Sour Cream Pound Cake Loaf

This sour cream pound cake is tangy with a hint of lemon!

 

I think that one of the biggest obstacles for improving nutrition is an all-or-nothing attitude. It’s the mindset that if you can’t eat 100% organic/local/KETO, you might as well just eat junk food.

I reject that philosophy. If we had to wait to be perfect to make better food choices, none of us would ever start. Instead, I encourage you to make small, meaningful changes whenever you cook.

Take this sour cream pound cake for example. You COULD tell yourself, “Cake is bad for you, so I might as well make the most unhealthy version I can find.” OR you could decide to make a delicious cake but swap out a few ingredients for healthier choices.

Sure, you’re not eating a spinach kale smoothie with raw garlic and bone broth. But you’re still making choices based on nutrition.

Okay, let me show you how to make this lovely, healthier cake!

Ingredients for Sour Cream Pound Cake:

Speaking of ingredients, let talk about some of the swaps I made to make this sour cream pound cake healthier.

First off, I cut back on the sugar. You can often reduce the sugar in baked goods by about 1/3 to 1/2 without greatly affecting the final result. My personal philosophy with sugar is “everything in moderation” – a little bit isn’t going to hurt you, but it’s a good idea to reduce it when you can. Enjoy it as a treat, but be mindful about how much you’re consuming.

Of course I chose organic, unbleached all-purpose flour. Eating bleach and chemicals isn’t something I want to do on a regular basis.

It’s also a good idea to use aluminum-free baking powder, and unrefined sea salt. And since you’ll be using the zest of the lemon, definitely buy organic to avoid pesticides.

If you’re going to change up one thing, though, let it be your animal products. I like to use pastured eggs and grass-fed dairy products.

Let’s Talk Sour Cream for a Moment…

Swapping out conventional sour cream for Kalona SuperNatural organic sour cream is a positive nutrition choice. Not only are you avoiding pesticides and artificial hormones, you’re getting extra vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats since the cows at Kalona SuperNatural are pasture raised and grass-fed. You can read more about the benefits of grass-fed dairy in my post here.

Okay, let’s jump back into making this sour cream pound cake!

First, you’ll need to preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Here’s a tip for frustration-free loaf pan lining:

I learned this trick from Christina from Dessert for Two.

Wrap the outside of the pan with the parchment paper like you’re wrapping a present. Make sure to crease everything well.

Flip the creased paper over into the pan. Everything should fit nice and neat!

 

Mixing Together the Batter:

For the batter, first you’ll need to cream together the butter and sugar.

Here are a couple of tips for properly creaming butter and sugar:

• Make sure your butter is softened, but still slightly cool. You don’t want it to be so soft that it’s almost dripping.
• It takes longer than you might think to get the right texture. You want the butter to turn pale and take on an almost fluffy consistency. This usually takes about 8 minutes on medium-high.
• Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl every few minutes to make sure it’s evenly creamed.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. The batter may separate at this point – that’s totally fine!

Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the batter.

Beat together on medium-low just until combined.

Add the lemon zest…

…and gently fold it into the batter.

Baking and Serving Sour Cream Pound Cake:

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Smooth the batter out into the corners of the pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. DO NO OVERBAKE!

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

You can eat this sour cream pound cake plain, or you can fancy it up by adding a dollop of whipped cream…

And a sprinkle of berries and lemon zest!

 

 

Notes About Sour Cream Pound Cake:

• I put two options for the sugar amount. If you don’t care about cutting back on sugar, the higher amount will result in a softer cake. I just find that it’s too sweet for my tastes!
• You could switch up the flavor profile by leaving out the lemon and substituting almond extract for the vanilla extract.

More Dessert Recipes:

• Sourdough Shortcake with Rhubarb Compote
• Spiced Pear Pie with a Sourdough Crust
• Matcha Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
• Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
• Einkorn Pear Custard Pie
• Russian Cream (Sour Cream Panna Cotta)
• Raspberry Clafoutis
• Mixed Summer Fruit Cobbler
• Triple Lemon Naked Layer Cake