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Pound cake may be a true beginner's cake -- a recipe so simple, a first-time baker can easily work their way around it. However, if you're not an amateur and are in fact looking to elevate a homemade pound cake, one ingredient from your pantry can be a game-changer. And it's cream cheese!
Also Read: The Pound Cake: A Whole Lotta Goodness
Turns out cream cheese can make your pound cake moister and give it a subtle sour bite. If you've ever made a pound cake, you already know that pound cake can easily turn out dry, rock solid and/or lacking in flavour. Pound cake can turn out too dry if you add too much flour or not enough butter or sugar. It's funny because the ratio in pound cake is listed in its name! The original recipe for pound cake calls for exactly one pound each of flour, sugar, butter and eggs.
However, improvising the ratios to make your cakes denser and yummier has been on every baker's to-do list. Lowering the oven temperature is a common hack to keep it from overbaking. Adding vanilla extract can work wonders. Baking powder is another unconventional ingredient; though it's not listed in a typical pound cake recipe, a small amount lightly lifts the crumb so the cake isn’t overly heavy.
So, where does cream cheese come in?
The addition of cream cheese creates a silky smooth batter and a luxurious crumb. The tanginess of the cream cheese also brings a sense of balance to the sweetness. If you're going by a basic pound cake recipe, opt for a full-fat tub of cream cheese and add it to your cake batter. Besides the slight tang, cream cheese tenderises the crumb which changes the taste altogether.
The best way to go about it is to soften the cream cheese by keeping it out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Keep adding even quantities to your batter at regular intervals. There's one other technique as well. Make sure to eat the butter until creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat it till all the cream cheese lumps are out. Beat in the sugar, then add the sour cream and vanilla. If you're using two eggs (which is the common standard) use one egg when you start mixing and the other egg towards the end.
Pour the batter into a generously greased 10-12 cup Bundt pan and bake the cream cheese pound cake at 325°F (163°C). Halfway through baking, you can try tenting the cake with aluminium foil to prevent over-browning. The best topping for a cream cheese pound cake is powdered sugar. However, if you've used vanilla extract or a drop of syrup in your batter, vanilla or lemon icings are two common options.
