Moist Lemon Pound Cake
This ultra-moist Lemon Pound Cake is easy to whip up and makes the most scrumptious and tangy morning tea treat or afternoon snack! In my opinion, the humble pound cake is underrated. When made using the right ratios, you get an incredibly moist cake that is easy to slice and serve with morning tea or as an on the go treat. Although it might not look like much, this cake packs a huge lemon flavor punch, and pairs beautifully with the sweet and sour drizzle on top.
After much recipe testing, I’m glad to finally be posting my Moist Lemon Pound Cake recipe with sour lemon glaze! This one is a keeper and I know you guys will all love it as much as I do, it stays moist for days and has a huge burst of lemon flavor in each bite. A truly happy and lemony treat!
By the way, I have loads of other great lemon desserts on the blog like my Lemon Bars, Lemon and Blueberry Bars and my Lemon Crinkle Cookies!
24 lemons went into developing this recipe!
I developed this recipe over the course of a week. About 2 dozen lemons were used in the testing phase, it felt never ending but I’m glad I persevered. My goal was to create an easy to make, moist and overall delicious Lemon Pound Cake and I succeeded! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
- Stays moist for days!
- Easy to make
- Aromatic and packs a lemon flavor punch
- Not too sweet, not too tart
Ingredients You Need To Make Lemon Pound Cake
Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.
- All-purpose flour – also known as plain flour. Make sure you sieve it!
- Baking powder – helps the cake rise.
- Salt – I used fine salt.
- Lemons – make sure you wash and dry your lemons with water before zesting!
- Caster sugar – also known as superfine sugar. You can use granulated sugar instead.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter. Make sure it’s softened well before using to make the creaming process easier.
- Vanilla extract – I have a great recipe on the blog here, but you can use any good quality vanilla extract.
- Lemon extract – this is different from lemon flavoring or essence. Lemon extract comes directly from the oily outer skin of a lemon and is a real lemon flavor.
- Greek yogurt – or sour cream.
- Eggs – I used large eggs/
- Buttermilk – this helps make your cake ultra-moist!
- Powdered sugar – make sure you sieve your powdered sugar to get rid of lumps.
- Heavy cream – this helps your glaze set. Alternatively you can just use water to make the glaze dairy free.
How to make a Moist Lemon Pound Cake!
We love this pound cake because of how many ways you can enjoy it! We love taking slices to the zoo, you can serve it at luncheons, showers and parties. It’s a bright and happy cake that is perfect for spring and summer entertaining! Let get stuck into it!
- Mix the dry ingredients together
- Add the lemon zest to the sugar in a separate bowl
- Rub together using your fingers
- Cream with the butter
- Add the wet ingredients and mix
- Sift in the dry ingredients
- Along with half the buttermilk
- Mix until combined then add the remaining flour and buttermilk and repeat.
- Line the loaf tin with baking paper leaving some overhang. I sue clips to hold my paper in place.
- Add the batter and spread flat before adding a strip of butter to help get you that nice split in the middle as it bakes. See recipe card for full instructions on temperature and time.
- Mix all of the glaze ingredients together
- Drizzle on the baked and cooked loaf.
Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.
- Scrub your lemon before zesting to remove any wax it might have on the outside.
- Measure things out using kitchen scales for a no-fail and great pound cake! Cup measurements vary way too much and so do the results.
- Add your favorite fruit like blueberries, strawberries in the flour before making the batter for a berry sensation!
- Add 1/3 cup (20g) of poppy seeds for some added flair and texture!
- Take care not to overmix the batter. Mix only until no dry ingredients are showing.
- Adding a strip of butter before baking helps get you that iconic split on your loaf as it bakes!
Frequently Asked Questions about Moist Lemon Pound Cake
What is the best flour to use for pound cake?
For this recipe, regular plain/all-purpose flour is best. This is a heavier than usual cake. It’s not airy and light. So something like cake flour (which I did test) won’t work.
Can I use sour cream instead of yogurt?
Yep! Both will work.
Can I make this with other citrus fruit?
Yes! Orange zest and juice in the glaze would make this a deliciously orange pound cake. Blood orange would give it a gorgeous pink hue!
Gave this a go? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!
Looking for more sweet loaves?
Banana Bread Recipe
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Double Chocolate Banana Bread
EASY Passionfruit Banana Bread
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!
Lemon Pound Cake
Serves 8
Ingredients
Lemon Pound Cake
- 2 cups / 300 g all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 lemons, zested
- 1 1/4 cups / 260 g caster sugar, (see notes)
- 3/4 cup / 185 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon extract, not flavoring!
- 1/2 cup / 140 g Greek yogurt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml buttermilk
- 1 tbsp / 20 g cold butter cut into thin strips
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup / 155 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
Lemon Pound Cake
- Preheat a fan forced oven to 180C / 355F (200C / 390F for conventional oven). Spray a loaf tin (9 x 5-inches / 22 x 13cm) with oil spray and line with baking paper leaving some overhanging to help lift out the baked cake. Set aside.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and whisk together.
- In a separate, large mixing bowl add the sugar and lemon zest and use your hands to rub together. Add the softened butter and use an electric hand mixer to beat until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs one at a time, beating well each time. Then, add the yogurt, vanilla extract and lemon extract and beat in.
- Add half the buttermilk and half the dry ingredients and mix using a spatula. Then repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the loaf tin. Line the butter strips across the top of the batter to get that nice split down the center as the bread bakes. Bake in the middle rack for 30 minutes. Then take out of the oven and cover loosely with foil wrap. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the loaf tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Lemon Glaze
- Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and heavy cream in a bowl using a whisk. Drizzle the glaze on top, sprinkle with more lemon zest, slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
5 comments
Just a cautionary word to check the size of your loaf pan! They seem to be smaller here in Canada and the batter over-flowed all over my oven. Removed some batter and quickly cleaned out the oven and stuck the pan back in lol. We’ll see how it turns out! Fingers crossed…
Hi Dana, yes that can happen if it’s not the right size. That’s why I included this in the recipe 🙂 N x
This cake is legit moist! N x
i too agree re the size of the loaf pan – i think the new ones are bigger – mine was just about the right size base measurement but way too much mixture for it. i should have taken some out but being lazy today just hoped it would not overflow. It didn’t but took longer to cook. Fingers crossed when it cools. Ps I’m finding that new can tins are incorrectly sized. I was taught to measure from the base of the tin.
Hi Tricia, thanks for your feedback! Hopefully you enjoyed the recipe 🙂 N x