Lemon Pound Cake
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This lemon pound cake is a lemon lover’s dream: soft, buttery, and soaked in citrusy syrup with a bright, tangy glaze on top. Make one for now and stash the second in the freezer—you’ll be glad you did.
Calling all lemon lovers! This lemon pound cake recipe is made just for you. The recipe incorporates both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest into the cake batter, giving the cake a bright, fresh flavor. But the real magic happens after baking—it gets soaked with lemon syrup and finished with a tart lemon glaze, so every bite is packed with intense lemony goodness.
The recipe yields two ultra-moist loaves that stay fresh for days on the countertop or can be frozen for later. If you’d like to switch things up, try my classic pound cake and popular lemon poppyseed cake and lemon blueberry pound cake variations. A big thank you to Karen Tannenbaum, one of my longtime readers, for inspiring this wonderful recipe!
“I had fresh lemons to use up, so gave this a whirl. The texture, flavor, and, well, everything, was spot on. I keep stealing little slices each time I walk by!”
What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Pound Cake
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the batter and gives the cake structure. Be sure to spoon and level for an accurate measure; excess flour can make the cake dry.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cake rise for a light, tender crumb.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture and tenderness to the cake.
- Lemon Zest And Lemon Juice: Team up to give the cake its bright, citrusy flavor—the zest brings the fragrant oils, and the juice adds tang. Be sure to zest the lemons before juicing (it’s almost impossible after!). A rasp grater works best, and avoid the bitter white pith under the skin.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds rich flavor and gives the cake its classic pound cake texture—soft, dense, and buttery. Remember to remove the butter from the fridge and bring it to room temperature; you’ll know it’s soft enough when you can press it with a finger and leave a slight indent.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the batter and syrup and also gives the cake a moist texture.
- Large Eggs: Add richness, moisture, and structure.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Used to make the sweet glaze that gets drizzled over the cake.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until evenly combined.
Step 2: Mix the buttermilk and lemon. In another bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk with the lemon zest and lemon juice. Set it aside.
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using beaters), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. This creaming step incorporates air into the batter, which helps the cake rise and gives it a fine, tender crumb.
Step 4: Beat in the eggs. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Adding the eggs gradually helps them emulsify into the batter, creating a stable, smooth mixture that won’t split or curdle.
Step 5: Add the dry and wet ingredients. With the mixer on low, alternate adding the flour and buttermilk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. (These gradual additions keep the batter from becoming over-mixed, which helps maintain a tender texture.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give a quick mix to make sure all of the ingredients are well-incorporated.
Step 6: Fill the pans. Transfer the cake batter to the loaf pans lined with parchment slings and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. (The parchment slings help prevent the cake from sticking to the pan and make it easy to lift out cleanly—no need to invert or risk breaking the crust.)
Step 7: Bake and cool. Bake the cakes in a 350°F oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then lift them out using the parchment slings and cool for about an hour more.
Step 8: Make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Adding lemon juice after boiling keeps the flavor bright and fresh rather than cooked or muted.
Step 9: Make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Adjust with more sugar or juice if needed for your preferred consistency—for a thicker glaze, use less juice; for a thinner drizzle, add a tiny splash more.
Step 10: Top the cakes with syrup and glaze. Once the cakes are cool, brush the warm syrup all over—don’t forget the sides—and let it soak in. Make sure the cakes are completely cool; applying the syrup to a fully cooled cake helps it soak in evenly without making the crumb gummy. Last, spoon the glaze over the top, letting it drip down the sides. The cake will keep nicely for a few days; freeze without the glaze for up to 3 months.
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Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (low-fat is fine; see note)
- 2 tablespoons (packed) grated lemon zest (see note)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
For the Syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray two 8½ x 4½-in (22 x 11-cm) loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the long sides of the pans with parchment paper “slings” and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray again.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in one-quarter of the flour mixture, then one-third of the buttermilk mixture. Beat in another quarter of the flour, then another third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with another quarter of the flour and the remaining buttermilk mixture. Finally, beat in the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give a quick mix to make sure all of the ingredients are well-incorporated.
- Divide the thick batter into the prepared pans and smooth with a rubber spatula. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean.
- Set the cakes on a cooling rack, and cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife along the unlined sides of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan. Using the parchment slings, lift the cakes out of the pans and place onto the rack, leaving the parchment paper in place under the cakes. Let cool for about 1 hour.
- When the cakes are almost cool, make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- When the cakes are cool, carefully transfer them to serving platters.
- Gradually brush the warm syrup all over the cakes, including the sides, letting it soak in as you go.
- To make the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Add more confectioners' sugar or lemon juice as necessary to make a thick but pourable glaze (it should be a little thicker than you'd think, about the consistency of molasses or honey). Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the cakes sit for about one hour to allow the glaze to set before serving.
Notes
- If you’d prefer not to buy it, check out some easy guidance on how to make buttermilk using milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
- You'll need 4 to 5 large lemons for the entire recipe.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The cakes can be made up to 1 day ahead of time and stored in a cake dome or airtight container at room temperature. They can also be frozen (without the final glaze) for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Add the syrup before the cake is frozen, and add the glaze after the cake is thawed.)
