THE BEST LEMON POUND CAKE

This Lemon Pound Cake is bursting with lemon flavour, it is incredibly moist, buttery and covered with zesty lemon glaze. Just the perfect and delicious Sunday coffee cake. And this recipe includes step-by-step recipe video!

Why lemon flavoured pound cake is the best

Lemon flavoured pound cake is extremely popular in our family. We love this zing flavoured cake for the afternoon coffee or tea. And why we love this lemon pound cake so much? It’s bursting with lemon flavour, it had the perfect balance in between tart and sweet, it is incredibly moist and so irresistibly buttery. This is simply our favourite coffee cake with amazing citrusy flavour. And on top of it, it stays super fresh for days without refrigerating it.

Well guess what, this is not the only lemon flavoured recipe in my repertoire. Here are more of lemon flavoured recipes you will love.

• GLAZED LEMON SCONES WITH POPPY SEEDS
• LEMON TART (TARTE AU CITRON in French)
• THE BEST LEMON CHEESECAKE
• DELICIOUS MINI LEMON TARTS

This recipe for lemon pound cake is extremely versatile, and can be adjusted to your liking by changing the lemon flavour to orange flavoured cake or any other citrus fruits, such blood orange, key lime or mandarin orange. We mostly love lemon, because it has the best aroma and it adds the perfect acidity to this butter cake. You can find more variations to this lemon pound cake by scrolling a little lower in this post.

Ingredients and substitution

• Unsalted butter: Provides richness, flavor, and moisture to the cake. Creaming the butter with sugar helps incorporate air into the batter, resulting in a lighter texture. If you don’t have a butter you can substitute with vegetable oil. The cake still be moist and fluffy, but not as much buttery. In this case you would start to mix sugar with eggs until creamy consistency and then add the oil in lemon and milk mixture.
• Sugar: Sweetens the cake and contributes to its tenderness and moisture. It also helps in creaming the butter and creating a light texture.
• Eggs: Act as a binding agent and provide structure to the cake. They also add moisture and richness, contributing to a tender crumb.
• All-Purpose flour: The main dry ingredient that gives structure to the cake. It contains gluten, which helps the cake hold its shape while baking.
• Baking powder: A leavening agent that helps the cake rise by creating air bubbles in the batter when mixed with liquid and heat.
• Baking soda: Another leavening agent that reacts with the acid in the lemon juice to create carbon dioxide bubbles, which help the cake rise and become lighter.
• Salt: Enhances the flavor of the cake and balances the sweetness. It also helps strengthen the gluten structure in the flour.
• Lemons (zest and juice): Provide the signature lemon flavor and aroma to the cake. The zest contains essential oils that intensify the lemon flavor, while the juice adds acidity, which reacts with the leavening agents to help the cake rise and contribute to its moist texture. If you don’t have fresh lemons you can use 1 teaspoon of lemon extract as a substitute for lemon zest. And store bought lemon juice for fresh lemon juice.
• Whole milk: Adds moisture and richness to the cake, helping create a tender crumb. It also contributes to the overall flavor and texture. You can substitute with almond or oat milk.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances the flavor of the cake and complements the lemon flavor. It adds depth and complexity to the overall taste profile.
• Powdered sugar (for Glaze): Sweetens the glaze and helps create a smooth, pourable consistency. It adds a sweet and slightly creamy flavor to the tangy lemon glaze.
• Whole milk (for Glaze): Thins out the glaze to achieve the desired consistency and adds a touch of creaminess to balance the tartness of the lemon juice.

How to make lemon pound cake

Step 1 – Preheat oven and prepare loaf pan

This recipe for Lemon Pound Cakes takes 30 minutes to prepare and is fairly easy to make. Start preparing loaf pan  9 × 5 inches, butter and line with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C and place the rack in middle position of the oven.

Step 2 – Cream the butter with sugar

In a medium bowl start creaming/mixing the butter with sugar, until creamy and fluffy. Then add one egg at a time, mixing until well combined after each addition.

Step 3 – Prepare dry and liquid ingredients

In another mixing bowl, stir together all-purposed flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and zest of lemon. Set aside.

In a measuring cup mix together all liquid ingredients: lemon juice, milk and vanilla extract. Stir well to combine. Now we will be combining dry and liquid ingredients and mixing it into the creamed butter.

Step 4 – Mix in dry and liquid ingredients

Start adding into the creamed butter one third of the dry ingredients’ mixture. Mix it well to combine the flour with butter. Add one third of the liquid mixture. Always start to mix on low speed and increase the speed slowly. Always adapt the speed of the mixer.

