Lemon Pound Cake
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This lemon pound cake is the ultimate dessert for lemon lovers.
Calling all lemon lovers! This lemon pound cake is a dessert made just for you. The recipe incorporates both lemon zest and lemon juice into the cake batter, infusing the cake with a lovely lemon flavor. But the real magic happens after baking — the cake is generously doused with lemon syrup and then drizzled with a tart lemon glaze, delivering an intense burst of lemon flavor with every bite. The recipe yields two ultra-moist loaves that stay fresh for days on the countertop or can be frozen for later. If you’d like to switch things up, try my popular lemon poppyseed cake and lemon blueberry pound cake variations. A big thank you and shoutout to Karen Tannenbaum, one of my longtime readers, for inspiring this wonderful recipe!
What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Pound Cake
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Start by zesting and juicing your lemons. And be sure you zest the lemons first, otherwise, it will be impossible once they are juiced. The best tool for zesting is a rasp grater but any fine grater will do.
Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. I always add dry ingredients in little piles so I don’t forget what I’ve already added.
Whisk and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
With the mixer on low speed, beat in one-quarter of the flour mixture, then one-third of the buttermilk mixture. Beat in another quarter of the flour, then another third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with another quarter of the flour and the remaining buttermilk mixture. Finally, beat in the remaining flour mixture.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give a quick mix to make sure all of the ingredients are well-incorporated.
Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pans and smooth with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean.
Set the cakes on a cooling rack, and cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
Carefully run a knife along the unlined sides of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan. Using the parchment slings, lift the cakes out of the pans and place onto the rack, leaving the parchment paper in place under the cakes. Let cool for about 1 hour.
When the cakes are almost cool, make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
To make the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Add more confectioners’ sugar or lemon juice as necessary to make a thick but pourable glaze (it should be a little thicker than you’d think, about the consistency of molasses or honey).
When the cakes are cool, carefully transfer them to serving platters. Gradually brush the warm syrup all over the cakes, including the sides, letting it soak in as you go.
Finally, spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
Let the cakes sit for about one hour to allow the glaze to set before serving.
How To Freeze Lemon Pound Cake
The cakes can be frozen without the glaze for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap them securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Add the syrup before the cake is frozen and add the glaze after the cake is thawed.)
Note: This recipe was updated in 2022; to see the original version, click here.
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Lemon Pound Cake
This lemon pound cake is the ultimate dessert for lemon lovers.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (low-fat is fine) (see note)
- 2 tablespoons (packed) grated lemon zest (see note)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
For the Syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the long sides of the pans with parchment paper “slings” and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray again.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in one-quarter of the flour mixture, then one-third of the buttermilk mixture. Beat in another quarter of the flour, then another third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with another quarter of the flour and the remaining buttermilk mixture. Finally, beat in the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give a quick mix to make sure all of the ingredients are well-incorporated.
- Divide the thick batter into the prepared pans and smooth with a rubber spatula. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean.
- Set the cakes on a cooling rack, and cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife along the unlined sides of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan. Using the parchment slings, lift the cakes out of the pans and place onto the rack, leaving the parchment paper in place under the cakes. Let cool for about 1 hour.
- When the cakes are almost cool, make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- When the cakes are cool, carefully transfer them to serving platters.
- Gradually brush the warm syrup all over the cakes, including the sides, letting it soak in as you go.
- To make the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Add more confectioners' sugar or lemon juice as necessary to make a thick but pourable glaze (it should be a little thicker than you'd think, about the consistency of molasses or honey). Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the cakes sit for about one hour to allow the glaze to set before serving.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
- Note: You'll need 4 to 5 large lemons for the entire recipe.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cakes can be made up to 1 day ahead of time and stored in a cake dome or airtight container at room temperature. They can also be frozen (without the final glaze) for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Add the syrup before the cake is frozen and add the glaze after the cake is thawed.)
