This mini pound cakes recipe is perfect for your mini Bundt cake pan or a loaf pan. Just like my regular pound cake recipe, these mini pound cakes are moist, flavorful, and wonderfully buttery. Plus, the addition of vanilla bean and raspberry icing is irresistible!
I have a mini Bundt pan obsession and after 1 taste of these mini vanilla pound cakes, you’ll understand why. Don’t they look like donuts?
Let’s Talk Pound Cake
Pound cake isn’t my top choice of desserts UNLESS it’s done right. Pound cake must be 2 things: moist and flavorful. There’s no worse dessert than dry pound cake. Having said that, I have a few pound cake recipes on my site and each is… you guessed it… moist and flavorful.
- Nutella Swirl Pound Cake
- Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Brown Butter Pound Cake
- Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake
Raspberry swirl pound cake is my favorite and where I began today’s mini pound cakes recipe.
Mini Pound Cake Ingredients
Mini pound cakes don’t require a lot of ingredients, but the ratio of those ingredients is imperative.
- An abundance of moisture and the pound cake will taste wet.
- Too much flour and the pound cake taste dry.
- Too many eggs and the pound cake will taste eggy.
Here’s the ratio that works best: 1 and 3/4 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of butter, and 4 eggs. This yields a wonderfully balanced pound cake. Add sour cream for extra moisture, vanilla extract for flavor, and vanilla bean for even more flavor. (Homemade vanilla extract is fantastic in these!) A little almond extract tastes great too.
How to Make Mini Pound Cakes
Like most cake recipes, these mini pound cakes begin by creaming room temperature butter and sugar together. This step guarantees a soft crumb. Next, add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Lastly, mix in the dry ingredients. The cake batter is very thick, so you know the end result will be perfectly dense. If you use the same mini Bundt pan I have, you get about 8-9 mini Bundt cakes. Mini Bundt pans differ in size, so the yield varies. Whichever pan you use, fill each about 2/3 full.
If you don’t have a mini Bundt pan, use a mini loaf pan. If you don’t have a mini loaf pan, use a regular loaf pan. A full size Bundt cake pan is a little too large. No matter which pan you use, one thing’s certain: this pound cake is fabulous. Super tight crumb, dense, extremely buttery and moist, and flecked with vanilla bean.
I find the trick to Bundt cakes, no matter which pan or size, is to REALLY grease the pan. Even if the pan is labeled as non-stick! I typically use a generous spray of nonstick spray.
Let’s Decorate!
These mini pound cakes are wonderful with a simple dollop of whipped cream and some fresh berries. But you could also try a lemon icing, vanilla icing, chocolate ganache, or even red wine chocolate ganache for a decadent treat.
Pink is the way to my heart and sprinkles speak to my soul, so FRESH raspberry icing and sprinkles is my topping of choice. I use plenty of raspberries to produce a strong flavor and dark color, as well as milk instead of cream so that it’s on the thinner side.
These mini cakes make me so happy and I would love to know if you try them!
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Mini Vanilla Pound Cakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8-9 mini cakes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These mini vanilla pound cakes have a super tight crumb and are dense, extremely buttery and moist, and flecked with vanilla bean. Top with fresh raspberry icing and sprinkles!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional but recommended!)
Fresh Raspberry Icing
- 1/2 cup (85g) fresh raspberries
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and generously grease a mini Bundt cake pan (or another pan, see note).
- Make the mini cakes: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, then add the sour cream, vanilla extract, vanilla bean, and almond extract (if using). Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Beat everything just until incorporated. Do not over-mix. Batter will be very creamy and thick with lots of vanilla bean specks.
- Spoon batter into pan, filling each Bundt cake cavity 2/3 full. If you need to make a 2nd batch, loosely cover the leftover batter and keep at room temperature until your pan is ready again.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cakes are lightly golden and spring back when lightly poked with your finger. Remove from the oven and allow to cool inside the pan for 5 minutes. Carefully invert the pan on the counter or wire rack. Give the pan a little shake so the cakes release. Allow Bundt cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before icing and serving.
- Make the icing: Toss the raspberries and granulated sugar together. Vigorously stir to break up the raspberries. Allow to sit for 5 minutes as the raspberries let out their juices. (You can also use a small food processor for this step.) Strain the raspberries through a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Use a spoon to press them through, extracting all the juices and removing the seeds. You’ll have about 3 Tablespoons of juice. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and heavy cream. Add a little more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or more cream to thin, if desired. Drizzle over cooled pound cakes.
