Lemon Pound Cake
Inside: My magic trick for infusing lemon pound cake with soft citrus flavor and a golden hue. Plus–why do true pound cakes not use baking powder or soda.
If you love lemon pound cake, this recipe is the best, with a sweet, buttery lemon flavor and delicate, moist texture. A simple glaze is the finishing touch that makes this iced lemon loaf irresistible. Perfect for casual desserts, snacking or gifting, this lemon pound cake recipe is a keeper.
I’ve shared a few of my grandmother’s cake recipes here, including her Yellow Cake Recipe and famous Applesauce Spice Cake. This lemon pound cake is based on her pound cake recipe, and it’s spectacular.
Her secret to the tall rise and fine, moist texture is to start baking it in a COLD oven. This method provides more even cooking and ensures a taller loaf.
Classic pound cakes are made with a pound each of butter, flour, eggs and sugar.
Old-fashioned pound cakes don’t add leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda. Instead, they beat eggs until light and airy, creating natural leavening. The eggs also help keep the crumb moist without being dense or heavy.
Flour adds structure to the lemon loaf cake, and fresh citrus peel gives this dessert its signature flavor and color.
In forums, I’ve seen many home-bakers complain that their lemon pound cakes come out dry, so they compensate by adding lemon syrup or sour cream to increase the moistness. You won’t need either one with this version. It’s damn near perfect.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Uses fresh everyday ingredients.
- There’s nothing artificial; real citrus peel gives the loaf cake its flavor and soft yellow color.
- There’s no special decorating needed; just a drape of simple confectioners glaze.
- It lasts for days on the counter without drying out or becoming stale.
- This recipe can be doubled for two loaves or one bundt cake.
- It freezes well.
Ingredients:
- Granulated Sugar–to blend with the peel and sweeten the cake.
- Fresh Lemons–we use the outer peel to give a soft citrus flavor to the lemon pound cake and some of the fresh-squeezed juice for the glaze.
- Butter–use unsalted butter to better regulate the amount of sodium in the cake.
- Eggs–to give the cake a soft, moist crumb.
- Salt–use regular table salt (iodized salt) because it dissolves more evenly into baked goods.
- Vanilla–I recommend Penzey’s Double Strength vanilla extract.
- All Purpose Flour–I use King Arthur’s Unbleached All-Purpose Flour.
- Milk–adding milk enhances the browning of the crust and is also used to make the glaze.
- Confectioners Sugar–a.k.a. powdered or icing sugar; for the glaze.
How to make lemon pound cake (step-by-step instructions)
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the very outer rind of the lemons, trying to avoid the white pith as it’s bitter and most of the flavor is in the outer peel.
2. Combine the granulated sugar and lemon peels in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the peel is very finely chopped and incorporated with the sugar; it should have a faint-yellowish hue and smell fragrant.
3. Add the butter to the sugar mixture and process until the sugar and fat are creamed and smooth.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and pulse until completely incorporated into the butter mixture before adding the next. Ensure you beat the eggs in very well to aerate the mixture.
5. Add the vanilla and salt; pulse to combine. Transfer this mixture to a large mixing bowl (be sure to scrape down the bowl and blades of the food processor bowl well).
6. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, add half of the flour mixture until just incorporated. Blend in half the milk. Finish with the remaining flour, then the milk. Avoid over mixing.
7. Transfer the lemon pound cake batter to a prepared 8½” x 4½” loaf pan. Place the pan in the center of a cold oven and set the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for 70-75 minutes until a cake tester or toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool the loaf cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. While the cake cools, whisk the powdered sugar and milk until smooth, then add fresh lemon juice and combine. Pour the glaze over the cake and use an offset spatula to spread it over the dome so it’s coated and some glaze runs down the edges and sides. Once it hardens, transfer the cake to a serving platter.
Pro-Tips:
- Use firm lemons with taut skins (it’s easier to peel).
- Don’t use the food processor to add flour and milk. You’ll have to dirty another bowl, but it’s worth it for the gentler hand mixer. While it works wonders on the lemon peel, the food processor will overwork the cake batter and create a tough crumb.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can make this lemon pound cake recipe in a mixing bowl. Ensure the butter is at room temperature, and cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. You’ll need a microplane to zest the citrus. Then, add the eggs, vanilla, salt, and zest to the creamed butter mixture and continue with the recipe.
