Mama’s Sour Cream Pound Cake

This Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe is one that my mama has made as far back as I can remember. It is a soft, buttery cake with a hint of lemon.

My mama has always been the baker in the family, no matter what family function we have she is usually the one that bakes up the cakes and other desserts. One of her most famous and highly requested recipes is her Sour Cream Pound Cake!

Pound Cakes get their name due to the traditional versions containing a pound of flour, a pound of sugar, a pound of butter and so on. Throughout time the recipe for pound cake has evolved to include flavors such as vanilla, lemon, and even almond extracts. Mama’s recipe includes sour cream, pure vanilla extract, and lemon extract. The combination of the two is outstanding!

Tips For The Perfect Cake

To ensure your butter, sour cream, and eggs mix well it is best that they are at room temperature. My mama usually will sit them out several hours prior to baking so the butter is soft and the eggs are at room temperature.

The batter will be very thick! You do not want to overfill your cake pan, it will end up bubbling over. My mama normally fills the cake pan and if there is a little batter left over she puts it in a single 9 in pan and makes what we call a “sample cake”. This was always my favorite part of her baking the cake.

Be sure and grease your cake pan good. I use the Baker’s Joy spray, however you could easily use butter followed by a dusting of flour. Just be sure and grease the pan well. You don’t want half of your cake to stay in the pan.

As tempting as it may be resist the urge to open the oven door too much. Your cake will fall. To check to see if it is done I usually insert a small butter knife in the middle and make sure it comes out clean.