Philly Fluff Cake Recipe

Make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature, and your eggs are also up to room temperature. This helps achieve more efficient blending of the ingredients for an optimal cake structure.

Preheat oven to 350°F, ensuring a rack is situated to where the Bundt pan will sit in the middle of the oven. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. I find it easiest to get full coverage with a nonstick baking spray, but you can also thoroughly rub a stick of butter in the pan, sprinkle in the flour, and tap out the excess. If after doing so you've noticed missing spots, brush a little melted butter on them and repeat with the flour. Set aside the prepared pan for now.

Add softened cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until well-combined, lighter in color, and increased in volume with a fluffy consistency.

In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the combined dry ingredients to the bowl with the butter/cream cheese and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are evenly worked in. The batter at this point will be fairly stiff and thick.

Add 1 cup of the sugar and the eggs to the batter, adding the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed for even mixing.

Add the remaining 1 ¼ cup sugar and the vanilla extract. Mix well until the batter is fully smooth (don't skimp), stopping again to scrape down the sides several times to ensure an even consistency.

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until deeply golden-brown, the edges are coming away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you have an instant-read thermometer, even better: the cake is done when the center reaches about 205-210°F.

Let the cake cool (in its pan) on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully tuck a thin, flexible spatula around the edges to make sure the cake isn't stuck to the pan, then invert it onto a wide, flat plate or cake stand to cool completely.

Once the cake is completely cooled, dust generously with powdered sugar before slicing and serving.