Recipes & Cooking Desserts & Baking Cakes Shortcake & Poundcake Sour Cream Pound Cake Be the first to rate & review! An easy-to-make basic pound cake recipe that you can truly make your own! By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on September 8, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 55 mins Cool Time: 10 mins Bake Time: 1 hr Total Time: 55 mins Servings: 10 Jump to Nutrition Facts Mastering a basic cake recipe is all you need to open the door to your creativity. This sour cream pound cake, in particular, offers simplicity in terms of texture and flavors, yet, you can make it your own by tweaking and adding other ingredients. Traditional pound cake recipes usually lean on the denser and buttery side. In fact, it’s called pound cake because it takes a pound of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs to make it. Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes we just need to switch things up. That’s why sour cream is to cakes what buttermilk is to biscuits—it gives them a subtle tangy flavor as well as an airy bite that’s really hard to resist. What Makes a Cake Rise? These 4 Things Are Essential to Fluffy Cakes This sour cream pound cake is also the perfect base to pair it with seasonal flavors—berries and buttercream for a classic duo; orange or Meyer lemon, to enjoy summer’s best; and you could even spice it up with cardamom, nutmeg, and rosewater.. BHG / Michelle Parkin Ingredients ½ cup butter 3 eggs ½ cup sour cream 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon baking powder ⅛ teaspoon baking soda 1 cup sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 recipe Sweetened Whipped Cream (optional) Fresh berries (optional) Sweetened Whipped Cream 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract Directions BHG / Michelle Parkin Allow butter, eggs, and sour cream to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and lightly flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan; set aside. BHG / Michelle Parkin In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside. BHG / Michelle Parkin In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, beating on medium speed about 10 minutes or until light and fluffy. BHG / Michelle Parkin Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low to medium speed for 1 minute after each addition and scraping side of bowl frequently. BHG / Michelle Parkin Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. BHG / Michelle Parkin Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. BHG / Michelle Parkin Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack. If desired, serve with sweetened whipped cream and berries. Sweetened Whipped Cream BHG / Michelle Parkin In a chilled bowl combine heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat with the chilled beaters of a mixer on medium to high speed just until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Do not overbeat. Lemon-Poppy Seed Pound Cake Variation Prepare as directed, except substitute 1/2 cup lemon yogurt for the sour cream. Gently stir 2 tablespoons poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice into batter. Blueberry Pound Cake Variation Prepare as directed, except pour boiling water over 1/2 cup dried blueberries and let stand for 10 minutes; drain well. Fold berries into batter. Test Kitchen Tip: Pound cake is truly a freezer-friendly cake, keeping its flavor and texture for up to three months, if wrapped tightly. To defrost, simply leave it overnight in the freezer or in the counter, for a few hours. You can even warm the cake up (wrap it in aluminum foil) in the over at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 268 Calories 13g Fat 35g Carbs 4g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 10 Calories 268 % Daily Value * Total Fat 13g 17% Saturated Fat 7g 35% Cholesterol 93mg 31% Sodium 116mg 5% Total Carbohydrate 35g 13% Total Sugars 21g Protein 4g 8% Calcium 30.3mg 2% Iron 1.1mg 6% Potassium 57mg 1% Folate, total 44.4mcg Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg Vitamin B-6 0mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.