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This moist and delicious Lemon Pound Cake is full of lemon juice and lemon zest! Topped with a delicious lemon glaze – it’s irresistible.

If you’re a fan of fruity desserts, you’ll love this Lemon Pound Cake – a flavorful spin on Cream Cheese Pound Cake! Similar to our Lemon Bundt Cake, this recipe is a little lighter with a tasty lemon glaze!

Lemon Pound Cake with glaze served on a white plate.


Pound Cake for the Lemon Lovers

This is the most luscious Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze!

If you are a lemon lover like me, you must put this on your to-do list—like today! I always have lemons in the house. I add them to water, soda, and of course, make some great desserts with lemons as well.

We love Lemon Bars, but this Lemon Pound Cake Recipe is also a favorite! It’s moist, luscious, and has just the right amount of sweet lemony flavor!

Why is it called a pound cake? A true pound cake uses a pound of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. Although this recipe doesn’t use those exact measurements, it’s still pretty true to the ingredients and consistency of a classic pound cake—with the addition of lemon flavor, of course!

recipe for Lemon Pound Cake

PREP. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a bundt pan; set aside.

WET INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter at medium speed, be sure to scrape the bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding 1 egg at a time, until well mixed.

DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

COMBINE. 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. Continue beating until well mixed.

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.

Moist lemon pound cake baked in a bundt pan.

Lemon Glaze for Pound Cake

While the naked cake would be good on its own, adding some lemon glaze really kicks it up a notch!

MIX. Simply stir together 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.

Glaze being drizzled on lemon pound cake.

additions + toppings

Here are a few ideas of extra things to add to this cake:

  • Add a tablespoon of poppy seeds to the batter for a lemon poppy seed flavor!
  • Top with lemon zest, a dusting of powdered sugar, or soak with lemon syrup.
  • Pipe on a thicker Lemon Buttercream Frosting.
  • Add Whipped Cream with fresh berries to each slice.
Lemon pound cake recipe drizzled with glaze.

Recipe Tips

Heavy cake. I found a great tip from the bakers at King Arthur Flour. When overmixed, the gluten overdevelops. This means the cake will rise beautifully, but starts to sink as soon as it is taken out of the oven. The sinking cake results in a dense and gluey center.

Mixing it just the right way can be tricky because the more air you can beat into the batter the fluffier the cake will be, but mixing too much can yield a sinking center. So what is the solution? Cream the sugar, butter, and eggs slowly, no higher than medium speed. Then, add the flour and mix gently.

Pan to use. I love using a decorative bundt pan or a tube pan, which has smooth sides. A couple of standard, and even mini bread loaf pans, can also be used. If you are using standard 9×5 inch loaf pans you will want to bake them at 350°F for about 60 minutes.

Grease and flour a pan. Properly prepare the pan to keep the cake from sticking to the bundt pan.

  • Grease every nook and cranny with cooking spray, shortening, or butter.
  • Scoop about ¼ cup of flour into the pan, then tip the pan in all directions allowing the flour to coat the bottom and sides.
  • Discard excess flour. 
Pound cake with lemon with piece taken out.

Ingredient Tips + Storing

The buttermilk in this cake adds moisture, a tangy flavor, and the acidity reacts with the leavening agent to help it rise. Easily make your own buttermilk using milk and vinegar.

  • Another alternative is to combine ¾ cup of sour cream with ¼ cup of milk. Whisk until smooth and measure out ¾ cup to use in this recipe. 

Fresh lemons. A medium-sized lemon can produce 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice which is perfect for this recipe. The peel can also produce 1 tablespoon of zest.

Using a citrus zester is the easiest, but you can also use the small side of a cheese grater.

STORE cooled Best Lemon Pound Cake recipe wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for 3-5 days.

FREEZE. Wrap again with aluminum foil and freeze for 1-2 months.

A slice of lemon pound cake with lemon glaze on top.

Recipe FAQ

What’s the secret to a perfect pound cake?

To achieve the perfect pound cake you want to make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature, always mix at a low-medium speed, use real butter, and don’t rush the baking process!

What’s the best way to get a pound cake out of a bundt pan?

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.

for more lemon recipes, try:

4.98 from 39 votes

Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
This moist and delicious Lemon Pound Cake is full of lemon juice and lemon zest! Topped with a delicious lemon glaze – it's irresistible.
Servings: 12
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients 

Cake

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest freshly grated
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Glaze

  • 1 1/4 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, be sure to scrape the bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding 1 egg at a time, until well mixed.
  • In a medium bowl mix together 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 well mixed.
  • 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.
  • Stir together powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 458kcal, Carbohydrates: 70g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 322mg, Potassium: 99mg, Sugar: 46g, Vitamin A: 575IU, Vitamin C: 1.5mg, Calcium: 45mg, Iron: 1.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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50 Comments

    1. 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!