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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Cake was very good! Lemon flavor in the inside was a touch weak, so next time i’ll add 2 tbsp of lemon juice to the batter. If you want a lemon-poppyseed cake, add a quarter cup of poppy seed to your dry ingredients.
Agree w the “weak” lemon flavor to the inside of cake!
It came out just like you described it. It was perfectly lemony, slightly crispy on the outer edges and soft on the inside. I initially thought that the lemony taste wouldn’t be enough given the amount of zest used in the batter but it was just right. Thank you! I will make this again.
I made this and it turned out beautifully. I read that some people had problems with the cake sticking to the pan. I used “ifyougiveablondeakitchen” Cake Pan Release Recipe and it popped out easily. (Shout out to Haley!)
I’ve been baking for fifty years and this is one of the best things I’ve ever found. I didn’t use the sugar after brushing the cake pan release onto the bundt pan. I think there’s probably enough sugar already.
Haley is amazing right?!!! Been following her & making her recipes ever since I stumbled across her page. And love the cake release.
I’m a completely first time baker, and this worked perfectly. I just have one tip for new bakers. I dipped the measuring cup into the bag of flour, but double-checked using the metric weight measure option on my scale. 2-1/3 cups of flour was already over 375 grams (the alternative measurement if you choose metric on the website recipe), so I was nervous about putting in the rest of the flour. I telephoned for help from my baker sister and she helped me to see a part of the directions I had passed over: spoon the flour into the measuring cup. When I did that, three cups was almost exactly 375 grams. I almost put way too much flour in. Rookie mistake, but I’m a rookie at baking, so I thought I would warn other new bakers.
This cake recipe is exactly the same recipe as the Glazed Lemon Cake recipe in the Silver Palate Cookbook (the cookbook only calls for 2 cups of sugar, not 2 1/4 cups, ONLY difference).
Shouldn’t you give the cookbook credit???
Thanks for your feedback. Whenever I use or adapt a recipe from another source, I happily credit the source in both the headnote and the recipe. This recipe came to me from a friend (with no source) years ago. I just looked at the Silver Palate’s version and do see that the base recipe is very similar. However, this cake calls for a lemony soaking syrup and a light glaze instead of a frosting, so it could be a combination of a few different recipes.
Just tried this recipe and it’s awesome!!! The inside was fluffy and moist. I used Baker’s Joy to coat my Bundt pan & it came out nice and soft. Thanks 🙂
Hi! I made this cake as directed and it was delicious, but not dense like a traditional pound cake. My family loved the flavor though. I made it again, but with 6 eggs, 3 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, and substituted the buttermilk with sour cream, but then added 1/4 of whole buttermilk. I left the rest as directed. The flavor was the same but it was dense, more of a pound cake texture. Thanks for your recipe. I bake often, but had never put a syrup glaze before the regular glaze. It made all the difference! Truly delicious! I will continue to make it both ways, your recipe when I want something lighter, and mine when I want a denser cake. Thanks for your wonderful recipe!
Hi! I made this cake as directed and it was delicious, but not dense like a traditional pound cake. My family loved the flavor though. I made it again, but with 6 eggs, 3 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, and substituted the buttermilk with sour cream, but then added 1/4 of whole buttermilk. I left the rest as directed. The flavor was the same but it was dense, more of a pound cake texture. Thanks for your recipe. I bake often, but had never put a syrup glaze before the regular glaze. It made all the difference! Truly delicious! I will continue to make it both ways, your recipe when I want something lighter, and mine when I want a denser cake. Thanks for your wonderful recipe!
This recipe is amazing! Easy to make and tasty…I had no trouble with the cake sticking as many people have mentioned…Thank you for sharing!
This recipe was so delicious I made it twice the second time my dad requested it…he is a LEMON lover! But I didn’t make the glaze the second time ( it’s delicious but I am a cream cheese frosting kinda gal haha.) I did a recipe similar to everything bundt cake for the cream cheese frosting and candied some lemons to decorate! I will never use another lemon cake recipe, I’ve tried alot of lemon cake recipes but this one by far, “takes the cake.” I love cooking and baking for my family and was excited to tell them about once upon a chef. Do you add new recipes often?
So glad you enjoyed this! I add a new recipe every week or two and send it out through my weekly newsletter. 🙂