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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Just made this tonight and it is incredible. Perfect for a hot summer night. I love the texture. It’s not dense as some pound cakes can be. Great balance of sweetness and lemon flavor. Will certainly make this again and again. Another great recipe.
I made this last weekend and it was an absolute hit. My 2 year old has asked me to do it again for his birthday next week. For that party I plan on making cupcakes the adding a raspberry filling after they are baked. I’d love any suggestions you have (such as baking time).
Thanks for the great recipe, I’m looking through your site to find my next new favourite.
Glad you all enjoyed this and that your two year old wants it for his birthday! Glad you like this cake! I haven’t made it into cupcakes, but I think it would work. I’d suggest the same temp and start checking for doneness at about 18 minutes.
I also made cupcakes (for my 8 yr old nieces birthday) but I’m trying to decide if I should top with a glaze or make a lemon cheese cake frosting or what would you suggest?
Hi Laurie, a glaze would be nice here, but all kids like icing, so maybe you could go the route of a cream cheese frosting. 🙂
Made this and loved it. Could you leave out the lemon juice and zest in the batter recipe and just make a buttermilk pound cake?
Glad you liked it! Baking soda reacts with the lemon juice to help the cake rise in this recipe. Since this cake also has buttermilk (which also reacts with baking soda), I think you’d be okay leaving out the lemon juice and zest. But since I haven’t tried it (and cakes can be finicky), I can’t say for sure if it will rise quite as much. If you want a plain pound cake, you may want to try this one.
Worked without the lemon zest and lemon juice. Added extracts for flavor. Thanks!
Would this cake recipe be suitable for tiering, I’m planning a 2xlayer (6,8,10 inch) 3 tier wedding cake.
Hi Jerrie, because this is a pound cake, it’s a bit dense for a layer cake, but it will work. You will need more batter, but I’m not certain how much. Hope everyone enjoys!
I made up the recipe and my daughter thought it was a bit dense and since its for her wedding I wonder how/if the recipe can be modified. Would using cake flour instead of AP flour work? I like this recipe as a couple of others I tried tasted fine but were holey/ tunnels. Any suggestions?
Hi Jerrie, As a pound cake, it is a bit on the denser side. I think you could try it with cake flour w/o making any other adjustments. However, I can’t guarantee that cake flour will give the cake enough structure to rise properly. I’d love to know how it turns out if you give it a shot.
Awesome cake! One of the best recipes hands down. I served this to workers in my house. Everyone wanted more! Thank you for sharing this gem!
It says granulated sugar in the recipe. In the Uk we use granulated sugar mostly for hot drinks etc and Caster sugar for baking. Can you tell me what sugar i would be needing to use for this cake
Thankyou
Debbie
Hi Debbie, you’ll need granulated sugar for this cake. Hope you enjoy!
If making a day ahead, should I wait to glaze and ice the cake until a few hours before I’m going to serve it?
Hi Andrea, no need to wait; you can add the glaze and icing after it comes out of the oven. It keeps really well :).
I have two 6-cup bundt pans. Would that work or would I have batter left over?
Hi Cheryl, Yes, two 6-cup bundt pans would work here (with no adjustment to the ingredients and no batter left over). They will take less time to bake, but I’m not certain how long. I’d start checking at about 40 – 45 minutes. Enjoy!
I, and my whole family, LOVE this cake. The friends I have made it for also love it! It is so lemony and fresh tasting. It is like eating lemonade. Tonight is the 5th time I am making it. I make it exactly as your recipe states, but the past few times, I have made it in loaf pans and I cook them for 47 minutes. They are so good! THANK YOU! 🙂
Baking the lemony bundt now at 325º and it was in there for 65 minutes but when I did a tester it was still quite raw!!! I’ve left it in the oven for another 15minutes and it’s baked it pretty well. I’m leaving it another 5-8 because it was still slightly gooey….
What could I have done wrong? 😞
Regardless it gets 5 stars because the recipe itself is a winner but I wish I knew what I did wrong for the bundt not to bake within the allotted time.
Hi Celeste, Sorry to hear you had a problem with this! It definitely should’ve been done after the amount of time you baked it. Is there any possibility you made a measuring error? Another thought – have you checked your oven temp recently to see if it’s accurate? Here are some tips on how to do that.