- Cover and store leftover iced cakes at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions: You can make the mini pound cakes ahead of time by freezing them. Bake, cool, wrap in aluminum foil, and place in a large Tupperware (that’s what I do!). Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before icing and serving. Freeze well up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Mini Bundt Cake Pan| Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack | Fine Mesh Sieve | Vanilla Bean
- Pans: If you don’t have a mini Bundt pan, you can use a mini loaf pan. If you don’t have a mini loaf pan, you can use a regular 9×5-inch loaf pan. A full size Bundt cake pan is a little too large. The bake times and yields vary with the pan you use. Fill the pans 2/3 full with batter. If using a regular 9×5-inch loaf pan, fill with all of the batter (which is about 2/3 full anyway!). The suggested bake time in this recipe is for the Bundt cake pan that I own. When the cakes are lightly brown and spring back when lightly poked with your finger, they are done. If you’re using a 9×5-inch loaf pan, the bake time is about 1 hour. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out *mostly* clean with zero raw batter.
- Vanilla Bean: If you don’t have vanilla bean, simply leave it out and add another 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read my post on room temperature ingredients for more information. It really makes a difference!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally! I was going to make your madeleines for Christmas, but realized I can’t make them ahead of time. Since I already bought the madeleine pan, do you think I could bake this pound cake recipe in a madeleine pan? I’m sure the bake time would be much less! But wanted to get your thoughts. Thank you!
Made this recipe and was delicious. Now looking for a chocolate mini Bundt cake. Which of your chocolate cakes would work well in mini Bundt cake pans?
Hi Susan! We would use our chocolate Bundt cake recipe (you can leave out the cream cheese swirl).
Can make this a chocolate pound cake
Hi Kay, You can use our recipe for this chocolate Bundt cake instead (feel free to skip the cream cheese swirl). Your bake time may be different depending on the exact size of your pans so use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Would frozen raspberries work instead of fresh for the icing?
Bekah, definitely. Thaw them first then continue with the glaze recipe as written. Hope you enjoy!
I made mine a little smaller and filled the wells about 1/2 full and got 10 cakes. My first pan turned out great. My second pan, however…the butter seems to have boiled out of the batter as it was baking! The cakes appeared to be frying. I used the same butter that I use for all of my baking and have never experienced this in a cake batter before. I weigh all my ingredients, so it’s not an issue there. I hope they’re not dry as I made them for Father’s Day. One pan was a Gold Touch from Williams Sonoma and the other pan has a silver nonstick coating. Any suggestions? I noticed someone else had a similar experience in 2022, but the only response was “maybe the pan was too full”. My pans definitely aren’t too full. Thanks for any assistance. They smell divine!
Hi Chrissy, I’ve had this happen before with pound cakes and it’s typically because some of the butter/wet ingredients isn’t mixed enough with the rest of the batter. So, portions of the batter are more buttery than others… and this is common with pound cake because it’s such a thick batter. If you try them again, give the batter a good whisk before baking to ensure it’s uniform and perfectly mixed.
Since this yields 8-9 cakes, could you just purchase a bigger mini bundt cake pan-say 12 and just fill all of them? To save from having to use isn’t twice.
Technical question. 🙂 I’m staring at my new mini bundt pan (the same as yours) and wondering if the size is too big for a single serving dessert. I was going to make A LOT of these for a graduation party. I would love your thoughts.
Hi Jenny! They are larger for a single serving than, say, a cupcake, but are usually considered one serving!
Would cake flour work here?
Hi Jessica, that shouldn’t be a problem. We recommend adding 1 Tablespoon of cake flour just to ensure there is extra sturdiness.
Hi! Can I sub the raspberries for strawberries? Will it be the same ingredients? Thank you!!!
Hi Brittani, that should work!
I am making Halloween desserts. Would this recipe work in small silicone brain molds? Would I need to make any adjustments? I have tried a blondie recipe but I feel a pound cake make taste better.
Hi Valerie, this recipe should work well—we’re unsure of the exact bake time (it will depend on the size of your molds), but keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Hope they’re a hit!
Can you substitute white sugar with brown sugar? Would it make a difference or ruin the consistency?
Hi Sochie, you can, yes, but the pound cakes may taste a little heavier. Not necessarily a bad thing!
Makes the perfect Coconut Loaf Cake!!! Hello from Toronto!
Swapped the sour cream for full fat unsweetened canned coconut milk, almond extract for coconut extract, added 90 grams of sweetened shredded coconut to the batter, baked for 60 minutes (tented after first 20 minutes) at 350 degrees in a loaf pan. For the glaze mixed 90g of icing sugar with 15g full fat unsweetened canned coconut milk and 1/2 tsp coconut extract and sprinkled with 10g sweetened shredded coconut. Absolutely perfect!
Can you bake any bundt recipe in the minis – if so what is the difference in time to bake?
Hi Sasha, Most Bunt cake recipes should also work in mini pans. Bake times and yields vary with the pan you use. Fill the pans 2/3 full with batter and use a toothpick to test for doneness. The cakes will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out *mostly* clean with zero raw batter.
I’d like to make this recipe as NOT a pound cake. Can I replace AP flour with cake flour to make it less dense? Thank you for years of great recipes that are very well written..
