• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Sign in

Sugar Geek Show logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Sign in
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Sign in
×
Home › Recipe

Published: May 25, 2023 by Sugar Geek Show · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

This lemon pound cake recipe is absolutely divine! A super moist and tender crumb with a dash of lemon and a delicious buttermilk glaze. It's so easy to bake up for last-minute guests or bring to a special occasion.

close up of sliced lemon pound cake

If you're looking for a super moist and lemony pound cake with a velvet smooth crumb, this is the one for you. I've had my fair share of dry pound cake so when I was testing recipes, super moist was my #1 goal without losing that classic pound cake denseness and texture. Truthfully though, the real star of this lemon pound cake is the tart lemon glaze made with buttermilk. It's the perfect sweet and zesty topping and really gives this lemon pound cake its WOW factor!

Table of contents

  • Making Lemon Pound Cake
  • Making Lemon Buttermilk Glaze
  • How to flavor pound cake
  • FAQ
  • Related Recipes

Moist pound cake ingredients

Buttermilk adds much-needed moisture but it's also acidic which breaks down the gluten in the flour, resulting in a very tender and moist crumb. For the glaze, we're using powdered buttermilk instead of fresh because it adds a ton of flavor without making the glaze too thin.

Cake flour makes the pound cake incredibly light but if you can't get your hands on cake flour, all-purpose will still work just fine. Just replace two Tablespoons of flour with cornstarch and sift together. Be very careful not to over-mix which will make your pound cake tough and hard.

Baking powder gives the pound cake just enough lift to make it light without losing that classic pound cake texture.

Lemon extract and lemon zest together bring out the bright lemon flavor in this cake. You can easily switch these out for other flavors if you prefer. 

powdered buttermilk

Making Lemon Pound Cake

  1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and make sure the rack is in the center of the oven.
  2. Prepare your 5"x9" loaf pan with cake goop or any kind of preferred pan release. If you don't have loaf pans, you can use bundt pans or even cake pans.
  3. Weigh out your wet and dry ingredients using a scale instead of using measuring cups for a more accurate recipe, and bring your ingredients to room temperature. When your wet ingredients are room temperature or even a little warm, they will mix together more easily and your lemon pound cake will have a better texture.
  4. Sift together your cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.lemon pound cake dry ingredients
  5. Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light, white, and fluffy. If your butter is too cold, your butter and sugar are not going to cream very easily.close up of creamed butter and sugar on a green spatula
  6. While mixing on low, add in your room temperature eggs, one at a time, letting each mix in fully before you add in the next. I'm using a stand mixer, but you can also use a hand-electric mixer if you'd like. Scrape the sides of the bowl.adding eggs to pound cake ingredients
  7. Add the lemon extract and zest to the buttermilk and set aside.
  8. While mixing on low, add ⅓ of the buttermilk mixture, then ⅓ of the flour mixture, repeat two more times with the remaining flour and buttermilk mixture and mix until just combined. Don't overmix. adding buttermilk to mixing bowladding flour to pound cake mixture
  9. Pour your cake batter into a prepared 5"x9" loaf pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly. lemon pound cake batter in a blue loaf pan
  10. Cool it for 10 minutes, then flip the cake onto a wire rack. If you want extra moisture, add a simple lemon syrup to the top straight out of the oven.lemon pound cake on a cooling rack
  11. Let the cake cool at room temperature or wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap and freeze it to lock in the moisture. 

Making Lemon Buttermilk Glaze

  1. Combine the powdered sugar, salt, buttermilk powder, and lemon juice in a large bowl.lemon buttermilk glaze ingredients in a bowl
  2. Mix until smooth with a hand mixer or whisk. Make sure to spend enough time beating the mixture so you don't have lumps.lemon buttermilk glaze in a bowl
  3. Add in your softened butter and mix until smooth and creamy. lemon buttermilk glaze on a blue spatula
  4. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake (I put mine on a cooling rack over a pan to catch the glaze) and then garnish with fresh lemons if you like.glazing lemon pound cake

How to flavor pound cake

Don't like lemon? No problem! You can flavor this pound cake in so many different ways with simple ingredients! Leave out the lemon zest and replace it with fresh blueberries or raspberries. Add a layer of cream cheese frosting or mix in some chocolate chips. You can also add vanilla extract and add in some spices to make a spice pound cake! Replace the buttermilk with pumpkin puree for a yummy pumpkin pound cake. The options are truly endless!

close up of pound cake sliced

FAQ

Can I use a bundt cake pan?

