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.
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Pin RecipePound 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, 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.
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Ingredients for Pound Cake from Cake Mix
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Sugar
- Butter – 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.
- Milk – Use whole milk or 2% milk in this recipe.
- Yellow cake mix – Choose your preferred brand of yellow cake mix for this recipe.
- Flour
Quick Tip
For a pretty and tasty quick glaze, whisk 2 cups powdered sugar plus ¼ cup of lemon juice together until smooth. Then drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake.
How to Make Pound Cake from Cake Mix
- Heat oven and prepare the pan: Preheat your oven to 350℉, then grease and flour a 10” bundt pan.
- 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.
- Beat in the eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition.
- Add vanilla: Add the vanilla extract and mix again.
- Add the sour cream: Add the sour cream and milk and mix well to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour and cake mix to the bowl and mix into a smooth batter.
- Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, then bake for about 70 minutes.
- Check the cake while it’s baking: Check the cake after about 40 minutes. The cake is fully baked when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cake: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip it out of the pan onto a wire rack or serving tray. Slice and enjoy!
Quick Tip
Check the cake at 40 minutes to make sure it’s not getting overly brown. If the top of the cake is turning too dark, loosely place a piece of foil over the pan and continue baking. This will prevent the direct heat of the oven from reaching the cake.
How to Store
Store the pound cake, tightly wrapped in plastic, 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 – Cool Whip is also a wonderful accompaniment to slices of pound cake. Dollop generous spoonfuls of Cool Whip on top of each slice before serving.
- 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
Pound cakes have butter whisked initially with the flour, and rely on a raising agent for the leavening. A sponge cake recipe has a high egg-to-flour ratio, and leavening is achieved by beating air into the whole egg or the egg white instead of using a raising agent like baking powder.
Pound cake looks so nice when it’s baked in a bundt pan, but you can certainly use other shapes. A regular-size loaf pan, tube pans, and round or square cake pans are good options.
A non-stick vegetable oil spray or melted shortening works better than butter to prevent cakes from sticking to the pan. This is especially important when you use a bundt cake pan!
More Favorite Cake Recipes
Pound Cake from Cake Mix
Equipment
- 10 Inch Bundt Pan
- Mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ then grease and flour a 10” bundt pan. Set the pan aside for now.
- 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.1 cup sugar, ½ cup butter, softened
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition.3 eggs
- Add the vanilla extract and mix again.1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Add the sour cream and milk and mix.1 cup sour cream, ½ cup milk
- Add the flour and cake mix to the bowl and mix into a smooth batter.1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix, 1 cup flour
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan then bake for about 70 minutes.
- Check the cake after about 40 minutes. If the top of the cake is turning too dark, loosely place a piece of foil over the pan and continue baking. This will prevent the direct heat of the oven from reaching the cake. The cake is fully baked when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out cleanly.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then flip it out of the pan onto a wire rack or serving tray. Slice and enjoy!
Does this taste like actual pound cake?
We think so! We would love to know what you think if you give it a try. 😊
I made it. It was really good and everyone loved it. I will add, tho’, that a friend gave me homemade vanilla sugar and I used that.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for trying it out, Sue. 😊
Made this with lemon cake mix and box of instant lemon pudding. Batter was very thick which was ok because it gave me excuse to add more lemon juice (the REAL stuff). Also added poppyseeds. Loved it! Tonight I’m trying your recipe again, but with white cake mix (it’s what I have on hand) and sans pudding mix. Still making lemon poppyseed. I’ll let you know how it turns out. 🙂💕✌️
We hope you enjoy, Lauren!
Can you substitute the sour cream, for cream cheese?
We haven’t tested it but it should work just fine! We’d love to know how it goes if you try it out. 😊
Love this recipe! I used a white cake mix, added lemon oil extract, lemon juice, and poppyseeds. It came out great. It was a delicious, moist lemon poppyseed pound cake with perfect density. This recipe is a keeper.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lauren!
Does it have to be a yellow cake mix? Can you use other flavors?
You could definitely try other flavors!
Yes, it works with other flavors. I’ve used lemon and a white mix to which I lemon juice and oil. Today I’m trying a traditional chocolate mix. I’ll post after I’ve finished.
Thank you for sharing, Lauren!
This experience had some firsts for me. It was the first time I ever used a cake mix to make a pound cake and the first time I used my brand new stand mixer that I’ve had for a year but was too intimidated to use it until now (weird huh?) I made sure all ingredients were measured and waiting before I started. The pound cake is awesome and so is my new mixer. Next time I’ll shorten the baking time some, could just be the oven. My husband loved it as much as me!
Thank you for the feedback, Chris! We’re so glad you gave it a try and that it was a hit!
two people asked whether you used self rising flour or plain flour.
Which one?
We use all-purpose, but some readers have also had success with cake flour!
Salted or unsalted butter?
You can use either in this recipe! We typically stick with unsalted. 😊
What kind of flour do you use self rising or all purpose
We use all-purpose, but some readers have also had success with cake flour!
I love the texture. I accidentally added about 1/8 c of milk and it made it more moist and soft. It just melts in your mouth. The sour cream measurement is perfect, it allows for the taste to come through but it is not over powering. Will definitely keep this as my go to pound cake recipe. Thank you
We’re so happy to hear it turned out well for you! Thank you for trying it out, Mara!
Easy And delicious
I used cake flour, and added a drop of almond extract and a little nutmeg. Turned out great
Simply delicious and made with ingredients I have at home. Thank you!
Did you self-raising flour or all purpose? Thank you!
Can you glaze or icing this pound cake?
Do you use plain flour or self rising flour ? Thank you
You stated above that “Pound cakes have butter whisked initially with the flour, and rely on a raising agent for the leavening.” I thought that butter was whisked with sugar. Whisking butter and flour is a technique used in Reverse Creaming Method.