Dense, buttery pound cake gets a lemon lift in this bright and cheery citrus version. Iced lemon pound cake is super moist and bursting with the flavors of fresh lemon, creamy butter, and sweet vanilla. A creamy lemon icing that sets on top is the only decorating this small-yet-stunning cake requires.
One reader, Laurie, says: “I’ve never made pound cake before but this turned out very well. It was moist and delicious. It took 50 minutes to bake and I’m glad you mentioned that a couple of moist crumbs on a toothpick is ok, otherwise I may have left it in the oven longer and it may have been a bit dry. I used the zest of 1 1/2 lemons as suggested as I love lemon. I’m making another one today! ★★★★★“
Here’s exactly what you need to make when it’s citrus season: grapefruit Greek yogurt cake.
But if grapefruit isn’t your ideal choice, iced lemon pound cake is another home run. I originally published this dessert recipe on my website in 2017 and I make it at least once every winter season. Imagine a coffee shop lemon loaf, but with a tighter crumb and with supremely fresh flavor you only get from homemade. (Nothing compares!)
Do you enjoy pound cake? My favorite is this cream cheese pound cake, which has an upgraded flavor, tight and dense crumb, and remains wonderfully buttery and soft. Brown butter pound cake has a similar texture and comes with the addition of brown butter flavor. Point being—I love adding flair and flavor to pound cake, and lemon is always a lovely choice.
By the way, if you’ve tried the lemon loaf recipe in my cookbook Sally’s Baking Addiction, you’ll appreciate today’s recipe, too. The cookbook variation is a lighter-crumbed quick bread—soft and airy like birthday cake, but with big and bright lemon flavor that hits as soon as you take the first bite.
The Exact Texture of This Lemon Pound Cake
Today’s recipe has the same wake-up-your-tastebuds flavor as my cookbook variation, but the texture is a little different. It is:
- Unapologetically moist
- Caramelized around the edges
- Dense and satisfying without tasting heavy
- Super rich and buttery
- Extra smooth with a velvety crumb
Best Ingredients to Use & Why I Don’t Recommend Substitutions
You need just 9 ingredients in the lemon pound cake batter. With so few ingredients, it’s best to stick to the recipe because each has an important job. I’ve tried my hand at many variations, and keep coming back to this recipe because of its careful ratio of ingredients. I don’t recommend straying.
Dry Ingredients: You need all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. The amount of flour isn’t a misprint. You really only need 1.5 cups, or 188g. Somehow, it just works!
Wet Ingredients: Grab your room-temperature butter and sugar, then you’ll need eggs, sour cream for moisture (it also keeps the crumb a bit light), vanilla extract, and lemon zest + juice.
Helpful Tip: You need lemon zest and juice and it’s easiest to zest the lemon before juicing it. Here’s the citrus zester and the citrus juicer I use if you need recommendations.
Expect a Thick Lemon Pound Cake Batter
This is a thick batter. Unlike vanilla cake or chocolate cake, there’s no milk to thin things out. The only real liquid is from the lemon juice, and there isn’t too much of it. Pound cakes do not typically include liquid besides eggs. (If you consider those liquid!)
You can bake this in a 9×5-inch loaf pan, but lately I have been using my 1-lb. 8×4-inch loaf pan. It yields a taller loaf, and needs a little extra bake time. I include instructions for both pans in the recipe below. If all you have is a 9×5-inch loaf pan, which is what you use for banana bread and pumpkin bread, you can use it, but expect the bread to be a little shorter than pictured.
Spread the batter into the greased loaf pan. There isn’t much pouring involved… more of a spoon-and-spread situation here!
Lemon Icing That Sets
I believe the saying goes… when life hands you lemons, make lemonade glaze. The icing on top of the pound cake adds a whole other level of lemon flavor. It’s thick and sets after a couple hours, producing a sweet and zingy layer you’ll want to save for last. You need heavy cream (or half-and-half or milk), lemon juice, and confectioners’ sugar.
Feel free to add candied lemons on the top for presentation, like I do with lemon poppy seed bread.
This recipe is too small for a Bundt pan. In you want a larger lemon pound cake in a Bundt pan, here are 2 options: (1) Double the recipe, but use 3/4 cup (180g) of sour cream to ensure there is enough moisture. The rest of the ingredients are simply doubled. Follow the same baking time and temperature from my cream cheese pound cake. And (2) Use my lemon poppy seed Bundt cake recipe, and feel free to skip the poppy seeds.
Absolutely. You can fold 1 cup (about 140g) of fresh blueberries into the batter. I try to avoid frozen blueberries because they turn the batter and cake grayish blue, but feel free to use them if that’s all you have. No need to coat them with flour before folding in, but feel free to do so if you’d like. This batter is quite thick, so they don’t really sink.
