Lemon Pound Cake
intro
Buttery, tender, and bright with fresh lemon, this moist pound cake has a crisp crust and tangy lemon glaze, perfect for serving with tea or coffee.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and pan
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) with a rack positioned in the middle. Grease a 9x5 inch (23x13 cm) metal loaf pan thoroughly with 1 teaspoon of softened butter, then line the pan bottom with a 2-inch wide strip of parchment paper that overhangs the long sides for easy cake removal. Set the prepared pan aside at room temperature while you mix the batter.
Cream butter and sugar
In a large glass mixing bowl, combine 226 grams of softened room-temperature unsalted butter and 200 grams of granulated sugar. Beat with a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed for 3 full minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl sides and bottom with a rubber spatula every 60 seconds, until the mixture turns pale ivory, light, and fluffy in texture.
Add eggs and flavorings
Add one room-temperature egg at a time to the creamed butter mixture, beating on medium-low speed for 45 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the bowl sides between eggs to ensure even mixing. Once all eggs are fully incorporated with no lumps, stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon zest, 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, mixing on low speed for 15 seconds until evenly distributed.
Fold in dry ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 180 grams of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt for 30 seconds to evenly distribute the leavening. Add the dry mixture to the wet batter in 3 equal batches, folding gently with a rubber spatula after each addition just until no white flour streaks remain; do not overmix, as this will develop gluten and create a tough, dense cake.
Bake the pound cake
Pour the finished batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top surface with a spatula into a slight dome shape. Bake on the middle oven rack at 175°C (350°F) for 50 to 55 minutes, testing doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick into the cake center—it should come out with 2-3 moist crumbs attached, not wet batter. If the cake top darkens too quickly after 40 minutes of baking, tent it loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent burning.
Cool and glaze cake
Once baked, let the cake cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment paper overhang to transfer directly to the rack to cool for an additional 15 minutes (it should be warm, not piping hot). While the cake cools, whisk 120 grams of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice together until completely smooth, then drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake top, letting it run naturally down the sides. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Tips
2.Avoid opening the oven door for the first 40 minutes of baking: sudden drops in oven temperature can cause the rising cake to sink in the middle, ruining its even domed shape.
3.For extra deep lemon flavor, poke 10 to 12 small holes in the warm cake top with a toothpick before drizzling the glaze, so the tangy lemon glaze soaks into the cake crumb instead of only sitting on the surface.
OMG this lemon pound cake is SO good!!! I baked it for my Sunday family dinner and everyone was begging for the recipe before they even left. The crumb is so moist, no dry weird texture like other pound cake recipes I’ve tried. 10/10 will make again for next month’s church potluck!
Super easy recipe even for a total baking newbie like me. I messed up and used salted butter instead of unsalted and it still turned out incredible? My roommates devoured half the loaf in 10 minutes flat. Will definitely be making this on repeat for weekend brunches.
My kids are OBSESSED with this cake! I packed slices in their school lunches all week and they kept asking if I could make another one before the weekend. The only swap I made was using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because that’s what I had on hand, worked like a charm.
Took this to my office potluck yesterday and it was the first dessert gone! People kept coming up to me asking if I bought it from a fancy bakery, little did they know it was so simple to throw together. The lemon glaze is *chef’s kiss* — not too tart, not too sweet.
Made this after a long day of hiking last weekend and it hit the spot. Bright lemon flavor, not dense at all, and the whole house smelled amazing while it was baking. I paired slices with a little whipped cream and fresh berries for my partner and they said it’s the best dessert I’ve ever made.
Wait has anyone tried making this with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend? I have a friend with celiac coming to visit next weekend and I want to serve a dessert everyone can eat. This looks too good not to try adapting!
Game changer! I’ve been searching for a go-to lemon pound cake recipe for years and this is finally the one. It’s perfectly moist, has that bright zingy lemon flavor without being artificial, and it’s so easy I don’t even have to pull out my stand mixer. 10/10.
Made this in my tiny dorm oven! Had to adjust the temp a little because my oven runs super hot, but even with my janky setup it turned out amazing. I shared slices with my whole floor and people kept knocking on my door asking for more. Absolute banger of a recipe.
I’ve been baking lemon pound cake for over 40 years and this recipe is right up there with my old family one! It’s moist, has the perfect crumb, and the lemon glaze adds just the right amount of extra zing. I added a little extra lemon zest like I always do and it was perfect.
This holds up so well for meal prep! I sliced the whole loaf after it cooled, wrapped individual slices in parchment, and stashed them in the fridge for quick breakfasts all week. They stay moist for days, no sogginess at all. Total weekday win for me when I’m running out the door to work.
Y’all, I added a handful of fresh blueberries to the batter before baking and it was CHEF’S KISS. The sweet blueberries pair so perfectly with the tart lemon, it tastes like summer in every bite. Don’t sleep on adding berries if you have them lying around!
Okay I was so nervous to make this because I burn literally every baked good I try, but this was foolproof! The cook time was spot on for my oven, the instructions were super easy to follow, and it came out perfectly golden and moist on the first try. I feel like a real baker now, lol.
Brought this to my college football tailgate last weekend and even the guys who only eat burgers and wings were going back for seconds. It’s sweet but not too heavy, holds up great in a cooler for a few hours, and doesn’t make a mess when you’re eating it standing up in the parking lot. 10/10 for game day.
Made this for my partner’s birthday instead of a regular fancy layer cake because lemon is their favorite flavor, and they said it was better than any bakery cake they’ve ever had. I served it with a little lemon curd dollop on the side and it was *so* good. We ate half the loaf between the two of us last night, oops.
My golden retriever snuck a tiny piece that fell off the cooling rack and now he sits by the kitchen counter every time I pull out the mixing bowls, hoping for more. If a picky golden retriever and my picky 7 year old both love it, you know it’s a hit. So easy to throw together after work too!
Quick question! The recipe says to use room temperature eggs and butter, but I forgot to set mine out ahead of time. Can I soften butter in the microwave and warm eggs up quickly in water, or will that mess up the texture? I want to make this for my mom’s Mother’s Day brunch tomorrow!