Shelled Sour Cream Pound Cake 🍰🥚
A rich, buttery pound cake made extra tender with sour cream, baked until golden, and topped with a crisp “shell” from a light sugar coating — perfect for slicing thick and enjoying with tea or coffee.
Ingredients (Makes 1 Bundt or loaf)
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3 cups all-purpose flour
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½ tsp baking soda
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½ tsp salt
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1 cup unsalted butter, softened
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3 cups granulated sugar (plus 2–3 tbsp for “shell” coating)
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6 large eggs, room temperature
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1 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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1 tsp almond extract (optional)
Instructions
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Prep pan – Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan or two 9×5-inch loaf pans. Sprinkle 2–3 tbsp sugar around the greased pan so it coats the inside evenly — this creates the crisp “shell.”
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Preheat oven – Set to 325°F (165°C).
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Mix dry ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.
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Cream butter & sugar – In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until very light and fluffy (about 4–5 minutes).
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Add eggs – Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions.
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Add sour cream & flavorings – Mix in sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth.
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Combine – Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing on low just until combined.
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Bake – Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 75–85 minutes (Bundt) or 55–65 minutes (loaf) until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
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Cool & release – Let cake cool in pan 10–15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. The sugar shell should remain intact on the outside.
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Serve – Slice thick and enjoy plain, or dust with powdered sugar.
💡 Baker’s tip:
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For a citrus twist, rub lemon or orange zest into the sugar before coating the pan.
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This cake keeps moist for up to 5 days when wrapped tightly, and the “shell” stays crisp.