The flour or the liquids can easily splash out of the container, if you don’t start mixing slowly. Continue adding alternatively the dry & liquid mixtures, until you mix them all in. Scrape the sides of the bowl as well with rubber spatula to remove any excess of flour.

Step 5 – Pour the batter and bake

Pour the batter into prepare loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven. Keep an eye on the pound cake, especially for the last 10 minutes of baking. Ovens vary with temperatures, so if the top of the cake starts to brown, place a piece of parchment paper over the loaf pan, so it doesn’t burn. Once the lemon pound cake is baked, remove the pan from the oven and place onto the cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan by running butter knife on the sides of the pan. Leave the cake to cool down completely before glazing.

Step 6 – Prepare the lemon glaze

In the meanwhile prepare Lemon glaze for this deliciously smelling Lemon pound cake. In a small bowl combine sugar, lemon juice and milk and mix until smooth. If the glaze is too runny add more sugar and on the other hand if the lemon glaze is too sticky, add more lemon juice or milk.

Step 7 – Pour the lemon glaze over the pound cake

Pour the lemon glaze or drizzle over the Lemon pound cake and let it stand for 5-10 minutes. You can decorate this Lemon Pound Cake with slices of fresh lemon or edible flowers for a perfect look. Now you can prepare a coffee and slice this beauty and taste it!

How to store Lemon Pound Cake

If this amazing Lemon Pound Cake will survive the invasion of your family, you can store it in an airtight container, on the kitchen counter. It should be fine for up to 3-4 days.

If you are planning to store the cake in the refrigerator, because you decided to make it a day or two ahead, then don’t pour the glaze over yet. Wrap the cake well in a plastic food foil or place it in an airtight container. Lemon Pound cake well wrapped will stay safely in the refrigerator for up to a week or two.

You can also freeze it for up to 3 months, if well stored in an airtight container and without the glaze.

Whether you’ve stored the cake in the refrigerator or freezer, allow it to thaw in its wrapping to prevent moisture loss. Once thawed, you can enjoy the cake as is or warm it slightly in the microwave or oven if desired.

Variations for lemon pound cake

• Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake: Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter at the end. Gently fold them in to distribute evenly. Optionally, you can also sprinkle some extra blueberries on top of the batter before baking.
• Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake: Add 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds to the dry ingredients before mixing into the wet ingredients. The poppy seeds add a subtle crunch and nutty flavour to the cake, complementing the citrusy taste of the lemon.
• Lemon Coconut Pound Cake: Add 1/2 cup of shredded coconut to the batter along with the dry ingredients. You can also sprinkle some shredded coconut on top of the glaze for added texture and visual appeal. The combination of lemon and coconut creates a tropical twist on the classic pound cake.
• Lemon Lavender Pound Cake: Add 1 tablespoon of culinary lavender buds to the batter along with the lemon zest. Lavender adds a delicate floral aroma and flavour to the cake, complementing the citrus notes of the lemon. Ensure to use culinary lavender specifically labelled for consumption.
• Lemon Almond Pound Cake: Replace 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour with almond flour for a nuttier flavour and texture. Additionally, you can fold in 1/2 cup of chopped almonds into the batter for extra crunch and nuttiness. The combination of lemon and almond creates a deliciously unique flavour profile.

Expert tips

• Room temperature ingredients: The first to remember is to have all your ingredients at room temperature. Butter, eggs, milk are very important to keep in room temperature when preparing batter for cake. I usually leave my ingredients at least 2 hours before I will bake.
• Zest Citrus Carefully: When zesting lemons, only grate the outer yellow layer of the peel, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath. Use a fine grater or microplane for the best results. Be cautious not to grate too deeply, as it can make the zest bitter.
• Avoid Overmixing: Mix the batter until just combined after adding the dry ingredients. Overmixing can lead to a tough and dense cake. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour in the batter.
• Cooling and Glazing: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Apply the glaze only after the cake has cooled down to avoid it becoming too runny or melting into the cake.
• Proper Creaming Technique: Cream the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This process aerates the mixture, creating tiny air pockets that help the cake rise and have a lighter texture. Creaming should take about 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed with a stand mixer or hand mixer.

More recipes

• Key Lime Cheesecake Tart
• Mini Banana Cheesecakes
• Black Forest Cupcakes
• LEMON CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS
• FRENCH STYLE LEMON TART
• THE BEST LEMON CHEESECAKE

How to make lemon pound cake, video version

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