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 313
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 59g
- Sugar: 40g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 143mg
- Cholesterol: 51mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I just made this cake and it turned out beautiful. Followed the intructiins to T. I will definitely make it again.
Love this cake and am thinking of trying it with pineapple instead of lemon flavor. Has anyone tried that? Basically substituting pineapple for all the lemon juice and zest.
Hi! If I bake the cake today to serve tomorrow, I was thinking of adding the syrup today after the cake cools, storing in a cake dome at room temp, and then add the glaze tomorrow before serving. What would you recommend doing?
And I made this twice before (baked and served the same day) and it’s fantastic when served with lots of berries and fresh whipped cream.
So glad you like it, KJ! I’d go ahead and glaze it now but either way will work just fine.
Made this today and the flavor is simply fantastic! However, the cakes didn’t rise. The texture is tender, but dense. Is this what you meant when you said, don’t rush mixing the flour and wet ingredients because it could make the cake “heavy”?
I’m going to try again and follow your directions more precisely.
Hi Deborah, Because it’s a pound cake, the texture is more dense but sorry to hear the cake didn’t rise. Couple questions — Did you use a 10-inch Bundt pan? Was your baking soda very old or expired?
Hello,
Im in France and am having a hard time finding the french equivalent, (babeurre) is there something you can suggest for me as a replacement?
Thank you! BTW I make your pancakes here and everyone loves them 🙂
Hi Janelle, You can make your own buttermilk/babeurre if you have milk and either lemon juice or white vinegar. See how here. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
LOVED this recipe! SO delicious – everyone had seconds! I did find it a bit heavy (hence the ‘pound cake’ name) but the lemon flavour freshened it up.
I was wondering if there is a version of this that would work in cupcake form? Easier for birthdays.. any recommendations?
Hi Amanda, glad you enjoyed this! I haven’t made this cake into cupcakes, but I think it would work. I’d suggest the same temp and start checking for doneness at about 18 minutes. Please LMK how they turn out!
Not going to lie – the cupcakes were EVEN BETTER! This recipe made between 1.5-2 batches of cupcakes, took between 20-25 minutes to bake (in my less than stellar oven) and they were to die for. I still painted the tops with syrup and dipped the tops in the glaze – highly recommend.
So glad you enjoyed them — thanks for the follow-up!! 🙂
Hi Amanda
Did you make any changes to this recipe when you made cupcakes?
How many cupcakes? Or did you make half of the recipe?
I made this beautiful pound cake yesterday. What a keeper !! Thank you 🙂 Just delicious, you want to devour the whole thing just looking at it as you cut this moist cake. I had to use 2 loaf pans, was careful not to overfill and the results were still a great success. This one will be made again and again.
I made this recipe for the first time and it, by far, is the BEST lemon pound cake I ever had! For easy storage and to send some home with my son, I used two loaf pans. The combination of Pam and a generous sprinkling of sugar created a beautiful sweet crust. It slid out of the loaf pan easily and I was able to slide one back into the loaf pan for easy transport. This was my greatest recipe find for 2021!
I made this today and it’s fantastic! It has a great balance between sweet and tart. This one is going straight into my “favorite” folder
This recipe is a winner and keeper in my book! Thank you for sharing your detailed instructions which made the process easier and produced a spectacular result. I baked it for Easter Octave Sunday, yesterday. The slight adjustments I made were cutting the sugar to 2 cups and using the 1/4 cup in the recipe to dust the Bundt pan after brushing it with vegetable shortening. There was absolutely no residual sticking when I turned the cake out. Brushing the lemon/sugar syrup over the cake gently as you suggested, made the cake truly moist. The cooking time was about 70 minutes- at 65 the tester came out clean so I turned off the oven and kept the cake in for 5 minutes more. Finally, instead of the lemon glaze, I used my own chocolate ganache with Amaretto (using bittersweet Callebaut chocolate) and the contrast of flavors was delicious. So again, your generosity in sharing this spring delight wins my hearty applause!