Yes, you can absolutely make this lemon loaf cake in a bundt cake pan. Double it to make sure you have enough batter, and bake it for longer.

Can I use lemon juice to add more lemon flavor?

Lemon juice actually doesn't have a lot of lemon flavor and it adds a lot of liquid to the recipe. For true lemon lovers, try adding more lemon zest and extract.

What if I don't have buttermilk? What can I use as a substitution?

You can use regular milk plus 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar as a buttermilk substitute or you can check out my buttermilk substitute blog post for more substitutions.

Why is it called pound cake?

Pound cake first came from Europe around the 1700s. A typical pound cake was made of one pound of butter, flour, sugar, and eggs. This type of cake was very heavy, dry, and dense. The only sort of lift in the cake came from the eggs.

The difference between a pound cake and a regular cake is how dense the cake is. A pound cake usually only has a glaze or is paired with whipped cream and berries because of how heavy it is while a traditional cake is much lighter in texture and can therefore be paired with richer fillings and frostings. Pound cakes are typically baked in a loaf pan or a bundt cake pan and take much longer to bake than a traditional cake.

What is the best flour to use for pound cake?

I find that cake flour makes a very light and fluffy pound cake. All-purpose will also work just fine, Just replace two Tablespoons of flour with cornstarch and sift it together. Be very careful not to over-mix which will make your pound cake tough and hard.

Related Recipes

Moist Lemon cake recipe

Lemon blueberry cake recipe

Lemon raspberry cake recipe

Homemade lemon curd recipe

Recipe

close up of sliced lemon pound cake

Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake

Moist and tender lemon pound cake with a lemon buttermilk glaze. This is the perfect easy cake to throw together for a last-minute gathering, brunch, or spring dessert. Works great in a bundt pan too!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Chilling Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 464kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

  • 5-inch by 9-inch loaf pans
  • Stand mixer or hand mixer

Ingredients

Lemon Pound Cake

  • 4 ounces unsalted butter softened but not melted
  • 8 ounces granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 8 ounces cake flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 5 ounces buttermilk room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon zest

Lemon Buttermilk Glaze

  • 6 ounces powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 ounces fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tablespoons buttermilk powder
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter very soft but not melted
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making Lemon Pound Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 350ºF and make sure the rack is in the center of the oven.
  • Prepare your 5"x9" loaf pan with cake goop or any kind of preferred pan release. If you don't have loaf pans, you can use bundt pans or even cake pans.
  • Weigh out your wet and dry ingredients using a scale instead of using measuring cups for a more accurate recipe, and bring your ingredients to room temperature. When your wet ingredients are room temperature or even a little warm, they will mix together more easily and your lemon pound cake will have a better texture.
  • Sift together your cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.
  • Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light, white, and fluffy. If your butter is too cold, your butter and sugar are not going to cream very easily.
  • While mixing on low, add in your room temperature eggs, one at a time, letting each mix in fully before you add in the next. I'm using a stand mixer, but you can also use a hand-electric mixer if you'd like. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
  • Add the lemon extract and zest to the buttermilk and set aside.
  • While mixing on low, add ⅓ of the buttermilk mixture, then ⅓ of the flour mixture, repeat two more times with the remaining flour and buttermilk mixture and mix until just combined. Don't overmix. 
  • Pour your cake batter into a prepared 5"x9" loaf pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly. 
  • Cool it for 10 minutes, then flip the cake onto a wire rack. If you want extra moisture, add a simple lemon syrup to the top straight out of the oven.
  • Let the cake cool at room temperature or wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap and freeze it to lock in the moisture. 

