Cranberry Sour Cream Pound Cake – My Recipe Reviews (2024)

FAQs

What does adding sour cream to a cake batter do? ›

Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.

Extra sugar or leavening causes a cake to fall; extra flour makes it dry.

The sour cream in this dough does a couple of good things – it makes the texture tender, a little flaky and a little cakey; and it also makes it just a touch tangy. The dough is very easy to roll and to work with, just be sure to chill it thoroughly after you make it.

Baking with Sour Cream: The creamy texture of sour cream makes baked goods more moist than if you used milk. This makes sour cream an excellent choice for recipes that are known to have drier results, like sponge cakes.

You can also experiment with a combination of whole milk and yogurt or sour cream, which will add a bit of body to your baked goods. While buttermilk is actually lower in fat than whole milk, its thicker consistency makes it a good substitute for heavy cream in your baked goods.

Sour Cream

Plus, using it as a heavy cream substitute is a great way to use up that lingering tub in the fridge. How to make it: Swap sour cream for heavy cream cup for cup, making it a simple swap.

Bundt pans are a baking essential. Their unique construction allows an even browning on denser cakes, like pound cake, with the well-defined curves that are the hallmark of the form. Bundts now come in the shape of rosettes, castles, and even pine forests.

Simple Syrup: Brush the cake with a simple syrup made from equal parts water and sugar. This can add moisture and sweetness to the cake. You can infuse the syrup with flavors like citrus zest or vanilla for an extra touch.

The USDA gives a 21 day window for food safety, assuming the sour cream has been continuously refrigerated. Sour cream that has been exposed to temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than one to two hours should be discarded.

Is it better to bake with sour cream or yogurt? ›

Yogurt is your best substitute for sour cream. Whether you're baking or making a dip or sauce, yogurt is a 1:1 sub. That means if your recipe calls for 1 cup of sour cream, you can replace it with 1 cup of yogurt. Full-fat Greek or natural yogurts work best, but low-fat or even nonfat can be used, too.

Use full-fat sour cream for: baked goods (quick breads, cakes, muffins), creamy sauces, mashed potatoes, vegetable purées, cheesecakes, salad dressings, pasta salads, cold summer soups or dips. 14% cooking sour cream: a product that can take the heat!

Vegetable oil contributes moistness far more reliably, a result of the fact that oil remains liquid at room temperature while butter solidifies. Liquid contributes to the sensation of moistness, and therefore cakes made with oil often present as moister than their butter-based counterparts.

Since there's fresh sour cream in the frosting, you can store this cake in the fridge. However, I tried to avoid keeping my cakes in the fridge as it can dry them out. So my preference is to store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature and only making the frosting when I'm ready to serve it.

The experts suggest: 380g sour cream: full-fat yogurt (ratio of 2:1) and then mix the sour cream and yogurt and baking soda; leave this for 15 minutes. Then combine as your recipe requires.

Sour cream is another great last minute milk replacement. It'll add moisture and is neutral in flavor. Stick to a one-to-one replacement.

How to use sour cream with boxed cake mix. The best way to use sour cream with a boxed cake mix is to use it to replace the other liquids in the recipe, like milk or water. You can add up to a cup, or essentially the same amount of liquid you were originally meant to add, per the manufacturer's instructions.

Yogurt and sour cream also work in a pinch, but do change the flavor profile a tad.