Hi Angela! Perhaps using our vanilla cupcake batter would be a better bet – let us know if you give it a try!
Question:
I have a Wilton 20 cavity mini Bundt pan. Would you know how much batter I have to make to fill the entire pan? Your help would be appreciated.
Hi Diana, it depends on the volume capacity of your the pan/the individual Bundt cavities, so we’re unsure of how you may need to scale the batter. If the Bundt cavities are smaller than the Bundt pan linked in this post, we’d start with one batch and then make additional batches (or a half batch) as needed.
Can I substitute cream cheese for the sour cream?
I don’t recommend that substitution for this recipe. Plain yogurt is the best choice.
I really enjoyed this recipe — thank you! My mini- Bundt pan is much smaller than yours (capacity-wise); like it can hold maybe a fourth of the total batter. So I ended up baking some in the Bundt and the rest in a tiny loaf pan. My question is – does the quality suffer if you bake multiple batches? I’d like to make several batches these for a brunch in Bundt form. Any need to refrigerate while the first or second round is baking?
So glad you enjoyed it! For best taste and texture we recommend making multiple batches instead of doubling.
I have the mini Bundt pan and anxious to try this recipe. Should I was the pan between batches or simply wipe away crumbs?
Hi Kristi! Wipe away crumbs and re-grease the pans before baking the second batch. Hope you love them!
Can the brown butter pound cakexrecipe be used for min7 cakes? What would the measurements be?
Hi Sally, I’ve had great success with your large Bundt, but with these melted butter rose up and spread across the top to the point I had to take them out, drain off the butter, and put them back in. The still tasted delicious, but as my daughter said: “The cupcakes are sizzling”. Do you know why this may have been? I’m sure the quantities were correct. Thx, (another) Sally 🙂
Hi Sally! How strange, were the mini Bundts perhaps filled up too much? Make sure to only fill 2/3 full. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Super delicious and super easy… love the softening butter tip, too!. Your recipes are my go-to – especially for new things I haven’t tried – they just work!
Hi Sally! I am getting ready to try this recipe – it looks so good! Can you tell me, when you say mini bundt cakes, are these made in “bundtlet” pans (6 cakes), or are you using something that makes smaller cakes for this recipe? It’s so hard to tell in the pictures how big the cakes actually are. Thank you so much!
Hi Kallie! See recipe notes – we link to the exact ones we use, they’re bundtlets!
Love love this recipe ! I used fresh strawberries and made a puréed strawberry and cream glaze. The mini bundt pound cakes were dense and moist and disappeared within minutes at work. Wish I could post a picture
Can you tell me what your “mini” loaf pan size is?? I would like to use a baking pan that will make 18 ( 4″ x 2″ ) loaves but I also have individual 5 x 2 3/4″ pans. Wondering what size the recipe above refers to so I may proceed accordingly! Thanks so much!
Hi Concetta! Yes, exactly – the bake times and yields vary with the pan you use. The recipe above is written for mini bundt pans, but you can use mini loaf pans instead – fill the pans 2/3 full with batter. When the cakes are lightly brown and spring back when lightly poked with your finger, they are done.
I just received the same baking pan and then I found your recipe. I made the recipe as written and the cakes were perfect! I just recently learned the importance of weighing the flour, thanks for giving the weight measurement. The cakes were a bit hit! Tomorrow I’m making your carrot cake recipe, I make it for every family birthday!
Hi! Hoping to try this recipe this weekend! Would the glaze keep if I want to mail baked goods for Valentine’s Day?
Hi Nicole, The iced cakes are fine covered at room temperature for 1-2 days, so if you can ship them overnight they should be fine!
Could you use frozen raspberries instead of fresh?
Definitely. Thaw them first then continue with the glaze recipe as written.
Is there an egg free pound cake recipe I could try please?
Hi Raj, we don’t have a tried and true egg-free pound cake recipe – let us know if you find one you love!
is it possible to use raspberry jam instead of fresh raspberries for the icing?
Hi Tara, You could it just would not have the same flavor (jam has a lot of sugar and not as strong of a raspberry flavor) or texture.
Hi,
Can I double your the receipt to make a regular Bundt pan pound cake instead of the mini pound cake
Hi Wy, For a full sized pound cake in a Bundt pan, we recommend using this recipe for Perfect Cream Cheese Pound Cake instead.
I love all your recipes- you truly are an artist. My cakes were good, but they tasted a bit eggy. What did I do wrong? Thanks.
Hi,
I just received a the same mini bundt pan as a gift and wanted to try this recipe. Can I sub lemon extract for the almond or vanilla extract. I have all three extracts on hand but wanted these to have a lemon flavor with lemon glaze. Love all your recipes! Thank you!
Hi Mara, we’d recommend replacing the almond extract with lemon (keep the vanilla). Let us know how it turns out for you!