It was 2:30 on a Tuesday afternoon when Emma burst through the kitchen door, cheeks flushed from playground duty, announcing she’d volunteered me to bring dessert for Friday’s school potluck. “Something lemony!” she declared, like she was ordering from a restaurant menu. My mind immediately went to the lemon pound cake recipe I’d been perfecting since my early restaurant days—the one that started as a disaster in Chef Bernard’s pastry section and eventually became my go-to “please everyone” dessert.
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Here’s the thing about lemon pound cake: everyone thinks they know what it should taste like, but most home versions either taste like lemon furniture polish or dense, flavorless butter bricks. This recipe strikes that perfect balance between rich, buttery cake and bright citrus punch that makes people close their eyes on the first bite. It’s the cake equivalent of a warm hug with a surprise inside.
Recipe Overview
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Difficulty: Easy
Cuisine: American
Keywords: homemade lemon pound cake, easy pound cake recipe, best lemon cake, dense lemon cake, citrus dessert, family dessert
Why This Lemon Pound Cake Recipe is the Best
After making roughly 847 pound cakes over the years (Mike keeps count—it’s his thing), I can tell you exactly why this version works when others fall flat. The secret isn’t just one thing; it’s a combination of techniques I picked up from pastry chefs, home bakers, and yes, even from my failures.
What makes this lemon pound cake special:
- Room temperature ingredients create the smooth, tight crumb that defines real pound cake
- The creaming method builds the structure that keeps it dense but not heavy
- Fresh lemon juice and zest deliver clean citrus flavor without artificial taste
- Cake flour blend gives you that tender crumb without being too delicate
- The glaze soaks in while warm, creating pockets of concentrated lemon flavor
This isn’t a light, fluffy cake—it’s meant to be substantial. Emma calls it “the cake that fills you up,” which in six-year-old speak means it’s satisfying without being overwhelming. When Chef Bernard taught me proper pound cake technique, he said it should “have some weight behind it, like a good handshake.” This one definitely does.
Lemon Pound Cake Ingredients You’ll Need
The beauty of pound cake lies in its simplicity, but each ingredient plays a crucial role. I’ve learned not to mess with the ratios here—they’re mathematically balanced for a reason.
For the Cake:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest (those same 2 lemons)
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cake flour (or substitute 2 tablespoons cornstarch)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Lemon Glaze:
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Pinch of salt
Ingredient Notes: I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt throughout—if you’re using Morton’s, use about ¾ the amount. The cake flour makes a difference in texture, but the cornstarch substitution works if that’s what you have. Please don’t use bottled lemon juice; fresh makes this cake sing.
How to Make Lemon Pound Cake – Step by Step
Prep Your Kitchen (5 minutes)
Before you touch a single ingredient, get organized. Preheat your oven to 325°F—yes, 325°, not 350°. Pound cake needs gentle, even heat to develop that perfect crumb. Butter and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or use baking spray with flour. I keep a pastry brush just for buttering pans; it gets into every corner.
Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugar (4-5 minutes)
In your stand mixer bowl (or large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer), cream the room-temperature butter and sugar until it’s pale yellow and genuinely fluffy—not just mixed, but transformed. This takes longer than you think. Emma usually gets through two verses of whatever song she’s obsessing over this week.
You’ll know it’s ready when: The mixture looks almost white and has increased in volume by about half. If you stop the mixer and lift the beaters, the mixture should hold soft peaks.
Step 2: Add Eggs One at a Time (3-4 minutes)
Here’s where patience pays off. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture might look curdled after the first egg—don’t panic. By the fourth egg, everything comes together into silk.
Jessica’s tip: If your mixture looks broken, keep beating. I once thought I’d ruined a cake for a dinner party, but two extra minutes of mixing saved it.
Step 3: Mix in Lemon Juice and Zest (1 minute)
Add the fresh lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. The mixture might look slightly curdled again—this is normal. The acid in the lemon juice is doing its job, tenderizing the cake.
