Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Cream Cheese Pound Cake is quick and easy to make with a box of yellow cake mix and a few additional ingredients.  

Although delicious warm, tastes MUCH better after 24 hours in the fridge. Serve with or without frosting.  Pairs well with fruit, ice cream and whipped cream. 

Technically, this recipe is not a pound cake.  The baked cake’s weight is the inspiration for the name “pound cake.”

What is a pound cake?

According to wikipedia.org, a pound cake is a made with a pound of each of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar.
Pound cakes are usually baked in a loaf or bundt pan.  Although delicious plain, it’s good coated with a light glaze, frosting or dusted with powdered sugar. 

EDITOR’S NOTE (June 15, 2020):  See recipe video posted in recipe notes (bottom of page). PIN here on Pinterest.

Thanks General Mills!

DISCLAIMER:  I used a box of Betty Crocker yellow cake mix provided by General Mills.  All comments are my own.

To test and see if a pound cake is done, press a knife in center all the way down until it touches the bottom.  If it comes out clean, cake is done. A toothpick is too short because it only pierces the top of the cake.

You may also enjoy my Cream Cheese Cake Mix Cookies and Homemade Cream Cheese Pound Cake (made from scratch).

This is a variation of an Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake from Genius Kitchen.  Be sure to read the tweaks.  They have lots of  helpful tips.

I tweaked the recipe by using vanilla extract instead of almond extract.  Use your favorite extract.

Enjoyed baking this dessert in one of two new cast iron fluted cake pans provided by Lodge Manufacturing.   Read excellent baking tips here.

My Pineapple Dump Cake is one of THE most popular recipes on my blog.   Visitors love the tangy pineapples topped with a yellow cake.  Excellent topped with vanilla ice cream or real whipped cream. 

The sturdy  Lodge Cast Iron Fluted Cake Pan will last for years (or generations) with proper care. 

My aunt (73 years blessed) owns a cast iron skillet that has been in our family for several generations.   I estimate it to be at least 80 years old.  It is in excellent shape because of proper care.  How cool is that?!

Always use heavy pot holders or towels when handling hot cast iron cookware (or any cookware).

How To Read & Follow A Recipe

Reading a recipe is an important life skill.  It starts with knowing how to read a recipe’s ingredients, follow the instructions, prep ingredients, and knowing what equipment to use. 

The following tips and strategies will help beginners or experienced cooks  create a delicious dish as intended in the recipe. 

Start with clean hands and organized kitchen.  Wash hands thoroughly.  Make sure kitchen and countertops are clean before making a recipe.

Create a relaxing environment.  Play favorite music while in the kitchen.  I love listening to classical or gospel music. 

Read the recipe.   Don’t just quickly skim it.  Thoroughly read from start to finish.  Visualize doing each step which will help you avoid missing a step.

If you see ingredient that you and your family don’t use for whatever reason, use a substitutions or omit the ingredient.

My recipes are packed with helpful tips like shortcuts and serving sizes which save time time and help with meal planning. 

Pay attention to the order in which ingredients are prepped.  For example, 1 cup of  chopped pecans is not the same as pecans, chopped (measure whole pecans and then chop).  

Know the assumptions.  For example, when my recipe calls for “sugar,” use granulated sugar.  If brown sugar is an ingredient, it will be written as such in the recipe.  

Figure out the timing. Check the listed “prep time” and “total time” to be sure you have enough time to complete the recipe.

Look for hints, such as the words “meanwhile” or “at the same time,” which indicate two or more steps can happen simultaneously.  

For example, my prep time doesn’t include bringing cold butter up to room temperature.  Be sure to include in your timetable.

Watch Recipe Videos.    If you’re a visual learner (like me), watch recipe videos.  Perfect for when you’re learning a new skill or just want to see how a recipe is made.    

Mise en place is a super time saver. This French cooking term translates as “putting in place.”   It means prepping/measuring ingredients and chopping food before you start cooking. It’s the perfect way to get organized and avoid missing an ingredient or missing a step in the instructions.

Organize your tools and kitchen equipment.  Mise en place isn’t just for ingredients.   Before starting, make sure you have parchment paper, aluminum foil, measuring cups, measuring spoons, the right pans, mixing bowls, and other equipment.

Make notes in your recipe. Note any special prep instructions and highlight cooking times.  Make note of ingredients omitted,  favorite substitutions and creative twists.   The notes will be very helpful the next time you make this recipe. 

