Table of Contents
If you are a lemon lover like us, you MUST put this lemon pound cake with lemon glaze on your to-do list – like today!
We ALWAYS have lemons in the house. We add them to water, soda, and of course, make some great desserts with lemons as well.
If you’re a fan of fruity desserts, you’ll love this cake. It’s a flavorful spin on Cream Cheese Pound Cake, similar to our Lemon Bundt Cake. But, this recipe is a little lighter with a tasty lemon glaze!
We love Lemon Bars and Lemon Cupcakes, but this pound cake is also a favorite!
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Lemon glaze. While the naked cake would be good on its own, adding some lemon glaze really kicks it up a notch!
- Sweet and tart. It’s tender, moist, and has just the right amount of sweet lemony flavor!
- The prep is EASY! Just 10 minutes to mix the batter, then bake it! The glaze is also a breeze, making this a favorite easy dessert.
Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze Ingredients and Substitutions
Cake
- 1 cup butter, softened – see How to Soften Butter Quickly
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs – Room temperature eggs will incorporate better than cold eggs.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour – You can also use cake flour. Either way, be sure to measure the flour properly.
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk – or learn How to Make Buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, freshly grated – The peel of a medium lemon can produce 1 tablespoon of zest. See How to Zest a Lemon for tips.
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice – A medium-sized lemon can produce 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, which is perfect for this recipe.
Glaze
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar – sifted
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice – freshly squeezed
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
How to Make Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
- PREP. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a bundt pan; set aside.
- BATTER. In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter at medium speed, scraping the bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding 1 egg at a time, until well mixed.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- On low speed alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk and scrape the sides of the bowl often, until well mixed. Add lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Beat until combined.
- BAKE. Spoon the cake batter into a prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate; cool completely.
- GLAZE. Stir the powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in a small bowl.
- Drizzle over the cooled cake. Add as much or as little as you like.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- To achieve the perfect pound cake use our top tips: make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature, don’t overmix, use real butter, and don’t rush the baking process!
- Instead of lemon glaze, pipe on thicker lemon frosting or add Whipped Cream with fresh berries to each slice.
- We love using a decorative bundt pan or a tube pan, which has smooth sides. Just be sure to properly grease and flour the pan to keep the cake from sticking.
- If you would rather make this pound cake in a loaf pan, you will need two standard 9×5-inch bread loaf pans and bake them at 325°F for about 55-65 minutes.
Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Glaze
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a bundt pan; set aside
- In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter at medium speed, scraping the bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding 1 egg at a time, until well mixed.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- On low speed alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk and scrape the bowl often, until well mixed. Add lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Continue beating until combined.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate; cool completely.
- For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Video
Notes
- To achieve the perfect pound cake make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature, don’t overmix, use real butter, and don’t rush the baking process!
- Instead of lemon glaze, pipe on thicker lemon frosting or add Whipped Cream with fresh berries to each slice.
- We love using a decorative bundt pan or a tube pan, which has smooth sides. Just be sure to properly grease and flour the pan to keep the cake from sticking.
- If you would rather make this pound cake in a loaf pan, you will need two standard 9×5-inch bread loaf pans and bake them at 325°F for about 55-65 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Let the cake cool, tap the pan firmly a few times, and shake it gently to help loosen the cake. Invert the pan onto a rack, lift the pan, and let the cake continue to cool on the rack before serving.
Bake the lemon cake ahead of time and store it covered at room temperature for 1-2 days, or wrap it with plastic and again with foil and freeze for 3 months. Add lemon glaze before serving.
Store leftovers covered or in an airtight container(s) at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for about 5 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
More Like This
Lemon Desserts
Lemon Blossoms
20 mins
Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
47 mins
Lemon Cheesecake
1 hr 25 mins
Lemon Lasagna
1 hr 10 mins
Lemon Cakes
Lemon Buttermilk Cake
45 mins
Lemon Sheet Cake
35 mins
Lemon Raspberry Cake
1 hr 38 mins
Lemon Bundt Cake
1 hr 10 mins
Collections
This recipe was originally published March 2016.
Hey! I just wanted to ask, what would happen if I used oranges instead of lemons?
I haven’t made this one as an orange pound cake, but I imagine it would be delicious!! Swap the lemon zest and juice for orange. You’ll have to let us know how it turns out of it you!