Step 4: Alternate Dry Ingredients and Milk (3-4 minutes)
In a separate bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt. Add this to your butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions. Start and end with the flour mixture.
The pattern: flour, milk, flour, milk, flour. Mix just until combined after each addition. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes pound cake tough.
Step 5: Bake Low and Slow (50-55 minutes)
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Visual cues: The top should be golden brown and spring back lightly when touched. The cake will pull slightly away from the sides of the pan.
Step 6: Make the Glaze While It Bakes (5 minutes)
Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, zest, and salt until smooth. Start with 3 tablespoons of juice and add more if needed—you want it thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but thin enough to soak into the warm cake.
Step 7: Glaze While Warm (2 minutes)
This is crucial: glaze the cake while it’s still warm in the pan. Poke holes all over the surface with a skewer, then slowly pour the glaze over top. Let it cool completely in the pan before turning out.
Pro Tips for Perfect Lemon Pound Cake
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Cold ingredients: Room temperature ingredients mix more easily and create better texture. If you forgot to take eggs out early, place them in warm water for 10 minutes.
Overmixing: Once flour goes in, mix just until combined. I learned this the hard way after serving what Emma called “bouncy cake” to my book club.
Wrong pan size: A 9×5-inch loaf pan is standard. Smaller pans will overflow; larger ones will give you a flat, dense cake.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Wrapped tightly, this cake stays moist for up to five days at room temperature. For longer storage, freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap and foil for up to three months.
Mike’s reheating trick: Microwave individual slices for 15-20 seconds to bring back that just-baked warmth.
Recipe Variations
Meyer Lemon Version: Swap regular lemons for Meyer lemons and reduce sugar to 1½ cups—Meyer lemons are sweeter.
Lemon-Blueberry: Fold 1 cup fresh blueberries tossed in flour into the finished batter.
Altitude Adjustment (My Denver Friends): Reduce baking powder to ¾ teaspoon and increase flour by 2 tablespoons.
What to Serve with Lemon Pound Cake
This cake is substantial enough to stand alone with just coffee, but it plays well with others. Fresh berries and whipped cream turn it into Sunday brunch material. A scoop of vanilla ice cream makes it feel like a restaurant dessert.
Emma’s favorite combo: Pound cake with strawberries and the whipped cream she “helps” make by counting to ten while I whip.
For grown-up gatherings: Serve with limoncello or a light dessert wine. The citrus flavors complement each other beautifully.
Make-ahead strategy: This cake actually improves after a day—the flavors meld and the texture settles into perfection.
Lemon Pound Cake Nutrition Facts
Each slice contains approximately 340 calories, with the richness coming primarily from butter and eggs. While this isn’t health food, it’s a treat that satisfies in smaller portions than lighter cakes.
Nutritional highlights:
- Vitamin C from fresh lemon juice and zest
- Protein from eggs and milk
- No artificial flavors or preservatives
The dense texture means a little goes a long way—something I remind myself when I’m eyeing a second slice with my afternoon coffee.
Final Thoughts on This Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Six months after Emma’s potluck announcement, this lemon pound cake has become our family’s signature dessert. It’s appeared at birthday parties, book clubs, and that memorable Sunday when Mike’s parents showed up unannounced (thank goodness I had one in the freezer).
The recipe is forgiving enough for beginning bakers but delivers the kind of results that make people ask for your secret. There is no secret—just good ingredients, proper technique, and the patience to let the cake tell you when it’s done.
Try this recipe and tag me @ChefJessAtHome. I love seeing your versions, and Emma gets excited every time someone shares a photo of their “lemony cake.”
What dessert will you tackle next? Let me know in the comments below—I’m always collecting new challenges for our Sunday afternoon baking sessions.
Recipe Card
Perfect Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Prep: 15 min | Cook: 55 min | Total: 1h 10 min | Serves: 12
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1¾ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
For glaze: 1½ cups powdered sugar, 3-4 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp zest, pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, then lemon juice, zest, and vanilla.
- Alternate flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour.
- Bake 50-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
- Glaze warm cake and cool completely before serving.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Based on 127 reviews)
