Sour Cream Pound Cake is an heirloom recipe with a moist, sweet crumb and a tangy, light frosting. Best served with berries piled high.

Southern grandmas make the best food, don’t you think? When we were kids and visited our grandparents in Georgia, we could count on a huge spread for breakfast with all of the fixings. Think waffles, biscuits, grits, eggs, bacon and sausage piled high. And when there was a family reunion, well, things got pretty good for lunch and dinner. Except for all of the baked beans. I never was, and still am not, a fan of those.

This Sour Cream Pound Cake is one of my southern grandma’s standards. And personally, I think it’s one of her best. It’s perfectly balanced–not too sweet, just a hint of tang, and a beautifully dense and moist crumb that makes for the best pound cake. And the frosting on the outside is just amazing. Because there’s an egg white in it, it has a beautiful shiny finish, with the perfect crackly finish.

And while it’s now nearly summer and a lot of us are avoiding turning on our ovens, this one is worth it. And really, there’s nothing as wonderful a slice of this, piled high with berries. Or, it feels a bit more wintery if you add the black walnuts and serve it with a cup of hot coffee. Either option is absolutely delicious and wonderful.

Sour Cream Pound Cake on table with fresh fruit.

Tips for the Best Sour Cream Pound Cake:

Buttering and flouring your pan may seem like a fiddly bit, but don’t skip it! Especially if you are using a pan that doesn’t have straight edges, or it will stick.
There is a raw egg white in the frosting. I personally don’t have a problem with that, since I’m careful to keep eggs cold when I buy them. However, you could try purchasing pasteurized eggs if you’d prefer!
Once the cake is frosted, please make sure to cover and refrigerate it, because of the egg white.

Recipe Options:

You can add chopped black walnuts to the batter and frosting, if you would like! I opted out, because of nut sensitivities at my house.
If you’d prefer a thinner glaze, you can add milk by the tablespoon until it is thinner and will run over the sides of the cake.
Also, the frosting is completely optional! This cake is wonderful sprinkled with powdered sugar and maybe whipped cream or ice cream on the side.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

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Author: Rebecca Neidhart

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Description

Sour Cream Pound Cake is an heirloom recipe with a moist, sweet crumb and a tangy, light frosting. Best served with berries piled high.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 cups white sugar
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sour cream

For the Frosting:

1 egg white (see notes)
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3–4 Tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. soft butter

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325F and butter and flour a bundt pan generously. In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream the butter, sugar, and extracts on medium speed until they are light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing it in completely after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Add one cup of flour, then half of the sour cream and repeat, ending with the last cup of flour and baking soda. Make sure that all of the flour is well combined, but try not to overmix the batter. Pour the mix into the floured pan and bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour. The cake is done when the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the frosting:

Beat the egg white to medium peaks, then add in 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Alternate tablespoons of sour cream with the rest of the sugar, then beat in the vanilla extract and soft butter.

Notes

Buttering and flouring your pan is key to keep it from sticking. It seems like a bothersome step, but it’s definitely worth it!