙂

But you could also do a simple glaze! A simple glaze can be made with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk. Then pour it over the cooled cake. Other ides include:

  • more berries
  • whipped cream
  • lemon curd
  • chopped peaches
  • sliced bananas and toasted coconut

Pound Cake recipe on white plate

Variations + Storing

Of course, if you want to do something different you can swap out the almond extract for lemon and a bit of zest, then dust the final product with powdered sugar and top it all with strawberries. Mmm.

Some other fun variations include chocolate pound cake, brown sugar pound cake, lemon-blueberry pound cake and so many more that you can find here.

No matter what type of extract you use, it’s going to be moist, flavorful and delicious!

How to Store Pound Cake? It is best to store your pound cake in an airtight container for up to three days.

You can keep it in your refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap and foil for up to a week!

Or you can wrap it in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer-safe bag and freeze it for up to 6 months.

When you are ready to have it again, Thaw your pound cake on the counter without unwrapping for the best results! 

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake

Don’t wait to bake this lovely pound cake! I promise it’ll be love at first bite! Enjoy & happy baking.

Find more delicious desserts here:

  • Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
  • Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
  • Classic Angel Food Cake

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    Old Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake

    Old Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe

    Nothing beats the rich, buttery flavor of this old fashioned sour cream pound cake! It's delicious on its own or topped with ice cream, whipped cream and fresh berries!
    4.58 from 26 votes
    Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings: 14 servings
    Calories: 440kcal
    Author: Andrea
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter - (2 sticks), room temperature
    • 3 cup granulated sugar
    • 6 eggs - divided
    • 2 tsp vanilla - or vanilla bean paste
    • 1/2 tsp almond extract
    • 3 cup all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp baking soda
    • 1 cup sour cream - full-fat

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray and sugar (I use about 1 tbsp of granulated sugar, however this is optional) a large bundt pan set aside.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and almond extract, then add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each addition.
    • In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda, then with mixing speed on low alternate adding the dry ingredients and sour cream.
    • In a medium mixing bowl whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the egg whites using a large spatula. Pour into the prepared pan and place in the oven to bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto a cake stand or plate. If you skipped the granulated sugar in the pan, you can dust the top of the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

    NOTES

    -If you don't own a large classic bundt pan, you can divide the batter between 2 (9x5) loaf pans and bake them for approximately 45-55 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 14serving | Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 609IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    I made this cake exactly as directed in a classic tube pan. Turned out beautifully and tastes great.
    Had to bake it 1.5 hours.

  2. 1 star
    I have made many bundt cakes, and this was the first one that I had to throw out. Followed all the instructions, but it didn’t bake all the way through, stuck to the pan, fell apart. First failure!

    1. Hi Deb, sorry to hear this. Did you cake tester come out clean, but it still wasn’t baked all the way through?