Making Lemon Buttermilk Glaze

  • Combine the powdered sugar, salt, buttermilk powder, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
  • Mix until smooth with a hand mixer or whisk. Make sure to spend enough time beating the mixture so you don't have lumps.
  • Add in your softened butter and mix until smooth and creamy. 
  • Pour the glaze over the top of the cake (I put mine on a cooling rack over a pan to catch the glaze) and then garnish with fresh lemons if you like.

Video

Notes

  1. If you can’t get your hands on cake flour, all-purpose will still work just fine. Just replace two Tablespoons of flour with cornstarch and sift together.
  2. If you want to make your pound cake EXTRA moist you can brush on some simple syrup right out of the oven or you can add in 2 ounces of vegetable oil to the liquids in the recipe.
  3. Don't forget to grease your pans! Using cake goop is the best way to make sure your loaf doesn't stick to the pan.
  4. Weigh out your ingredients using a scale and bring ingredients to room temperature. When your ingredients are room temperature or even a little warm, they will mix together more easily and your lemon pound cake will have a better texture.
  5. You can use regular milk plus 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar as a buttermilk substitute or you can check out my buttermilk substitute blog post for more substitutions
  6. If you don't have buttermilk powder for the glaze, use 2 Tablespoons of real buttermilk and add an extra ¼ cup of powdered sugar. 
  7. I recommend using a nonstick metal pan, but if you want to use a glass pan, bake for an extra 10 minutes. 
  8. To bake this in a bundt pan, double the recipe to make sure you have enough batter and bake for longer. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 464kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 567IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

350 f 40-45 mins

More Recipe

  • breakfast scramble
    Breakfast Scramble
  • close up of sausage gravy on biscuits
    Keto Sausage Gravy
  • close up of keto biscuits on a plate
    Fluffy Keto Biscuits
  • gold drip on a white cake
    Drip Cake Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sinead O'neill says

    September 28, 2021 at 4:34 am

    If I was going to make these as mini loafs… how long would you suggest baking? Then loaf sizes are 8cmx4cmx4cm

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      September 28, 2021 at 11:20 am

      Start with 12 minutes and then check until they are done baking

      Reply
4.57 from 16 votes (16 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




All comments are subject to our Terms of Use

Primary Sidebar

Liz Marek with strawberry cake

Hi, I'm Liz! I'm an artist and cake decorator from Portland, Oregon. Cakes are my obession, which is why I'm dedicated to crafting tried-and-true recipes, small cake tutorials, as well as advanced online cake courses!

More about me →

Buy Flawless Fondant

Sugar Geek Flawless Fondant
It's incredibly stretchy, stays soft on the cake and can be rolled 50% thinner than other brands without tearing or becoming transparent. No elephant skin, no frustration, just flawless fondant every time. Buy Fondant

Our Cake Greatest Hits

Check our our best cake recipes

Summer Recipes

  • closeup of vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream slice on a white plate
    Moist Vanilla Cake Using Cake Flour
    Cook Time45 Minutes
  • slice of pink velvet cake with whipped cream frosting and fresh raspberries on a white plate
    Pink Velvet Cake
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • slice of fresh strawberry cake on a white plate with strawberries behind it
    Fresh Strawberry Cake
    Cook Time1 Hours 10 Minutes
  • close up shot of double chocolate chip cookie
    Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Cook Time20 Minutes
  • Fast Bread Recipe
    Cook Time1 Hours
  • sourdough bread cut open to show crumb
    Beginners Sourdough Bread Recipe Step-By-Step
    Cook Time25 Hours 10 Minutes

Popular Recipes

  • ganache cake with dark, milk, and white chocolate on it
    The Best Chocolate Ganache Recipe
    Cook Time20 Minutes
  • close up of easy buttercream rosettes
    Easy Buttercream Frosting
    Cook Time10 Minutes
  • close up slice of marble cake
    Moist and Fluffy Marble Cake Recipe
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • close up of red velvet cake slice
    Red Velvet Cake Recipe
    Cook Time1 Hours 40 Minutes

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Fondant

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • About Liz Marek

Copyright © 2024 Sugar Geek Show, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.