Lemon Pound Cake

Pound cake is one of those classic desserts that dates back all the way to the 1700’s. Of course the ingredients have changed over time, but it’s still very much a classic.

I will say, this recipe is a bit of a non-traditional pound cake, in that it could really go either way… to be called a pound cake, or sweet quick bread.

In fact, it has a lot in common with Starbuck’s Lemon Loaf, but it’s not a copycat or anything.

So whichever name you call it, just know you’ll probably be making it often! That amazing sweet lemony flavor is so pronounced, and it’s so easy to make!

How to make lemon pound cake?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Cream the butter. Beating the butter until it’s light and fluffy. A mixer is super helpful for this.
2. Add sugar and beat. Creaming the butter and sugar together until it’s light and fluffy again.
3. Mix in eggs.
4. Mix in all other wet ingredients. This would be the sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, and milk.
5. Combine dry ingredients. I like to do this in a separate mixing bowl, then whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
6. Mix in flour mixture. Be careful not to over-mix, you want to stir just until no flour streaks remain in the batter.
7. Transfer to loaf pan.
8. Bake and cool.

1. Combine lemon glaze ingredients. This is the powdered sugar, lemon juice, milk, and the optional lemon zest.
2. Stir until smooth. You can use a spoon, fork, whisk, whatever gets the job done.
3. Pour over cooled pound cake.

Variations of this recipe

• Buttermilk – I normally use whole milk for this recipe, but buttermilk can be used instead. This will add extra tang.
• Thicker glaze/icing – if you prefer a thicker glaze, or even an icing on top of the bread, you can decrease the amount of liquids added to the powdered sugar. For more of an icing consistency, the key is to add the glaze when the bread has completely cooled.
• Greek yogurt – Plain, full-fat greek yogurt can be substituted for the sour cream if you’d like.
• Mini – Divide the batter evenly among 3 mini loaf pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Making pound cake ahead of time

Good news… you can make this cake ahead of time.

My family even thinks this pound cake is even better and more moist on the second day, so it’s truly up to you!

One thing I don’t recommend, is making the batter ahead of time. This is due to the chemistry of baking. The baking soda will start reacting with the other ingredients as soon as it’s mixed, which can result in a less than quality cake.

Storage

Leftover pound cake should be kept in a bag at room temperature, and consumed within 3 days for best texture.

Freezing

This pound cake can be frozen for longer storage.  Wrap cake tightly in plastic wrap, then add to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Individual slices of cake can also be frozen, just make sure to wrap each slice in plastic wrap before adding to the freezer bag.