Sour Cream Pound Cake With Vanilla Bean Icing
This sour cream pound cake is rich, buttery, moist and full of flavour. Finished with a thick vanilla bean icing, it really is hard to beat!
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This sour cream pound cake with vanilla bean icing could be the best loaf cake ever!
This has all the characteristics of a traditional pound cake but is far from your standard recipe! It still has that classic dense crumb, a buttery vanilla flavour and a signature crack down the middle but is SO much more flavourful thanks to the sour cream, lemon zest & really good vanilla extract that we’re mixing into the batter.
Finished with a thick, vanilla bean icing, this cake couldn’t get any better! Plus, it’s seriously easy to make and yields 8 thick slices.
Looking for more baking recipes to try? We have recipes for a whole load of bakes. From homemade bread & sourdough, to cakes, brownies & cookies.
Traditional vs Sour Cream Pound Cake
A pound cake is a type of dense sponge cake, traditionally made with a pound each of butter, sugar, flour & eggs. If you’re in the UK, you may have eaten a Madeira cake, which is the exact same thing as a pound cake!
Classic pound cake doesn’t contain any raising agents, relying solely on the air incorporated into the butter when it is creamed with the sugar, to make it rise in the oven. This means that traditional pound cakes tend to be quite dense & heavy (yet still delicious!).
In this recipe, we’re making our pound cake with sour cream & finishing it with a vanilla bean icing, so it’s not exactly traditional! We’re also using a slightly different ratio of ingredients, plus a small amount of baking powder for a moister sponge, with an even richer flavour & slightly lighter crumb!
Non traditional isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, this cake is still super tasty! There’s even a small amount of lemon zest & a spoonful of really good vanilla extract in the mix as well, which really brings this sour cream pound cake to life….
Ingredient Notes
- Butter – We’re using unsalted butter for this recipe. It’s important to make sure that the butter is softened at room temperature before using, otherwise it won’t mix properly
- Sugar – You’ll need caster sugar for this pound cake & icing sugar for the icing (if making).
- Eggs – This recipe uses 4 large eggs. Make sure that these are at room temperature as well.
- Sour Cream – We’re adding sour cream to our pound cake, which gives it a softer more tender crumb due to the high fat content.
- Plain Flour – We’re using plain/all purpose flour for this recipe. Make sure to sift this, to prevent any lumps in the batter.
- Baking Powder – Traditional pound cake doesn’t contain baking powder but I find that adding a small amount into the batter gives the cake the best rise & a slightly lighter crumb.
- Salt – Salt adds flavour to our cake. I like to use fine table salt as it incorporates into the batter better.
- Vanilla – Using a good quality vanilla extract in your pound cake makes all the difference! If you’re icing your cake, you’ll need vanilla bean paste as well.
- Lemon – A small amount of lemon zest adds extra flavour to our cake. Make sure to rub the zest into the sugar, to release the oils.
- Double Cream – We’re using double/heavy cream in our icing, so that it’s nice & thick. If you’d prefer a thinner icing, use milk instead (you’ll probably need less milk than cream).
Lining A Loaf Tin
The great thing about baking a pound cake in a loaf tin, is that you can line it with baking parchment, therefore preventing any chance of it sticking.
The best way to do this, is to generously grease the inside of a 2 lb loaf tin with soft butter then line the base & 2 longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging (as shown below). This also acts like a sling, making it easier to remove the pound cake once baked.
How To Make Sour Cream Pound Cake
The full, printable recipe card for this pound cake can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…
- Cream Butter & Sugar
First, we beat butter, sugar & lemon zest together (in a stand mixer) until light, fluffy & pale white in colour. This will take at least 5 minutes on a medium speed. It’s important to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl down regularly with a spatula, to ensure a proper mix. - Mix In Eggs
Once our butter & sugar are creamed, we mix in eggs one at a time, making sure that each one is incorporated fully before adding the next. - Fold In Dry Ingredients, Sour Cream & Vanilla
Next, we add in half of our sifted dry ingredients (plain flour, baking powder & salt) then fold into the butter until just combined. Then we add in the sour cream, vanilla extract & remaining dry ingredients & fold again, until incorporated. - Transfer Batter To Tin
Now, we transfer the pound cake batter into a greased & lined 2 lb loaf tin, spreading it out into an even layer. Then we pipe a thin line of softened butter straight down the middle of the cake. This controls where the pound cake will crack open as it bakes. - Bake
We bake the pound cake at 175°c/350°f until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. This will take 50 minutes – 1 hour. - Leave To Cool
Once cooked, we let the cake cool in the tin for 20 minutes then carefully lift it out (using the overhanging baking parchment) & transfer to a wire cooling rack, to cool completely before we ice it.
