This gluten-free cream cheese pound cake uses Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour, cream cheese, and 1 teaspoon each of vanilla, lemon, and almond extract. Bake it in a Bundt pan, then cover the hot pan with foil and a towel for a short rest to help it release.
The gluten-free recipe comes first. The all-purpose flour option is below.
Real Talk
My mom taught me a pound cake formula I never forgot: 2 + 2 + 2 = 6. Two sticks of butter, two cups of sugar, two cups of flour, and six eggs. Pound cake has been part of our family dinners for years.
That was the base for her wheat-flour cake. This version keeps the formula, adds cream cheese and all three extracts, and uses Cup4Cup with a little baking powder. For the gluten-free cake, I also change how I prepare the pan.
Why This Recipe Works
- A specific gluten-free flour. Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour is the blend I use for this cake, with 2 teaspoons baking powder. I am not treating every gluten-free blend as interchangeable.
- Two timed creaming stages. Beat the butter and sugar for 2 minutes, then beat in the cream cheese and extracts for 2 more minutes before adding the eggs.
- Careful pan preparation and a covered rest. Butter or vegetable shortening coats the grooves and center tube. Foil and a towel trap steam after baking to help the cake release.
Ingredients
Flour & Leavening
- 2 cups Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour, the blue bag marked “Top 9 Allergen Free”
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Butter, Sugar, Cream Cheese, and Eggs
- 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks), softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened; use full-fat brick-style cream cheese
- 6 eggs, at room temperature
Extracts
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
For the Pan
- Butter or vegetable shortening, as needed for a generous coating; no flour dusting for the gluten-free version
Using unsalted butter? Use the same 1 cup and add ¾ teaspoon kosher salt when creaming the butter and sugar. Salted butter needs no additional salt.
The Cup4Cup I Use
For this pound cake, I use Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour by itself, rather than the Bob’s Red Mill blend I often use in other recipes. Look for the blue bag marked “Top 9 Allergen Free”, shown in the pantry photo.
Whisk the 2 teaspoons baking powder into the 2 cups Cup4Cup. That is the full amount for this recipe; do not add extra baking powder on top of it.
Bundt Pan and Baking Time
Use a standard Bundt pan. Bake at 325°F for 60–70 minutes, beginning the doneness check at 60 minutes. A cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean.
After baking, leave the hot pan covered with foil and a towel for 15–20 minutes before turning out the cake. Let it cool completely before slicing.
How to Make Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Step 1: Prepare the oven and pan
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat the Bundt pan generously with butter or vegetable shortening, working into every groove and around the center tube. For this gluten-free cake, use a little more butter or shortening and skip flour dusting.
When I dust the pan with all-purpose wheat flour for this cake, there is no residue on the finished crust. With every gluten-free flour blend that I've tried, the dusting leaves the pale coating shown below. That is why I use more butter or shortening and leave out the flour for the gluten-free version.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar
Beat the softened butter and sugar together for 2 minutes. The mixture should look lighter and creamy. If using unsalted butter, add the ¾ teaspoon kosher salt here. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Step 3: Add the cream cheese and extracts
Add the 8 ounces softened cream cheese and 1 teaspoon each vanilla, lemon, and almond extract.
Beat for 2 more minutes, scraping the bowl as needed so the cream cheese is fully incorporated.
Step 4: Add the eggs one at a time
Add one egg and mix until incorporated before adding the next. Continue until all six eggs are mixed in, scraping the bowl as needed.
The eggs should be incorporated before the flour mixture goes in.
Step 5: Add the flour mixture in two batches
Whisk the 2 teaspoons baking powder into the 2 cups Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour. Add half first and mix on low just until incorporated. Add the remaining half and mix on low just until incorporated.
Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to check for any unmixed flour.
Step 6: Fill the pan and bake
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
The filled-pan photo shows flour dusting. For the gluten-free version, use the generously greased pan without flour dusting described in Step 1.
Bake at 325°F for 60–70 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Begin checking at 60 minutes; the clean tester matters more than the clock.
Step 7: Cover, rest, and turn out
Set the hot pan on a cooling rack. Cover it with foil, then lay a towel over the foil. Leave it covered for 15–20 minutes to trap steam and help the cake release.
Remove the towel and foil. Using oven mitts, place a cake stand or serving plate upside down over the pan and invert both together. Lift off the pan and let the cake cool completely before slicing.
