Boldy declaring this the best pound cake you’ll ever eat in your life. Almond and vanilla extracts along with rich cream cheese make the crumb so soft and rich. also, the glaze is life-changing
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The recipe for this Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Vanilla Almond Glaze has been in my family for years! My Mom has been making this exact cake for decades, and it truly is one the most delicious desserts I’ve ever had. Most of the time, when I’m recipe testing and baking, I’ll eat the first slice to test for flavors, textures, etc, then let the hungry mob of children eat the rest. Not with this cake. We are literally fighting over the last slice, and it’s a generous cake that you’ll slice away at for at least 3-4 days! But we still fight over it, because it’s amazing.
First, you’re going to cream your butter, sugar, and cream cheese really well, for about 5 minutes. This pound cake has minimal ingredients, so it’s VERY important to use the highest quality products you can find. I always use grass fed Irish Kerrygold butter – super rich and creamy, unlike any other!
The best way to prepare a bundt pan
Baking a gorgeous bundt cake can be super impressive and very satisfying! Unless of course, you do all this work only to have your cake stick to the beautiful intricate designs of the pan. This has totally happened to me and it’s an actual travesty. The best way to prevent any sticking is to brush the inside of the pan with softened butter, getting into each nook and cranny. Then use 2 tablespoons of flour to dust on the butter. I place the flour in and shake and rotate the pan with my hands until the whole surface is covered. Then, I place the whole pan in the fridge to set the butter while I’m mixing up my batter. This small extra step works for me every single time, trust me!
Why is it called Pound Cake?
We’ve talked about pound cakes in previous posts, like this maple yogurt pound cake. So, by now you know that pound cakes earned their name because they traditionally had equal amounts of butter, sugar, and flour. The ratios in this cake are pretty spot on to reach that original pound cake recipe. I know this seems like a lot of butter, sugar and flour in this recipe, but we’re making a really delicious, generous cake that could easily serve 12-15 people. It is worth every single decadent ingredient, so please don’t make any substitutions here. I don’t say that often, but this crumb is so rich and delicious, I want you to enjoy it the way it’s intended.
The glaze is a really important element of my Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Almond Vanilla Glaze. I can’t emphasize that enough! In a small saucepan, you’ll combine water, sugar, and a few different flavored extracts. The flavored extracts become a perfect harmony of flavors, and add incredible flavor the to cake. You’ll use a pastry brush to brush about 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom of the cake, while it is still in the pan and warm. Then, turn the cake out onto a cool rack or serving plate, and apply the rest of the glaze to the entire top of the cake. Once the cake cools, the glaze forms a sweet crust on the outside and it is to. die. for.
How to get the perfect crumb
The beauty of this cake is in it’s simplicity. The ingredients are very straightforward, but the way we’re preparing the cake batter is really important. First, it’s so important that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This way, they can be incorporated evenly and seamlessly throughout the cake. Second, the recipe says to beat the sugar, cream cheese, and butter for a good 5 minutes. Don’t skip or rush this step! The cake doesn’t have any chemical leaveners (baking powder or baking soda) so the air that you whip into the eggs will create the fluffy rich cake. Last but not least, always always scrape down to the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula after mixing. Some of the wet ingredients usually get stuck down there, and it’s really important that everything is incorporated.
I cannot wait for you all to try this beloved family recipe of ours! Please remember to tag me @lions.bread if you make this, or any recipe from the blog! I love seeing my recipes come to life in your kitchens. Want to save this recipe for later? Just hover over any of the images, and tap the Pin It button to save it to your favorite Pinterest board.
Happy holidays my friends, lots of love as always –
LeAnne
Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Vanilla Almond Glaze
Truly the best pound cake you'll ever eat in your life, please trust me! The glaze is everything, do not skip it.
Ingredients
The cake:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted Kerrygold grass fed butter at room temperature, plus 2 tablespoons for preparing the Bundt pan
- 8 oz. 1 package cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons, for preparing the pan
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Vanilla Almond Glaze:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp coconut extract
- 1 tsp rum flavor extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
The cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325° F. Prepare a 10-15 quart Bundt pan: brush the 2 tablespoons of softened butter evenly on the interior of the pan, making sure to get into the crevices. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of unbleached all purpose flour into the coated pan, and shake the pan to distribute the flour evenly over the butter. Shake out excess flour. Set your prepared pan in the fridge to chill while mixing up the batter.
- Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Gradually add sugar and continue beating for at least 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next. Add vanilla and almond extracts and combine thoroughly.
- On low speed, gradually add flour and kosher salt until you have a smooth, fluffy batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes or until a long skewer comes out clean. Meanwhile, make the glaze.
The glaze:
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, and brush the surface of the warm cake (still in the pan) with the glaze until coated. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack or serving plate, and brush the remainder of the glaze to completely cover the top and sides. Use up all of the glaze. Allow to completely cool before serving.
- Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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