Discover how to achieve the dense, tender texture and rich flavor of a traditional pound cake with this easy recipe for cake mix cream cheese pound cake.

Indulge in the rich, moist goodness of our easy cream cheese pound cake recipe made from a simple boxed mix.

This cake features subtle hints of lemon and almond, making it a delightful treat for any occasion.

close-up view of a slice of cream cheese pound cake from a mix, served on a white plate.

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If you love a good old-fashioned pound cake, you’re going to absolutely love making this cream cheese pound cake from a mix!

Thanks to the cream cheese, the cake is a delightful combination of moistness and tenderness while being incredibly easy to prepare because of the cake mix.

The best part? Despite its simplicity, it retains all the rich flavors you’d expect from a scratch-made cake.

It’s an easy pound cake recipe you can make without a lot of effort!

With just a few minutes of prep time, you can whip up the batter and pop it in the oven.

This cake mix cream cheese pound cake is dense yet fluffy, with a melt-in-your-mouth quality that’s hard to resist.

The subtle hint of vanilla, lemon and almond extracts give this cake the traditional flavor we associate with a pound cake.

Whether you add a simple dusting of powdered sugar or serve it with fresh berries and whipped cream, this cake is sure to impress your guests!

More Easy Cake Mix Recipes to Simplify Your Life:

half of a pound cake made with cream cheese and cake mix. It's served on a white plate and dusted with powdered sugar.

Making Delicious Cream Cheese Pound Cake Using a Yellow Cake Mix

Traditional pound cake gets its name from a classic pound cake recipe, which calls for a pound each of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs.

The result is a dense, moist cake with a rich flavor. While the original recipe is delicious, making it from scratch can be time-consuming.

Using a boxed mix to make pound cake is a simple and convenient alternative. And since cake mixes are designed to yield a perfect cake every single time, you’re going to love the results!

By adding cream cheese, butter, eggs, and a few flavorings to the boxed mix, you can replicate the dense, moist texture of a traditional pound cake.

The cream cheese adds richness and moisture, while the butter provides flavor and helps to create a tender crumb.

If you aren’t used to baking with cream cheese, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Whether you’re making Cream Cheese Cranberry Bread, Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake or this super easy Cream Cheese Pound Cake Loaf, the simple addition of cream cheese makes it dreamy!

overhead view of a white plate with a slice of cream cheese pound cake on it, with a fork. The rest of the bundt cake is in the background.

How to Make Pound Cake from a Cake Mix

This is the best pound cake recipe using a mix, so it’s a really easy semi-homemade dessert.

All you need is a few simple ingredients to create a bakery-style cake that is incredibly versatile!

a whole cream cheese pound cake made with cake mix, displayed on a white plate.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Unsalted Butter
Cream Cheese
Granulated Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla Extract
Lemon Extract
Almond Extract
Yellow Cake Mix
All-purpose Flour
Water

an upright slice of moist cream cheese pound cake, served on a white plate, with two forks and the remaining cake in the background.

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe card is available below)

Blend the butter and cheese. First, you’ll use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer with a large bowl) to beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth.

two photos; one shows cream cheese and butter in a glass bowl of a stand mixer. The other shows them creamed together until smooth.

Add sugar. Next, you’ll add the sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.

two photos; one shows sugar added to cream cheese and butter mixture; the other shows the sugar beaten in until smooth.

Add the eggs and extract. Next, you’ll mix the eggs into the mixture, one at a time, until well incorporated.

Stir in the flavored extracts as well.

two photos; one shows egg added to the sugar, butter, and cream cheese mixture. The other shows the batter after the eggs and extracts have been mixed in.

Add the dry ingredients. Next, you’ll mix in the cake mix and flour until you have a thick, yet smooth batter.

You just want to mix until combined.

two photos; one shows flour and cake mix added to batter; the other shows those ingredients mixed in, creating a thick batter.

Add the water. Next, you’ll mix in the water to thin the batter a bit, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

two photos; one shows water added to thick batter, the other shows the batter after the water has been mixed in.

Bake the cake. Last, you’ll transfer the batter to a prepared pan. I use a bundt pan, but you can use a regular tube pan as well.

Bake 60-65 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

two photos; one shows cake batter spread evenly in a bundt pan, the other shows the cake still in the pan, after baking.

Notes and Adaptations:

Using three extracts gives this cake the classic pound cake flavor. However, you can opt to just use vanilla extract if you’d like (2-3 teaspoons), only lemon extract (1 teaspoon). or only almond extract (1-2 teaspoons).
This cake is delicious on its own, or you can serve it with fruit compote, fresh fruit, ice cream, whipped cream, etc.
For best results, ensure that your butter, cream cheese, and eggs are at room temperature.
Store leftover cake in an airtight container or covered well with plastic wrap.

overhead view of cream cheese bundt cake made with a mix, served on a white platter.

Recommended Equipment:

Yield: 16 Servings

Cream Cheese Pound Cake (from a Cake Mix)

Name: Cream Cheese Pound Cake (from a Cake Mix)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; 8-oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature; 1 cup granulated sugar; 4 eggs, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract; 1/4 teaspoon almond extract; 15.25-oz yellow cake mix; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup water

This moist and tender cream cheese pound cake has the rich flavor of a scratch-made cake, but it's super easy to make, thanks to a doctored up cake mix!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
8-oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
15.25-oz yellow cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray, or grease and flour the pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer), beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Add sugar and beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add vanilla, lemon, and almond extracts, mixing just to incorporate.
Add dry yellow cake mix and flour to the bowl, mixing on low speed just until incorporated. The batter will be stiff at this point.
Add in water, mixing on low speed until incorporated and batter is uniform. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Pour batter into prepared pan, using a spatula to spread it evenly. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake should spring back when pressed gently with a finger.
Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, run a knife alongside the edge of the cake and pan to make sure it's loosened from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving plate and cool completely before serving.
If desired, dust cake with powdered sugar prior to serving.

Notes

Using three extracts gives this cake the classic pound cake flavor. However, you can opt to just use vanilla extract if you'd like (2-3 teaspoons), only lemon extract (1 teaspoon). or only almond extract (1-2 teaspoons).

Easy Cream Cheese Pound Cake Using a Cake Mix

Discover how to achieve the dense, tender texture and rich flavor of a traditional pound cake with this easy recipe for cake mix cream cheese pound cake.

Making Delicious Cream Cheese Pound Cake Using a Yellow Cake Mix