Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberries (Rich, Moist, and Easy!)
This Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake is rich, moist, and buttery—a true classic with a fresh twist. Topped with juicy macerated strawberries, it’s the perfect summer dessert for backyard gatherings, Sunday suppers, or anytime you want something sweet and simple. Whether served plain or with whipped cream, this easy pound cake recipe delivers old-fashioned flavor with no-fail results. Follow this recipe and you’ll feel like a Southern baking pro in no time!
Why You’ll love this Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake
There are just a handful of desserts that scream “Southern” and give off that true “Old South” feel—and this is one of them. Everyone loves a simple, sweet pound cake, and if you’re from Alabama, chances are you know a grandma that made the best one!
Whether you’re new to baking or a seasoned pro, this cake delivers rich, buttery flavor with every bite. It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert perfect for summer nights on the porch or any special occasion.
It’s not fussy, but it looks elegant—especially when topped with sugared strawberries in their own syrup. A perfect fakeout! With four flavor extracts that marry together perfectly, this cake hits all the right notes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
3 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
1 block (8 ounces) full-fat cream cheese (softened)
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter extract
2 lb fresh strawberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
How to make the Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Start by preheating your oven to 325°F and preparing your Bundt pan. You can grease and flour it the old-fashioned way, but I highly recommend using a non-stick spray like Baker’s Joy—it’s faster, less messy, and has never failed me. Truly, it gives better results EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Next, beat three sticks of unsalted butter and one 8 oz block of softened full-fat cream cheese in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium high speed until light and fluffy—this takes about 5 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl occasionally to mix everything evenly.
Important tip: Make sure your butter and cream cheese are room temperature before mixing. This helps emulsify the fats and gives the cake its smooth, rich texture. This is best achieved by allowing them to sit out on your countertop for a couple of hours. Please don’t put that butter or cream cheese in the microwave on the “soften” setting. This often leads to hot spots of melted butter and weird melted goo cream cheese—it will definitely throw off your fluffing!
Add in 3 cups of sugar to your mixing bowl and mix until just blended with your butter and cream cheese.
Next, add your 6 eggs—one at a time, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix here.
Well hello old friend….I’ve had this Kitchenaid stand mixer for about 15 years—she’s still going strong creaming that butter and sugar even though she looks tired!
Now we mix in all 4 of the extracts:
1/2 teaspoon orange
1/2 teaspoon almond
1 teaspoon butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
I’ve found that adding more vanilla than what a pound cake recipe generally calls for makes the end result of said pound cake taste kind of like vanilla ice cream—super vanilla-y, which is never a bad thing!
Next, mix in 3 cups cake flour. I love Swan’s Down Cake Flour, but any trusted cake flour will work just fine. Beat the batter for 3 minutes to ensure everything is fully combined.
Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan and smooth out the top just a bit. Bake at 325°F for 90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
This is about as even as this cake batter gets!
Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about an hour. Then flip it over onto a serving platter—and here’s my secret tip: I always give the top of the pan a good slap. I don’t know if its science or just superstition at this point, but I’ve never had a pound cake stick when I do that!
This recipe makes 16 big slices or 24 smaller slices-perfect for sharing with a crowd.
How to Macerate Strawberries (Simple Method)
What a fancy way of saying sugared strawberries!
Typically you would use just a couple of tablespoons of sugar per pound of strawberries, but I’ve always had Southern pound cake with really over-sweetened, extra syrupy strawberries. Why stop now?!?
2 pounds strawberries, washed and sliced
1/2 cup white sugar (or more if I’m feeling it!)
Mix strawberries and sugar together in a mixing bowl, and allow them to sit at least 30 minutes. This will allow the sugar to render an amazing syrup from the strawberries that is a perfect pairing for your pound cake.
Freeze slices individually, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil for up to 3 months.
Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake and Strawberries
Rich, moist & buttery--this Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake topped with juicy strawberries is the perfect summer dessert. It's an easy Bundt cake recipe that packs big flavor and no fuss. Save this for your next family gathering or Sunday supper!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F, then spray a 12 cup Bundt pan with Baker's Joy non-stick spray (or grease and flour the pan).
- Cream together 3 sticks unsalted butter and 1 block full fat cream cheese with paddle attachment of standing mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Blend in 3 cups sugar.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing until just blended with each addition.
- Mix in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon almond extract, 1 teaspoon butter extract and 1/2 teaspoon orange extract until just combined.
- Mix in 3 cups cake flour. Beat for 3 minutes on medium speed, scraping down sides of mixing bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Pour into prepared 12 cup Bundt pan and bake 90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean.
- Do not remove cake from Bundt pan. Allow cake to cool in pan on a wire baking rack for 1 hour before flipping over onto a serving platter or cake stand.
- Serves 16. Top with strawberries and strawberry syrup, whipped cream, or ice cream and enjoy with a crowd!
- Mix strawberries and sugar together in a mixing bowl, and allow them to sit at least 30 minutes. This will allow the sugar to render an amazing syrup from the strawberries that is a perfect pairing for your pound cake.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
504Fat
25 gSat. Fat
14 gCarbs
66 gFiber
2 gNet carbs
64 gSugar
47 gProtein
7 gSodium
75 mgCholesterol
130 mg
More Southern Dessert Recipes to try
Try this Southern Peach Cobbler Pound Cake recipe for a fresh twist on a summer classic!