Vanilla Bean Icing
We’re making this vanilla bean icing with double (heavy) cream, so it’s extra thick! In my opinion, this is the perfect topping to our pound cake…
To make this icing, we sift icing sugar into a bowl then whisk in vanilla bean paste & enough double cream to make a smooth & thick (yet still spoonable) icing. Once made, we spoon the icing all over our pound cake (make sure that your cake is completely cold!) then leave to set in the fridge for 30 minutes, before cutting into slices!
Pound Cake Tips & Tricks
- Beat the butter & sugar for at least 5 minutes. It needs to be pale & fluffy!
- Scrape the sides of your mixing bowl regularly, for a properly mixed batter.
- Use room temperature ingredients for a smoother cake mix.
- Use good quality vanilla, for the best flavour.
- Pipe a line of softened butter down the middle of the cake batter, to control how the top of the cake cracks as it bakes.
- Let your pound cake cool completely before icing, to prevent the icing from melting into the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
To prevent any chance of your pound cake sticking, it’s best to grease the tin generously with butter and line the base & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment. This also acts like a sling, making it easier to remove the cake from the tin once baked.
You’ll know when your pound cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The cake will also be well risen & a deep, golden brown.
As our icing contains double cream, it’s best to store the pound cake in the fridge, where it will stay fresh for 3-4 days. Make sure to bring the cake back to room temperature before serving or give it 10 seconds in a microwave!
This is the most important part of making a pound cake! Make sure to beat the butter & sugar together for at least 5 minutes. The butter should light, fluffy & white in colour.
You don’t have to ice your pound cake, it’s great with or without it! If you don’t ice your cake, it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Baking Pound Cake In An Aga
With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas. Here’s how to cook this recipe in an Aga…
Bake the pound cake on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the baking oven. Slide a cold plain shelf onto the top set of runners just before baking the cake, leaving it in for the duration of the cook.
Equipment Used
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More Cake Recipes To Try!
- Black Tahini Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Lemon & Almond Battenberg
- Nutella Swirled Tahini Banana Bread
- Lemon Fondant Fancies
- Miso Pecan Banana Muffins
- Lemon & Poppy Seed Angel Food Cake
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Sour Cream Pound Cake With Vanilla Bean Icing
Equipment
- 2 lb Loaf Tin
- Stand Mixier
- Sieve
- Piping Bag
- Wire Cooling Rack
- Mixing Bowl
- Palette Knife
Ingredients
Sour Cream Pound Cake
- 235 g Caster Sugar
- 1 Lemon (Zested)
- 190 g Softened Unsalted Butter (Plus Extra, For Greasing The Tin)
- 4 Large Eggs
- 250 g Plain Flour
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- 130 g Sour Cream (At Room Temperature)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
To Pipe On Top (Before Baking)
- 20 g Softened Unsalted Butter (In A Piping Bag)
Vanilla Bean Icing
- 150 g Icing Sugar
- 125 g Double Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
Instructions
Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Preheat an oven to 175°c/155°c fan (350°f/310°f).
- Grease a 2 lb loaf tin with butter then line the bottom & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging the tin's edges (this makes it easier to take the cake out of the tin once it is cooked!).
- Sieve the flour, salt & baking powder into a bowl then set aside.
- Next, add the caster sugar & lemon zest into the bowl of a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment attached). Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers then add in the softened butter.
- Cream the butter & sugar together on a medium speed, until pale & fluffy. This will take at least 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down regularly with a spatula!Once creamed, the butter should be white in colour.
- Add the eggs into the butter, one at a time, with the mixer still running on a medium speed. Once all the eggs have been added, give the bowl another scrape down then mix again for a minute.
- Next, add half of the sifted flour into the butter & gently fold in with a spatula, until just combined. Add in the remaining flour, the sour cream & vanilla then fold again, until just incorporated.Be careful not to over mix!
- Transfer the cake batter into the lined loaf tin, spreading it out with a spatula, into an even layer.
- Pipe a thin line of softened butter straight down the middle of the cake then bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes – 1 hour, until golden brown & a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.Piping butter down the middle of the cake lets us control how the top of the cake cracks as it bakes – this is optional though! If your cake starts to brown too much towards the end of the bake, cover the top loosely with foil.
- Once your cake is cooked, let it cool in the tin for 20 minutes then run a small palette knife along each end & carefully lift it out of the tin (using the overhanging parchment) & transfer to a wire cooling rack, to cool completely.
Vanilla Icing
- Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl then add in the double cream & vanilla paste. Whisk together, until thick & smooth.
- Spoon the icing over the cake then leave to set in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