Enjoy!

Print Recipe
 Cream Cheese Pound Cake
This delicious dessert is quick and easy to make with a box of yellow cake mix and a few additional ingredients. Delicious warm, but MUCH better after 24 hours in fridge. Pairs well with fruit, ice cream or whipped cream. Adjusted recipe and photography by Beverly Davis for CornbreadMillionaire.com.
Course Dessert
Keyword cake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword cake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Use a folded paper towel soaked in vegetable oil to thoroughly grease a standard-sized bundt pan. Set aside.
  3. In large bowl, combine softened cream cheese (room temperature), 1/2 cup sugar, 4 eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. With mixer on low speed, mix together until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute).
  4. Add 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter (or vegetable oil), 1/2 cup of water and cake mix. With mixer on low speed, mix together just until combined (about 2 minutes). Batter will be thick and creamy. Set aside.
  5. Pour or spoon batter into prepared bundt pan. Smooth top with back of spoon. Batter will not fill pan (allows room for cake to rise).
  6. Bake 40-45 minutes OR until top springs back when lightly pressed. Or press a knife in center all the way down touching bottom. If it comes out clean, cake is done. A toothpick is too short. Only pierces top.
  7. Cool 30 minutes before turning out onto a large plate. Delicious warm.
  8. This cream cheese pound cake tastes MUCH BETTER after refrigerated over night in a tightly sealed container.
Recipe Notes

************************************************

 

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons hot water

pinch of kosher salt

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Use a spoon to combine melted butter and powdered sugar.  Add water and salt.  Stir to desired consistency.  Drizzle over cooled cake or individual slices of cooled cake.   

19 thoughts on “Cream Cheese Pound Cake”

  1. I tried this recipe for Thanksgiving this year, everyone LOVED IT, and it’s soooo easy to make, thank you Beverly for the recipe.

    Reply

    1. Joan, I’ve never tested this recipe with applesauce. I do know applesauce is a popular substitute for oil in various recipes. So, my “guess” is yes, it will work. Thank you for visiting. Please come again!

      Reply

  8. I’ve mad this … but … instead of plain yellow cake mix, I used a pineapple flavored cake mix…..
    Everyone loved it! I just sprinkle powered sugar on top.

    Reply

  9. My mother gave me this recipe years ago and I use it to make layer cakes. It does slice very cleanly like pound cake, but it doesn’t have the same density or taste in my opinion but I do love it and make it all the time. Also like Jan said about the pineapple turning out great, you can use any type of cake mix and it will still turn out beautifully. I made the famous Milk Bar birthday cake word for word except the second time I made it I used this recipe plus a handful of sprinkles. It was better than the original and cut better as well. Everyone agreed. It was a landslide decision. Since then I have used this hack to make the cake which is always a huge hit. I do everything else, the soak, the crumbles and the frosting exactly per her recipe. I just deviate with this cake because I love it so much. Experiment using any cake mix you please and you will always love this cake.

    Reply

  10. I encourage you to make the Milk Bar Birthday cake. It is so delicious especially with this recipe in place of Christina Tosi’s cake. I have ordered her cake from her bakery and I have made myself. Your recipe/my Mom’s recipe is better.

    To break up the work and mess, I take 3 days. The first day I make the cookies/crumbles- I alway double the recipe so we can eat some of them. ( In my experience they will not form perfect little balls if you don’t hand shape them contrary to the recipe as written. So I hand rolled some into cranberry to grape size balls before baking. ) The second day I make the frosting. The third day I make the cake, soak (which is nothing at all milk and vanilla FLAVORED extract, not real vanilla) and I assemble- the most fun part next to actually eating the cake. Breaking up the work makes it actually a pretty easy venture. Doing it all at once would not be fun in my opinion.

    I made her chocolate malt cake per directions and it was amazingly good, but next time I will make the chocolate cake with your recipe and a box of Duncan Hines Devils Food Mix. Still the Milk Bar Birthday Cake is probably the most delicious cake I have ever eaten- it is in the top 2- my daughters wedding cake was equally amazing but I don’t have the recipe and the Dominican baker won’t divulge, but the cake was a gift from her son so we are nothing but grateful.

    Still I hope you make the Birthday Cake. I would love to read your reaction to the process and to the cake. Trust me, your recipe for the cake (Duncan Hines yellow cake is what I used) plus a handful of sprinkles is better. Happy Baking!!!

    Reply

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