Name: Neapolitan Pound Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened; 2 cups granulated sugar; 5 large eggs; 1 and 1/4 cups buttermilk; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons chocolate instant pudding mix; 3 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding mix; 3 tablespoons strawberry gelatin mix; 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 3 tablespoons milk

Classic Neapolitan flavors of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate are layered together in this rich and buttery Neapolitan Pound Cake that’s beautifully drizzled with a simple sweet glaze. A great cake for any occasion!

A Neapolitan pound cake with a slice cut out of it revealing layers of pink, white and brown.

Flavorful and Festive

Rich layers of buttery pound cake flavored in strawberry, vanilla and chocolate come together for a flavorful and festive Neapolitan Pound Cake that would be great for any occasion. It’s certainly not hard to find an reason to bake this cake for. It’s sure to excite and please everyone because it has all the classic cake flavors in one delicious slice.

A slice of Neapolitan pound cake on a white dessert plate with a fork and a halved strawberry.

Brandon and I once went on a little cake date to a bakery here in Dallas that only serves cake. What a fun concept! We ordered a big slice of dark chocolate cake and an even bigger slice of carrot cake that night, but they had this beautiful and enormous Neapolitan layered cake that I couldn’t stop starring at. It looked so amazing I had to run with the idea at home and boy was it fun and of course, yummy!

There’s no Party Like a Pound Cake Party

Something about a pound cake feels like you just have to have company over. A pound cake party. I’ve been making my mom Susu’s Sour Cream Pound Cake for years. My pumpkin pound cake recipe shows up at least once a holiday season. And my chocolate chip pound cake rivals anything you get in the coffee shop drive thru. And this cake is party perfect! Just baking it makes me want to invite all my friends and family over to enjoy it with me.

I mixed up a classic pound cake batter and then divided it into three mixing bowls to easily flavor the batter with chocolate pudding mix, vanilla pudding mix and strawberry gelatin mix before layering them in a cake pan and baking them together to create that classic Neapolitan look and taste.

A Neapolitan pound cake cut into slices on a white cake platter.

Ingredients and Supplies

(see recipe card at the bottom of this post for measurements and details. To learn more about specific baking ingredients and how they function in baking recipes, reference my Complete Guide to Baking Ingredients)

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter (softened): gives the pound cake its rich, buttery flavor and creates a tender texture when creamed with the sugar.
Granulated sugar: sweetens the cake while helping create a moist, tender crumb and structure.
Large eggs: give the cake structure, richness and moisture while helping bind everything together.
Buttermilk: adds moisture and a slight tang while helping keep the cake tender.
Pure vanilla extract: adds warm vanilla flavor to the base batter and complements all three Neapolitan flavors.
All-purpose flour: provides the structure that allows this rich cake to rise and hold its shape. A 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour can usually be substituted for the all-purpose flour.
Baking powder: gives the dense pound cake a little lift so it doesn’t bake up too heavy.
Kosher salt: balances the sweetness and enhances the vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavors. Fine sea salt or table salt can be substituted, but use slightly less since the crystals are smaller.
Chocolate instant pudding mix: gives one layer its chocolate flavor while also contributing sweetness, moisture and a soft texture.
Vanilla instant pudding mix: boosts the vanilla flavor while adding sweetness and helping create a moist, tender layer.
Strawberry flavored gelatin: gives the strawberry layer its signature pink color, sweetness and concentrated strawberry flavor.
Powdered sugar: forms the sweet, smooth glaze that drizzles easily over the cooled cake. Sift first to avoid lumps.
Milk: thins the powdered sugar to create a smooth, pourable glaze.

Supplies:

Ingredients to make Neapolitan pound cake in small glass dishes on a white marble counter.

How to Make Neapolitan Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch round (12 cup) tube cake pan and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, slowly beat in the buttermilk and vanilla until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, one cup at a time, until just combined.

Divide the cake batter evenly between three medium-sized mixing bowls, about 2 cups of batter per bowl. Add the chocolate instant pudding mix to one bowl, the vanilla instant pudding mix to another bowl and the strawberry gelatin mix to the third bowl. Stir the batter in each bowl until the mix is well combined and the batter is smooth.

Start with the strawberry batter and spread it evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Next, spread the vanilla batter over the strawberry batter, covering it completely. Finally, spread the chocolate batter over the vanilla batter, spreading it to cover the vanilla batter completely.
Place the cake pan on a baking sheet and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and of drizzling consistency. Add more powdered sugar if too thin or more milk if too thick.
Transfer cake to a cake stand or serving platter and drizzle with icing. Slice and serve!

Storage

Store leftovers tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Let the cake cool completely before wrapping to prevent sogginess.

To freeze the whole cake, wrap the fully cooled cake well in plastic wrap and then in foil (or place in a freezer-safe container) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw, loosely covered, at room temperature before serving and warm individual slices for that just-baked texture.

You can also freeze individual slices by wrapping each slice tightly in plastic wrap and then placing the wrapped slices in a freezer-safe bag or container. This makes it easy to thaw just what you need. Simply let a slice sit at room temperature for a few hours.

Slices of Neapolitan pound cake on a white marble surface.

Cakes Made for Celebrating

From a simple cake for a kid’s party to something a little fancier to wow the crowd, look no further than my Cakes Made for Celebrating! Sheet cakes, layer cakes, ice cream cakes, and more. There’s something for every taste and every occasion!

Pumpkin spice pound cake, naked confetti cake, fudge caramel stout cake, and zucchini sheet cake.

If you make my Neapolitan Pound Cake and post a pic to social, be sure to tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see! If you’re on Facebook, be sure to join my Friends of The BakerMama group to connect and share all the fun and yummy recipes of mine that you make! 😍 I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes and ideas I share. Enjoy!

xoxo,