Pound Cake from Cake Mix

This is the easiest and most delicious Pound Cake from Cake Mix recipe! All the flavors of classic pound cake are here—a dense, buttery crumb, lots of vanilla notes, and a wonderful richness from sour cream. Top with whipped cream for a perfect dessert. Want a from-scratch chocolate version? Try my rich Chocolate Pound Cake.

Pound cake is a classic dessert for good reason—it’s so versatile, wonderful on its own, and even better when dressed up with a glaze or toppings. It’s composed of simple ingredients, mainly butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. And if you use a boxed cake mix the method to make this recipe becomes even simpler.

(Looking for more easy cake ideas? You’ll love my Earthquake Cake, Chocolate Zucchini Cake, and Pineapple Angel Food Cake!)

Pound Cake from Cake Mix Recipe

Did you ever have Sara Lee pound cake growing up? Though it comes in a package, I still have nostalgia for it! But, I really love a fresh pound cake. And while a from-scratch pound cake is great, using a cake mix makes things so easy, all while keeping that homemade, fresh-baked taste!

You start this recipe by creaming butter and sugar together, which creates a sturdy base for the eggs and sour cream you add just afterward. Instead of using only flour, you’ll add flour and boxed yellow cake mix, which brings a deeper flavor to the pound cake.

I like to bake this pound cake from cake mix recipe in a bundt pan for a pretty presentation (which makes an awesome Thanksgiving dessert recipe!), but you could certainly make that traditional loaf pound cake shape if you wanted. Or, you could bake the batter in mini cake pans to serve topped with whipped cream and strawberries for a super rich version of strawberry shortcake.

If you love pound cake, I have more recipes for you to try! Check out my Classic Chocolate Pound Cake, Lemon Pound Cake, or Starbucks Copycat recipes.

Ingredients for Pound Cake from Cake Mix

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

• Sugar
• Butter – Softened to room temperature so it creams smoothly with the sugar. You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe.
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• Sour cream – For added richness and a moist, tender crumb. Full-fat is best. Readers have swapped in plain Greek yogurt with great results.
• Milk – Use whole milk or 2% milk in this recipe.
• Yellow cake mix – Choose your preferred brand of yellow cake mix for this recipe. The recipe calls for a 15.25-ounce box, but readers report that the smaller 13.25-ounce box also works without changing anything else (see the FAQ). (This Boston cream pie also starts with yellow cake mix!)
• Flour – Use plain all-purpose flour, not self-rising. The cake mix already contains all the leavening this cake needs, so self-rising flour makes it rise too fast and then fall. The extra cup of flour is what tightens a fluffy box cake into a true pound cake crumb.

How to Make Pound Cake from Cake Mix

1. Heat oven and prepare the pan: Preheat your oven to 350℉, then grease and flour a 10” bundt pan.
2. Cream the butter: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so all of the butter is evenly blended. 
3. Beat in the eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition. 
4. Add vanilla: Add the vanilla extract and mix again. 
5. Add the sour cream: Add the sour cream and milk and mix well to combine.
6. Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour and cake mix to the bowl and mix into a smooth batter. 
7. Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, then bake for about 70 minutes. 
8. Check the cake while it’s baking: Start checking the cake at 40 minutes. If the top is browning too fast, loosely lay a piece of foil over the pan and keep baking. The cake is fully baked when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Trust the toothpick over the clock: ovens and pans vary, and some readers find their cake is done at 45 to 55 minutes. 
9. Cool the cake: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, run a thin knife around the edges to loosen it, then flip it out of the pan onto a wire rack or serving tray. Let it cool completely before glazing. Slice and enjoy!

Easy Lemon Glaze (Optional)

The drizzle you see in the photos is a simple two-ingredient lemon glaze. Whisk 2 cups powdered sugar with ¼ cup fresh lemon juice until smooth and pourable, then drizzle it over the top of the cake.

If your glaze is too thin, start with less liquid: whisk the 2 cups of powdered sugar with just 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, then add more a teaspoon at a time until it drizzles the way you like. Always glaze a fully cooled cake. A warm cake melts the glaze and it runs right off instead of setting into a pretty white drizzle.

Variations

Yellow cake mix gives the most classic pound cake flavor, but readers have tried this method with all kinds of boxes. These are the swaps they have reported in the comments:

• Lemon: Readers have used a lemon cake mix, and some have added a splash of fresh lemon juice or a teaspoon of lemon extract. Finish with the lemon glaze above.
• White mix with lemon: A white cake mix plus a little lemon juice or extract makes a lighter-colored cake with a bright flavor.
• Strawberry: A strawberry cake mix works beautifully, and readers have used the slices as a base for trifle and shortcake.
• Chocolate: Readers have swapped in a devil’s food or chocolate fudge mix with great results. If you would rather bake a chocolate version from scratch, try my Chocolate Pound Cake.
• Gluten-free: One reader made it with a gluten-free yellow cake mix and a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour.
• Loaf pans or a 9×13 pan: Readers have divided the batter between two 9×5-inch loaf pans or spread it in a 9×13-inch pan. Smaller or shallower pans bake faster, so start checking early.

Why Did My Pound Cake Sink, Stick, or Overbake?

• Done well before 70 minutes: Several readers report their cake tested clean at 45 to 55 minutes. Dark or nonstick pans, 9-inch bundt pans, and hot ovens all speed things up. Check at 40 minutes and every 10 minutes after, and pull the cake as soon as the toothpick comes out clean.
• Sank in the middle with a thick crust: This usually means the cake was underbaked in the center while the outside overbaked, or self-rising flour was used in place of all-purpose. Use plain all-purpose flour, bake on the center rack, and tent with foil if the top darkens before the center is set.
• Stuck to the pan: Grease and flour every groove of the pan, and do not let the cake sit in the pan much longer than 10 minutes. As it cools, the sugars set and glue the cake to the pan. Loosen the edges with a thin knife and tap the bottom of the pan after flipping.
• Thick batter: That is normal. Pound cake batter is much thicker than regular cake batter, so spread it into the pan with a spatula rather than expecting it to pour.

How to Store

Store the pound cake tightly wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, keep it tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature to serve.

You can also freeze this pound cake! You can bake it in advance and, when cooled, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Or you can wrap individual slices of cake in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Serving Suggestions

Pound cake is delicious all on its own, but I love to dress it up with these topping ideas:

• Whipped cream – Fluffy piles of sweetened whipped cream are a perfect complement to pound cake! You can make homemade whipped cream or use store-bought with great results. Cool Whip works too; just dollop generous spoonfuls on top of each slice before serving.
• Lemon glaze – The easy lemon glaze above turns a plain bundt into a special-occasion dessert. A vanilla glaze (powdered sugar, milk, and a splash of vanilla) is just as good.
• Fresh fruit – Fresh fruit is an absolute must when you serve pound cake (with or without whipped cream!). You can keep things simple with sliced strawberries or blueberries, or do a combination of any fresh fruit you like.

FAQs

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Looking for more ways to use a boxed mix? See my full list of cake mix recipes.