How to Make Moist Gluten-Free Pound Cake

As a gluten-free baker, I know how hard it can be to make the perfect pound cake. My easy gluten-free pound cake recipe uses a simple ingredient for a moist crumb, without being dense, gummy, or dry. The trick? Using a combination of cream cheese and butter coats and absorbs into the starches, replicating the identical taste and texture of old fashioned pound cake recipes. Choose from making a loaf cake or the included modifications for a gluten-free pound bundt cake.

Best Recipe for Gluten-Free Pound Cake

My quest to develop the best gluten-free vanilla pound cake included a lot of trial and error before landing on the perfect prescription of ingredients and method.

While some gluten-free cake recipes are more forgiving when swapping out a GF all-purpose flour for wheat flour, this was not successful for pound cake recipes. It works for this ridiculously moist and fluffy gluten-free chocolate cake because there is no butter, which has a harder time absorbing in GF starches.

But pound cake is dependent on butter for that signature old fashioned, homemade taste. Unfortunately, just swapping flours led to very dense and greasy results. I needed an ingredient to be able to cut back on the butter, without sacrificing taste and moisture.

I turned to trick used in another heavily butter-reliant recipe – gluten-free biscuits. Instead of using all butter, a combination of butter and yogurt yields fluffy, tender biscuits. For a gluten-free loaf cake, I needed something similar, but with a little more structure. Gluten-free pound cake with cream cheese was the winning combination!

Below I share all my best tricks for making simple, yet amazing GF pound cake with a rich vanilla flavor, moist interior, and golden, chewy crust. Plus, if you’re partial to a crowd-pleasing gluten-free bundt cake, the included ingredient modifications turn this into an ideal dessert for celebrations or holidays.

Ingredient Notes

When making gluten-free desserts, I gravitate towards commonly stocked ingredients or those that can be affordably picked up at a local grocery store. This has not only been a recipe for success with my website, but for the recipes included in my gluten-free cookbook.

The only speciality ingredient required is a high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. I highly recommend using Cup4Cup gluten-free flour, which is a crucial gluten-free baking tip for mimicking the taste and texture of traditional baked goods.

Other than that, the ingredient list is very simple – butter, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and baking powder. For best results use full-fat cream cheese (this probably isn’t the dessert for you to save calories on).

I have not tested gluten-free loaf cake using dairy-free butter or cream cheese. However, if you do so, please leave me a comment below the recipe. I’d love to hear the results!

how to make Gluten-Free pound Cake

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

1. Begin by preheating the oven at 350ºF. Please note, you will begin baking the pound cake at 350 and then lower the oven temperature to 325ºF for the majority of the baking time. This jump starts the leavening, but then slows it down so the cake can cook for a longer time without drying it out.
2. Grease the baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. For a loaf cake use a 8.5 X 4.5 inch loaf pan. This is the ideal size for rise and shape. For easy releasing, I recommend lining the bottom with cut-to-size wax or parchment paper. For bundt cakes, see the bundt cake modification section.
3. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment to beat together the melted unsalted butter, cubed cream cheese, and sugar until uniformly combined. Increase the speed to high and beat for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, while mixing on medium speed. After the eggs have been mixed, add the vanilla extract to combine.
5. Now it’s time to mix in the dry ingredients. Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until throughly combined.
6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan. If baking a loaf cake start in the 350ºF for 15 minutes. Leave the cake in, but turn down the oven temp to 325ºF. Continue baking for 48-52 more minutes, until a cake tester (preferred) or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out without liquid batter.
7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve with some of the suggested pound cake serving ideas listed below!

Bundt Pound cake modification

After landing on the best gluten-free pound cake recipe, I wanted to tackle making this in a bundt pan as well.

A bundt cake pan holds 12-cups of batter. Increasing the ingredient amounts to 1 ½ times the recipe yielded the perfect amount of batter. Follow the ingredient and baking tips below or refer to this gluten-free lemon bundt cake recipe for more baking pan variations.

• You will need 12 tbsp butter, 6 ounces cream cheese, ¾ + 2 tbsp sugar, 6 eggs, 1 ½ tbsp vanilla extract, 2 ½ cups gluten-free flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, and ¾ tsp salt.
• Liberally grease your bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. If your pan is older and does not have a nice nonstick finish, I recommend brushing with melted butter and then dusting with gluten-free flour or sugar. Tap out excess before pouring in batter.
• To bake, start in the 350ºF for 20 minutes. Leave the cake in, but turn down the oven temp to 325ºF. Continue baking for 50 more minutes, until a cake tester (preferred) comes out clean. When testing a bundt cake, check in a couple different places, like in the middle and towards the inner edge.
• Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Gently go around both edges with a knife and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!

How to Serve pound cake

Vanilla pound cake, like angel food cake, is a great canvas for serving a variety of ways. In fact, there are so many creative toppings, I dedicated an entire post to the best angel food cake toppings!

Other than the classic option, serving with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries, try an idea listed below to switch it up!

• Lemon curd
• Honey ricotta
• Ice cream and homemade hot fudge
• Fruit sauces
• Grilled or roasted stone fruits, like peaches
• Grill slices over indirect heat 1-2 minutes per side
• Greek yogurt or creme fraiche
• Nutella
• Candied pecans or almonds

STorage and freezing tips

Before storing, let the cake cool for at least 2-3 hours. It will feel cooler on the outside before the interior has cooled completely.

Wrap the uneaten loaf securely in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature up to 2 days.

If you plan on storing longer than 2 days, I recommend freezing leftovers. Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock freezer bag. The entire uncut loaf cake or bundt may be wrapped and frozen as well, up to 2 months.

More Flavor Variations

• Other extracts, such as almond extract or coconut extract can be substituted or use in place of some of the vanilla.
• For a frosting or pound cake glaze, stir together 1 cup of powder sugar with 2 tbsp liquid, either milk, cream, coconut milk, freshly squeezed lemon juice, or orange juice.
• Citrus Pound Cake (Lemon, Orange, or Lime) – Add 2 tbsp citrus zest and 1 tbsp citrus juice with the butter. For orange and lemon pound cake, you may also replace 1 tsp of the extract with orange or lemon extract.

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