- For the glaze, whisk the sugar and milk completely BEFORE adding the lemon juice. Adding the milk and lemon juice simultaneously will curdle the milk.
- There will be leftover lemons that were not used in this recipe. I recommend juicing them and storing them in a resealable glass jar in the refrigerator for cocktails, seasoning vegetables or making a lemon vinaigrette.
Swaps and Variations:
- Swap for Myer lemons, limes, oranges, or grapefruit for the lemons. If using larger citrus, (orange or grapefruit) only use one or less than one for the peel. Just be sure only to use the very outer peel and none of the white pith.
- Use a combination of lemons and limes for a citrusy “Sprite” cake.
- Double the lemon pound cake recipe and bake in a bundt pan instead of a loaf. It will take longer to bake: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
FAQs
A typical yellow cake has at least one leavener added to help it rise (usually baking powder or baking soda). Traditional pound cakes rely solely on eggs for their lift. Consequently, yellow cakes have a lighter, fluffier crumb, whereas pound cakes, such as this lemon pound cake, have a tighter crumb. However, they are very moist and tender.
Pound cakes got their name because the original recipe called for one pound of flour, one pound of sugar, one pound of butter and one pound of eggs. In the early 1700s, when the first pound cakes appeared, it was an easy recipe to remember and made a reliably delicious and moist cake.
Storage:
- You can store the lemon loaf cake covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 5 days (or longer). The crumb will stay moist and tender.
Freezing:
- This recipe freezes well. Wrap lemon pound cake in plastic wrap followed by freezer paper and freeze for up to three months. To freeze individual slices, cut into ½”-¾” slices and wrap each piece individually with plastic wrap. Transfer to a zip-top freezer bag for up to two months. To enjoy, remove a slice and let it thaw completely before eating.
- You can freeze with or without the glaze, but I find that the glaze gets a bit tacky when thawing. If you’re freezing a whole loaf, thaw completely before adding the glaze.
More loaf cake recipes to try:
Lemon Pound Cake
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
- large food processor 7 cups or more
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 lemons peeled, with a vegetable peeler, avoid white pith.
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon iodized salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups flour
- ½ cup milk
FOR LEMON GLAZE:
- 1 cup confectioners sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoons milk or half and half or cream
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice from the peeled lemons
DIRECTIONS:
- Spray an 8"x4" loaf pan with vegetable spray and line with a piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add 1½ cups granulated sugar to a food processor. Use a vegetable peeler to remove just the thin outer peel from 3 lemons. Add the peel to the food processor and reserve the fruit for the glaze.
- Pulse the sugar and lemon peel until there are no large pieces and the peel is completely incorporated into the sugar.
- Cut ¾ cup unsalted butter into chunks and add to the sugar and lemon mixture. Pulse until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add 3 large eggs, one at a time, processing until smooth after each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and ¼ teaspoon iodized salt; pulse to combine.
- Transfer the butter and sugar mixture to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, alternate adding 1½ cups flour and ½ cup milk in 2-3 additions, blending after each addition, just until combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and transfer to a COLD OVEN; Set the oven temperature to 350° F and bake for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
FOR THE LEMON GLAZE:
- combine 1 cup confectioners sugar with 1 tablespoons milk and whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons lemon juice and whisk again to combine. Taste and if you like more lemon flavor, add another 1-2 teaspoons of juice.
- Pour glaze over the lemon pound cake and spread with an offset spatula so the top is coated and drizzles down the sides. Let the glaze set, then slice for serving.
RECIPE VIDEO:
NOTES:
- When making the glaze, add the milk first and whisk completely BEFORE adding the lemon juice. Adding the milk and lemon juice together will curdle the milk.
- There will be leftover lemon not used in this recipe. I recommend juicing the lemon and storing in a resealable glass jar in the refrigerator to use for cocktails, seasoning vegetables or making a lemon vinaigrette.
NUTRITION:
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I am elderly and don’t have a food Processor. Is there another way, in a bowl??
Yes, you can use a lemon zester to zest the lemons, then add it to the sugar and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar granules. Doing this will release the oils in the zest and make it very lemony. Check out my Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, I have a video there that shows exactly the method.
This was a winner! I love simple, moist cakes and lemon is perfect for Spring! Thanks for a great cake, Lisa! This will most definitely make it to my Easter table!