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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EXCELLENT! The syrup and glaze really elevate this cake. Most pound cakes are a bit dense. This one is very light. Thank you for another great recipe.
I brought this cake to a work party and it was an absolute hit! Several people asked for the recipe. I absolutely love this cake. I’ve made it 3 times, followed the recipe exactly, and it has come out delicious each time. Thank you for sharing!
I have always used this as my go to pound cake recipe. Am feeling adventurous now. How can i modify this into a one pan coconut cake.
Hi Jackie, glad you like the cake! I think that shredded coconut would make a nice additon to the batter if you’d like to add it. You could also top the glaze with some.
Can the recipe be cut in half?
Yes, Teri, but you’ll need to use a different pan. To give you a sense, I’ve made a half-recipe in an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan and 9-inch cake pan and it took about 45 minutes. Hope that helps!
Thank you! It’s in the oven now. I ended up using the full recipe to make 4 mini bundt cakes and several cupcakes. Husband was like a little kid licking the batter of the mixer paddle! LOL
This cake was amazing, but I struggled to get a good “shell” on it. It popped out when I flipped it completely yellow and spongey. The browned outer layer was stuck to the pan and crumbly. I had to improvise with a 9” bundt springform pan and sticks of I can’t believe it’s not butter instead. Could this have caused the problem? Other than that, it tasted delicious! My family raved over it. I just can’t get it to look pretty.
Hi Samantha, I suspect that using the I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter may have had an impact as butter plays a big part in the recipe. Also, you may not have pre-treated the pan thoroughly enough to prevent that outer coating from sticking. Hope that helps!
This cake is delicious! I made it as 10 mini bundt cakes instead of one larger cake, just reducing baking time to about 35 minutes, and it tastes like lemon madeleines – totally scrumptious.
This cake was really good when I made it the first time. I’m sure it was the right texture – I think bundt cakes are supposed to be kind of crumbly? Maybe? The one I made the first time seemed a little dry for my own liking so I actually added a packet of vanilla pudding mix when I made it the second time and I really liked it. It didn’t have a super strong vanilla taste which was fine, but it came out pretty moist. I was worried that the wet to dry ratio would be off so I added 1/4 cup more buttermilk which I’m not sure was necessary, but anyways long story long this was a great recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Great recipe! First time making a lemon cake, and definitely not the last. Even my picky eater (son) loved it. Although cake looked and tasted good, I’m wondering why it didn’t get the nice yellow lemon color? Can anyone tell me wha I didn’t wrong?
I don’t think you did anything wrong, Karina. The color does look very saturated in the photo but I think it’s just the lighting and reflection from the table.
This is my go-to recipe when i have company. It makes for a beautiful presentation and I have only received rave reviews and requests for the recipe. I’ve made this cake at least six times without any issue, but the last time I made it, I didn’t have buttermilk so I concocted a vinegar/milk mixture. The cake didn’t rise as it usually does. This time, it came out deflated, sort of like it puffed up quickly and then fell. I’m not sure if it’s was my recipe modification or not. I flipped it over (in was in a bundt pan) and poured the glaze on top. It wasn’t the prettiest, but it was presentable, and the texture was definitely denser. Do you think it was my homemade buttermilk?
I’m glad you like the cake. Hmmm…. the homemade buttermilk should work, but if that’s the only thing you changed, perhaps that caused the problem. Did you give the milk/vinegar mixture time to curdle?
Jenn, You’re going to love this. Last week we were having friends over for dinner. She is from Napoli and he is from India. They are serious food lovers, and as you know, it is such fun to cook for people who appreciate your efforts. Knowing how Italians LOVE their lemons, I decided to prepare an “Italian Meyer lemon cake.” I don’t know where I had found the recipe, but it was in my enormous pile of “things to try.” It required considerable work, expense, (had to find and buy Fiori di Sicilia), and time. I followed the recipe EXACTLY! I made it early in the morning — fortunately. After it was completely cooled, being concerned since it was something new, I cut into the cake only to find that the center of each slice looked like solidified jelly. It was disgusting, to say the least. The entire cake went directly into the trash. So here it is 1:30 PM, and I have no dessert for my dinner. I ran to the computer, dashed to your website and found your lemon bundt cake recipe. I dashed to the store, bought the buttermilk and more lemons, hurried home and made your cake; it was — OF COURSE– spectacular. My friends were so impressed; I even gave them part of the cake to take home. When I told my husband the whole story, he said, “Why didn’t you use her recipe in the first place? Everything you have ever made from her collection was good.” Duh. When will I learn? Once again, Jenn to the rescue. My three adult children are all cooks (as well as their spouses) and all are Jenn Segal fans. I have ordered your cookbook for myself and all three kids. Thank you, again, for making me look good.
I’m so happy it worked out, Susan – and thank you so much for supporting me! 💜