This delightfully sweet and tart lemon pound cake recipe is the perfect dessert for spring! It’s bursting with fresh lemon flavor, and easy to make too!
If you love lemon desserts, you need to try these Lemon Cupcakes, Lemon Cheesecake Bars and Lemon Cheesecake Mousse recipes.
Easy Lemon Pound Cake
I absolutely love cooking with fresh lemons, and this is the perfect time of year to enjoy them! There’s no better way to use them than in fresh baked goods, and this easy lemon pound cake recipe is perfection! It’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart, with a light and tender texture.
The sweet and tangy lemon glaze on top adds a ton of flavor, and makes it extra delicious! Best of all, it mixes up in one bowl, and is super easy to make. This moist lemon pound cake is a simple and delicious dessert that’s perfect during the spring or summer! As an added bonus, this lemon pound cake smells heavenly while it’s baking!
How To Make A Lemon Pound Cake
Prep – Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. You’ll also want to line a bread pan with parchment paper. Also, give it a little shot of cooking spray to keep the bread from sticking.
Batter – Pour the sugar into a large bowl or a stand mixer. Rub the lemon zest into the bowl until it’s nice and fragrant. Then add the butter to the bowl and beat it until it’s nice and fluffy. While the batter is mixing, add in one egg at a time until everything is mixed well. Add in the vanilla and then mix in the baking powder and salt.
Mix In More – With the mixer on low speed, add in half of the flour. Next, add in the sour cream and lemon juice. Once that is mixed in, add in the remaining flour and mix until everything has blended together.
Cook – Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan and then bake for about 50-60 minutes. The top should be a golden brown color. You’ll know it’s done when you insert a toothpick into the middle and it comes out clean when you remove it.
Lemon Glaze – The lemon glaze isn’t technically necessary, since the pound cake is pretty sweet on its own, but it adds a nice little burst of lemon flavor, which I totally love! To make it, simply whisk the three ingredients together until it’s smooth. If it’s a little runny, you can add a little extra powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency. Pour the lemon glaze over the pound cake and let it cool before serving.
Recipe Variations
Accompaniment – This easy pound cake is delicious on its own, but I also love it with a little lemon curd and freshly whipped cream on the side.
Fresh Berries – If you want to mix it up a little, this recipe is fantastic when made with fresh berries. Simply add a cup of strawberries or blueberries to the recipe and enjoy!
Other Easy Sweet Bread Recipes
- Cranberry Orange Sweet Bread
- Cranberry Orange Sweet Bread
- Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread
- Vanilla Almond Pound Cake
- Cake Mix Banana Bread
Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
for the cake:
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
lemon glaze for pound cake:
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup powdered sugar, more or less as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a loaf pan with parchment and spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant. Add the butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well, then add the vanilla and mix to combine. Mix in the baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add half of the flour, followed by the sour cream, lemon juice and then the remaining flour, and mix until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake 50-60 minutes, or until the loaf is lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the top comes out clean. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Add additional powdered sugar, if needed, to make a smooth glaze. Pour the glaze over the top of the loaf and let cool before slicing.
Nutrition
Other Notes
Such a delicious cake! We loved the lemon flavor! The icing is a nice touch too!
Thanks…I’m so glad you liked it!
This is the most delicious cake! We are so obsessed! Thanks for sharing!
Yum! I just love lemon pound cake. My lemons are finally sprouting so I was able to use them in the recipe!
That’s awesome! I wish I had a lemon tree!
I just made this cake for our friends and they LOVE it! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, I’m so glad it was a hit!