Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

This cream cheese pound cake is everything you can imagine: delicious with a dense, tight, moist crumb and a puckery lemon glaze that’s the perfect foil to all that richness.

vegetable oil cooking spray or butter
3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 tsp. fine sea salt
3 sticks unsalted butter (12 oz), room temperature
8 oz full fat cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously coat two 9x5" metal or ceramic loaf pans with cooking spray or butter.

Make the pound cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer on high, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, beating until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 4 to 8 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.

Turn the mixer to low speed and then add the flour mixture in 2 batches, beating until just combined after each addition, about 1 minute.

Divide the batter between the 2 prepared pans. Tap the pans on the counter and smooth the tops with an offset spatula. Bake until golden and a cake tester comes out with a few crumbs attached, 65 to 80 minutes. If the tops of the cakes seem to be browning too quickly, tent them with foil. Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Then carefully turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. (The pound cakes can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 weeks. Thaw the wrapped cakes at room temperature before unwrapping and slicing.)

Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth.

Set a rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the lemon glaze, if using, over the pound cakes, letting it drip down the sides. Let rest until the glaze sets, 30-60 minutes.