All-Purpose Flour Option
To make the wheat-flour version, replace the Cup4Cup with 2 cups all-purpose flour and omit the baking powder. Grease the pan with butter or vegetable shortening, then dust it with all-purpose flour and tap out the excess.
Expert Tips
- Start with softened butter and cream cheese, and room-temperature eggs. They combine more evenly than cold ingredients.
- Scrape the bowl. Check the bottom as well as the sides after the creaming stages and flour additions.
- Use the specified flour. This version is written for Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour, with 2 teaspoons baking powder.
- Coat the whole pan. The center tube and grooves need butter or shortening, too. Skip gluten-free flour dusting.
- Check the cake, not just the crust. A browned surface alone does not tell you whether the center is baked through.
- Let it cool before slicing. The covered rest helps with release; complete cooling comes after the cake is turned out.
FAQs
I use Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour for this cake, rather than the Bob’s Red Mill blend I often use. Other blends and almond flour are not tested substitutes for this recipe, so I would not assume the same result.
The gluten-free version uses 2 teaspoons baking powder whisked into the 2 cups Cup4Cup. The wheat-flour version uses 2 cups all-purpose flour with no baking powder. Everything else stays the same except the pan preparation.
Yes. Use 1 cup unsalted butter and add ¾ teaspoon kosher salt when creaming it with the sugar. No additional salt is needed with salted butter.
I skip flour dusting and use a more generous coating of butter or vegetable shortening for the gluten-free cake. Cup4Cup dusting leaves the pale coating shown in the photo. All-purpose wheat flour leaves no residue on this cake, so I grease and flour the pan for the wheat version.
I cover the hot pan after baking to trap steam during the 15–20-minute rest and help the cake release. Grease the pan thoroughly before filling it, too.
Let the plain cake cool completely, then wrap it well or keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Freeze it for longer storage. Wrap individual slices if you want to thaw only what you need. Add berries or cream when serving.
Serving
Berries and cream are still one of my favorite ways to serve pound cake. Keep them on the side and add them to each slice when you are ready to eat.
For the berries: Rinse your choice of berries and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle with ¼ cup sugar, toss well, and let stand at room temperature for about 2 hours to release their juices. Stir every half hour, then serve alongside the cake.
For the cream I have served with this cake, beat 2 cups heavy cream, ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract with a hand mixer until peaks form. Keep the cream refrigerated until serving.
Make Ahead for a Holiday Dinner
Bake the cake the day before, let it cool completely, then wrap it well. Keep the plain cake at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze it for longer storage. Add berries and cream when serving.
For the rest of the meal, use my Christmas Dinner Game Plan or Thanksgiving Dinner Game Plan to choose dishes and organize the prep.
More Gluten-Free Baking
Try my Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake, Gluten-Free Key Lime Cheesecake Bars, or Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread with Brown Butter. For more dessert options, browse the Cheesecake Recipes collection.
Did you make this Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Pound Cake?
Please leave a star rating and tell me how it turned out!
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup salted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese full-fat brick-style, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 6 eggs room temperature
- 2 cups Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour blue bag marked "Top 9 Allergen Free"
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
For the Pan
- butter or vegetable shortening for generously greasing the pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously grease a standard Bundt pan with butter or vegetable shortening, including every groove and the center tube. Do not dust with flour for the gluten-free version.
- Cream the softened butter and sugar together for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the softened cream cheese and 1 teaspoon each vanilla, lemon, and almond extract. Beat for 2 more minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.
- Whisk the 2 teaspoons baking powder into the 2 cups Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour. Add half the flour mixture to the batter and mix on low just until incorporated. Add the remaining half and mix on low just until incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to check for unmixed flour.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake at 325°F for 60–70 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Begin checking at 60 minutes.
- Set the hot pan on a cooling rack. Cover it with foil, then a towel. Leave covered for 15–20 minutes to trap steam and help the cake release.
- Remove the towel and foil. Using oven mitts, place a cake stand or serving plate upside down over the pan and invert both together. Lift off the pan and let the cake cool completely before slicing.
Nikki
I just made this today. As for the ingredients I had everything on had even some home made vanilla extract the directions were easy to follow I enjoy recipes like this quick easy to the point not and abundance of ingredients, Let's see how it turn out😉I'll be back when it cools