You just can’t beat a good old fashioned slice of homemade Lemon Pound Cake, with it’s fine crumb and velvety melt-in-your-mouth texture.
It’s no wonder that pound cakes are a southern staple, and the lemon pound cake that I am sharing today has a flavor that it just out of this world. This cake is easy to whip up, and is perfect for gatherings year-round…but I always associate it with summertime!
Whether you need a little something sweet to go with your coffee or tea, or you are looking for a fabulous, no-fuss dessert to top with berries and cream, this Lemon Pound Cake recipe is perfection.
I often talk about how much I LOVE lemon desserts, and this Lemon Pound Cake does not disappoint. In fact, all of our posts featuring lemon cakes, fillings, and frostings are some of our most popular no matter what the season. Another favorite of ours is our Scratch Lemon Layer Cake (with Lemon Curd and Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting)!
As much as I love our lemon layer cake, this Lemon Pound Cake is flavored with the same lemony goodness AND has the added bonus of being quicker and easier to make. You’ll notice a slight tang from the buttermilk in the recipe and also an unmistakable lemon flavor from the extract we’ve added.
The sweetness of the cake is perfectly balanced with the tartness of the simple lemon glaze (a simple combination of powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest).
*I repeat, this easy lemon glaze is tart- haha! In fact, at first we wondered if it was too tart. But that’s only because we tried it by the spoonful instead of on the cake. I don’t advise eating sugar glaze by the spoonful, as tempting as it may be!
In the end, just that little bit of glaze drizzled over the top and sides makes a world of difference in the amount of lemon that comes through in each bite! You don’t want to skimp on the glaze. In addition to the boost of lemon flavor, it looks so dramatic beautiful on the cake! It’s a win-win ;0)
As an added bonus, this cake freezes beautifully whether you are baking in advance or want to keep a few slices in the freezer in case of a sudden pound cake craving.
Why do cake recipes often contain buttermilk?
This lemon pound cake as with many of our cakes, contains buttermilk. You may think that it is for the slight tang that it adds to the cake, and that is a definite bonus…but it is the acidity of the buttermilk that lends a wonderful tenderness to cakes.
The acid from the buttermilk breaks down strands of gluten, making it softer and more moist. If a cake contains buttermilk or even sour cream, chances are good that your cake is going to be delightfully tender!
If you love lemon cakes, you’re also going to want to save our delicious scratch lemon cake recipe! It’s the best! You can find it here: Scratch Lemon Layer Cake Recipe.
Thanks for stopping by! We think that you are going to fall in love with this lemon pound cake! For more lemony goodness, keep scrolling down- we kind of love all things lemon around here (not to mention all things pound cake). This cake is the best of both worlds!
Lemon Pound Cake
This Lemon Pound Cake recipe is so moist and bursting with lemon flavor!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 sticks (339 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups (600 g) sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour, (not self-rising)
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- 1 cup (235 g) buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) lemon extract
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CAKE
- Grease and flour a tube pan.
- Lower the oven rack to the lower third of your oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a separate bowl whisk the flour and baking soda to combine, set aside for later.
- Cream the butter with the paddle attachment in your mixer, gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time blending after each to incorporate.
- Add the lemon extract to the l cup of buttermilk. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk to the butter, sugar, egg mixture. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. I add the dry 3 times and milk twice.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Check it after 1 hour, to be on the safe side) If the top begins to brown too much, you can loosely lay a piece of aluminum foil on top of it.
This makes approximately 8 cups of batter.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE LEMON GLAZE
Combine sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the pound cake. (I spooned mine into a piping bag with the tip snipped away for more control.) Sprinkle lemon zest over the top.
Notes
You can make this cake in advance, wrap in plastic wrap & foil, and freeze with no problems.
Other Favorite Pound Cake Recipes
For all of the pound cake fans, you don’t want to miss these other favorites from our Cake Recipes section! It’s always a good day for pound cake.
Here is our Classic Pound Cake Recipe – this one has been a family favorite for years!
You will also love our Lemon Raspberry Pound Cake! Such a flavorful combination!
How about a Chocolate Pound Cake? This Double Chocolate Pound Cake is THE BEST remedy for your chocolate cravings! So moist and chocolatey, and it’s super easy to make! You’ve gotta love that dramatic ganache drip too!
And finally, our Red Velvet Marble Pound Cake! I love everything about this cake. You can’t go wrong when combining red velvet & pound cake. We make it with a peppermint glaze at Christmas, but no matter what the occasion, it’s always a fantastic choice!
Thank you for stopping by and don’t miss our full collection of favorite tried and true cake and frosting recipes in our Recipes Section!
Also, if you would like to learn more about cake decorating, you can check out our free cake tutorials here: Free Cake Decorating Tutorials. Or, for full access to the hundreds of cake decorating video tutorials that we’ve made, you should consider becoming a member of My Cake School! You can find all of the details here: Joining Information- My Cake School
Thanks for stopping by! If you try this Lemon Pound Cake recipe, we would love for you to share your thoughts and photos in the comments below!
Very yummy! I do love Pound Cake and Lemon :-)
Can this also be baked in 8 inch cake pans?
How would this cake be as a tiered wedding cake and/or large cupcakes?
I made this lemon pound cake and it didn’t rise… the taste was fine but not as fluffy as other pound cake recipes
Hi Monette, I am sorry you had a problem with the recipe. I’ll list some possible causes that might have kept your cake from rising.
Measure the ingredients accurately. If not using a scale, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level off with the back of a knife. Beat the softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer for approximately 5 minutes or until it is lightened in color and fluffy. This whips air into the batter to help it rise. Don’t over beat the eggs, Mix just until the yellow of the yolk disappears. When adding dry and wet ingredients don’t mix above medium speed or mix for too long. When greasing the pan don’t use oil, use shortening (such as Crisco) and dust the pan with flour. A slick surface keeps the batter from rising to its full height.
I hope this will be helpful.
is there a substitution for buttermilk?
Hi Analia, Add 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup. Add milk to the 1 cup mark. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes and it is ready to use.
My pound cake splits apart about 1/4 ways down. Any suggestions to keep this from happening?
Hi Linda, A crack can form if the temperature is too high or if the oven rack is in the wrong position. Lower the rack to a lower position. Are you baking in a dark colored pan? Dark pans absorb more heat so you will need to lower the temperature by 25 degrees. If your pan is not dark bake at 325 degrees. Hope all goes well.
Is the flour sifted?
Hi Sadonna, The flour is not sifted. It is spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off with the back of a knife. Hope you will enjoy the recipe.