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Last Updated on January 2, 2024

Nothing complements the overwhelming zestiness of lemon better than baking it into a scrumptious pound cake. The soft crunch and buttery lemon flavor are enough to make anyone’s day. In my opinion, lemon pound cake sits on the throne as the most refreshing dessert ever.

That’s why I’ve decided to share my lemon pound cake recipe with you. It’s fairly easy, won’t take you much time, and will taste exquisitely good (just like this lemon drop shot). My cake can feed about eight to ten people, so you can share the heavenly taste with your loved ones.

Now, grab your cooking notebook, and jump in!

Ingredients

I’ll begin by telling you the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. This way, you won’t have to take a mid-cooking break for a quick run to the grocery store. It’s always better to be prepared!

Cake Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar 
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup greek yogurt or sour cream 
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Lemon zest

Glaze Ingredients

• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup lemon juice 

How to Make a Lemon Pound Cake

Level: Easy

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins

Prep Time: 20 mins

Inactive Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 55 mins

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Now that you’ve prepared your ingredients, it’s time to make an awe-worthy cake. Here’s my lemon pound cake recipe.

1. Prepare Your Tools and Heat the Oven

Before working on the ingredients, prepare the tools you’ll need to make the cake. Many people like to use a bundt pan for this recipe, but I prefer my six-cup loaf pan.

So grab your pan, butter it, and line it with parchment or waxed paper. Also, prepare two empty bowls, a wire rack, a sheet pan, a mixer or hand mixer, and a pastry brush. You’ll need them all later.

The preparations also include taking the eggs and butter out of the refrigerator. When you use them, they should be at room temperature. So take them out a while before you start baking.

After preparing the kitchen tools, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix the Ingredients

Grab one of the bowls you prepared earlier, preferably a medium bowl, and put the flour, baking powder, and salt in it. Make sure you’re using baking powder here, not baking soda.

Then, put your butter sticks and one cup of sugar in your mixer bowl. However, before putting the butter, ensure it’s softened at room temperature. Next, run your mixer at a low speed, and add the eggs one at a time.

While the mixer is working, add the vanilla, greek yogurt, and lemon zest. You can also use sour cream here if you don’t have yogurt. But make sure to add each ingredient on its own. Then, wait for the mixer to combine it with the rest of the ingredients before you put another one.

Finally, add the flour mixture you prepared in a bowl in the previous step and quarter a cup of the fresh lemon juice.

Keep the mixer running till the batter becomes smooth.

3. Pour the Batter into the Pan

Now, your batter is ready to be baked in the oven. Pour it gently into your prepared pan and push it into the oven. It should take about 55 to 60 minutes. However, you should ensure it’s well-baked before you take it out.

To do so, insert a tester in the center of the lemon pound cake, be it a knife or a toothpick, and take it out. The tester should come out clean and dry if the cake is baked. If it comes out with more than a few crumbs, your cake needs more time in the oven.

Also, your lemon pound cake should be raised in the center once fully baked.

4. Make the Lemon Glaze

While the cake is baking in the oven, you should make the glaze. It’s easy to make and won’t take you more than a few minutes. First, put ⅓ of a cup of powdered sugar and ⅓ of a cup of lemon juice in a small bowl. Then, stir the ingredients till the sugar is dissolved. And voila!

Your lemon glaze is ready.

5. Glaze the Cake

After you take your lemon pound cake out of the oven, let it cool for about 15 minutes. It’ll still be warm, but you’ll be able to touch it without burning yourself. Then, run a knife along the sides of the loaf pan to make sure the cake didn’t stick.

Grab a sheet pan with sides and put a wire rack on it. This setting will catch the glaze nicely, making sure that it doesn’t cause a mess around your kitchen.

Turn the cake out of the pan and onto the wire rack you just set up. Then, peel the parchment or waxed paper from the cooled pound cake.

Grab your pastry brush, and cover the entire cake with the glaze you just prepared. Ideally, you should get the top and sides and repeat until you have no glaze left, including the drops that fell through the wire rack and onto the sheet pan.

After you finish glazing, let the cake cool for a while. You can either leave it to cool at room temperature or wrap it a plastic wrap and push it into the refrigerator. If you wrap it well, it’ll survive up to a week as long as you keep it inside the refrigerator.

6. Serve the Cake

Now that the cake is ready, you can serve it to your friends and family. If you’ve been keeping it in the refrigerator, let it cool completely and settle to room temperature first. Then, cut it into thin slices, and serve it on an elegant plate.

Tips and Tricks

I’ll tell you a few tricks that I like to do from time to time in my lemon recipes. This way, you can make the best lemon pound cake for your family and friends.

For starters, you can add lemon extract to the electric mixer with the other ingredients if you want a richer lemon flavor. But don’t put too much because the lemon extract is more concentrated than lemon juice.

If you like to go extra, you can decorate your cake with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, and some fresh blueberries. This way, it’ll look like it was served by a professional.

Another trick I like to do to get more lemon juice is to microwave my lemons for a few seconds before squeezing them. Some people use bottled lemon juice to avoid going through the hassle of manually squeezing juice. However, I prefer the fresh taste.

On top of that, you should pay attention while peeling lemon zest to get the yellow parts only. The white parts are bitter and may affect the delicious taste of your pound cake.

Finally, when you put the butter sticks and sugar in the mixer, let them mix for a long while. The mixer movements will help add air to the ingredients, giving your cake a perfect texture. If your mixer comes with a paddle attachment, use it in this step.

Frequently Asked Question

What Is the Secret to a Good Pound Cake?

Keeping the ingredients at room temperature and sticking to the right amounts are key to a good pound cake. This includes the eggs, butter, lemon juice, and any ingredient you keep in the refrigerator.

What Makes Pound Cake Moister?

Adding sour cream or cream cheese will make your pound cake more flavorsome and moister.

What Is the Best Flour to Make a Pound Cake?

There is no best flour for pound cakes; it depends on your personal preference. If you like your cakes light and buttery, you should use cake flour. On the other hand, if you like your cakes rich with a dense texture, go with all-purpose flour.

Does the Pound Cake Belong to American Dessert Cuisine?

Partially, yes, the pound cake belongs to American cuisine. That said, some people claim it was first made in Northern Europe in the early 1700s. So nobody is sure, but what matters, in the end, is its delicious taste.

Can I Make a Vegan Lemon Pound Cake?

Yes, of course. To make a vegan lemon pound cake:

• Replace the butter sticks with vegan butter and yogurt with vegan buttermilk.
• Add soy milk along with the lemon juice to your mixer.
• Spray your loaf or bundt pan with a non-sticking spray instead of buttering it.

Conclusion

A lemon pound cake is an ideal dessert for a hot summer day because of its refreshing taste and easy recipe. You can whip one up in less than two hours, and it’ll be enough to feed up to ten lemon lovers from your family and friends. Finish it with a rich layer of glaze and cut it into thin slices, and you’re good to go!