Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Originally made for a DIY trifle ingredient — but it’s delicious all on its own, and people keep going straight for the cake. The recipe is from Sally's. 

Ingredients

Unsalted butter - 1 and 1/2 cups, softened to room temperature

Cream cheese - 8 oz block, softened to room temperature

Granulated sugar - 2 and 1/2 cups
Sour cream - 1/3 cup, at room temperature

Pure vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Egg - 6 large, at room temperature

Cake flour - 3 cups 
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
optional for serving: homemade whipped cream & fresh berries

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Generously grease a 10-12 cup Bundt pan with butter or nonstick spray.
2. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cream cheese and beat on high speed until completely smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute, then add the sour cream and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula.
3. On low speed, beat the eggs in 1 at a time allowing each to fully mix in before adding the next. Careful not to overmix after the eggs have been added. Once the 6th egg is combined, stop the mixer and add the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat on medium speed *just* until combined. Do not overmix. Using a silicone spatula or sturdy whisk, give the batter a final turn to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be a little thick and very creamy.
4. Pour/spoon batter evenly into prepared pan. Bang the pan on the counter once or twice to bring up any air bubbles. Bake for 75-95 minutes. Loosely tent the baking cake with aluminum foil halfway through bake time to ensure the surface does not over-brown. The key to pound cake is a slow and low bake time. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Once it comes out completely clean, the pound cake is done. 
5. Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool for 2 hours inside the pan. Then invert the slightly cooled pound cake onto a wire rack or serving dish. Allow to cool completely.
6. Slice and serve with optional toppings like homemade whipped cream & fresh berries.

Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Wrap baked and cooled pound cake in 1-2 layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the plastic wrap & foil overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before slicing and serving.