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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Hi, I’m new to your site and found your recipe on a Google search for lemon pound cake as I have a bumper crop of lemons and I love pound cake. I made the cake this morning and I have to say it is perfection. I followed your instructions to the word and the result is a delicious cake. Thank you and I look forward to trying your other recipes.
Thank you for this fantastic cake recipe! I made it the day before we had company for dinner. The crumb on the cake was
perfect! Everyone commented that they had never tasted a better lemon pound cake. The only change I made was I used 1 3/4 cup sugar instead of 2 1/4. I served the cake with fresh raspberries and strawberries although it could have easily stood alone!
This cake came out perfect. I reduced the sugar to 11/2cups. With the syrup and icing there is no need for so much sugar. That said the lemon flavor was intense.
I made this exactly as written and it is hands-down the best lemon cake recipe out there. I have made several other recipes but none come close to the texture and moistness of this cake. The syrup and icing are key components – do not skip! Unbelievably good. This is a keeper.
The flavor of this cake is amazing. I’ve baked a sundrop pound cake for years and wanted more of a lemon flavor. This did just that. However, I added cream cheese since a couple reviewed it as dry…that was the problem with my sundrop cake & after research I tweaked with cream cheese & perfection. So, I used it for this one. Now, my cake is much, much lighter than your photo and I have sad streaks, gummy, wet streaks. And I just researched the sad streaks as I do have them from time to time on the sundrop cake. I found it’s mostly due to over creaming/mixing. I thought I was careful not to do so. While the cake held together nicely, came out of the pan perfectly..it seems soft on the bottom as if it’s not done. Although it takes perfect. I baked for the exact time, tested with a toothpick on regular setting. Please tell me what you think?
I wanted to add that the streaks have never affected the taste, just the texture and I think it throws off the presentation. While it makes it look undone I haven’t had that problem.
Hi Summer, I would suggest baking the cake as is without the cream cheese — I promise, if you follow the cooking instructions and measure properly, it will not be dry at all.
I made this for Easter weekend and everyone loved it! It was my first sttempt at making a homemade cake. The flavor was delicious but it wasn’t as thick as a poundcake. Was that by deisgn? I am teying to figure out if I did something wrong or if there is something I can do next time to make it more like a poundcake. I will add that I had to use lemon juice and milk bc I did not have buttermilk.
Hi Melana, It is a bit lighter than a traditional pound cake, so you didn’t do anything wrong. 🙂 I don’t recommend altering the recipe as it might throw the flavor and texture off — sorry!
I made this cake yesterday for an early Easter dinner and it was fantastic! I had gluten and dairy free guests so I substituted the flour with King Arthur Gluten Free mix (plus a little xanthan gum), used margarine instead of butter and made “buttermilk” from almond milk and apple cider vinegar. It came out great and everyone loved it. Served it with some fresh strawberries macerated with a bit of sugar and balsamic vinegar- the perfect counterpoint the wonderful lemon flavor. Thank you!
I wonder if a tunnel of curd could be put into the cake…
You mentioned that this cake keeps well for days. I wasn’t sure if I’m supposed to put it in the refrigerator or on the counter covered?
This turned out absolutely perfect!! Thank you!!
Glad it turned out well! You can store it covered on the counter.
If I don’t intend to serve the cake until the next day, should I wait to add the syrup until then?
You can add the syrup in advance Lisa. You don’t need to wait until you’re serving it. Enjoy!
My partner keeps asking me to bake a lemon cake for this weekend, and I think I’d choose your recipe because it looks very good. The only thing is we’re lactose intolerant, so I don’t think I should use buttermilk. Do you have any substitute for it? Will soy milk be OK?
Thanks BTW.
I think that will work, Kent, but you’d need to add a tablespoon of lemon juice to it.
Great, thanks a lot.