Iced Lemon Pound Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Dense, buttery pound cake gets a lemon lift in this bright and cheery citrus version. Iced lemon pound cake is super moist and bursting with the flavors of fresh lemon, creamy butter, and sweet vanilla. A creamy lemon icing that sets on top is the only decorating this small-yet-stunning cake requires.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (22ml) lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream or milk (heavy cream produces a thick icing as pictured)
Instructions
- Lower the oven rack to the lower-third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan (like this one or this one) with nonstick spray. Or you can use a 9×5-inch loaf pan for a shorter loaf.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed in a large bowl until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Once the last egg is completely mixed in, stop the mixer. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, then beat on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. The mixture may look curdled as a result of the varying textures combining. This is normal and the batter will come together when you add the dry ingredients in the next step.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients just until combined. If needed, run a whisk through the batter a few times to rid any large lumps. Avoid over-mixing. Batter is very thick.
- Spoon/spread the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes if you used an 8×4-inch pan and 45-60 minutes if you used a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Tent the cake with aluminum foil halfway through baking to prevent the top from over-browning. Pound cakes are dense and take awhile to bake in the oven. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours and don’t be alarmed if yours is taking longer. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out *mostly* clean. A couple moist crumbs are OK.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow cake to cool in the pan on the wire rack for 1 hour, then carefully remove the slightly warm cake from the pan. Let it continue cooling on a wire rack or on a serving plate/platter. You can add the icing while the cake is still warm or wait for it to cool.
- Make the icing: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together and pour over cake. Serve immediately or wait until the cake cools completely, which promises neater slices.
- Cover and store leftover cake for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the pound cake ahead of time by freezing it. (I suggest icing it right before serving, so freeze it without the icing.) Bake it, cool it, then wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze the loaf for up to 3 months. Allow the cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before topping with icing and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8×4-inch Loaf Pan (like this one or this one) or 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester
- Sour Cream: If you don’t have sour cream, you can use plain yogurt or dairy/nondairy milk instead. If using milk, your pound cake won’t have a super tight crumb that is signature to pound cakes. Instead, the cake will have a lighter and cakier texture. For best results, I recommend full-fat sour cream.
- Bundt Pan: Here are 2 options for making a lemon Bundt pound cake in a Bundt pan. (1) Double this recipe, but use 3/4 cup (180g) of sour cream. If you were doubling the recipe, you would use 1/2 cup but make sure you increase to 3/4 cup for added moisture. The rest of the ingredients are simply doubled. Spoon/spread into a generously greased 10–12-cup Bundt pan. Follow the baking time and temperature from my cream cheese pound cake. (2) Use my lemon poppy seed Bundt cake recipe. Feel free to leave out the poppy seeds. That cake has a lighter texture and isn’t quite as heavy as pound cake.
- Can I Add Blueberries? Yes, absolutely. You can fold 1 cup (about 140g) of fresh blueberries into the batter after it comes together. I strongly recommend fresh blueberries, as frozen blueberries can turn the batter and finished cake a grayish blue. Keeping that in mind, you can use them if you’d like. I have better luck with fresh.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi sally! I am about to make this recipe but I will be baking in a shallow sheet pan as I need to make 30 little cakes for an event. Do you think this will still turn out in a thinner form?
Hi Joanne, for a thinner version, we’d recommend using our lemon berry petit fours batter instead. Enjoy!
Does it still feel like a lemon poundcake?
I actually just reviewed this recipe. Since they asked for pound cake, can I use AP flour to make it more dense than cake flour? Thank you!
It would certainly be worth a try, Joanne! Let us know if you do bake it that way.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times, and it turns out perfect every time! Considering I’m 15, my baking skills are not very good, but I can do this!!
Hello, I have made your Lemon Pound cake and it is yummy. I need to make some of these up in the small mini tins. Would you change the baking time to a lesser amount or keep the same. Thanks
Hi Camille, you can certainly make this as mini loaves. Same temperature, but baking time will vary depending on the exact size of your mini loaf pans. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. So glad you enjoyed it!
Maybe because I used Salted butter and forgot to omit the salt until too late, but I was surprised this didn’t taste very lemony to me. The icing was quite lemony, thank god, but the cake was just a very moist, very buttery pound cake. We ate about half of it in one day – so delicious, anyway!
Question: In your Cream Cheese Pound cake you use cake flour. Would you use it in the Lemon Pound Cake recipe as well? I’m also converting it to a Bundt size recipe. In the comments a couple of your staff recommending not doubling, but using 1 1/2 of the recipe whereas on the notes section of this recipe you state to double, but use 3/4 cup sour cream. I am asking for clarification.
Hi Darcy, You can use the same amount of cake flour for a slightly lighter texture. For a Bundt cake follow the notes section: Double the recipe, but use 3/4 cup (180g) of sour cream to ensure there is enough moisture. Hope this helps!
Wondering if I can add some citric acid powder to the cake batter and/or Lemon Icing for more of a tart flavor. Any recommendations as to how much I can add? I know it can sometimes affect the rise.
Hi Lisa, we don’t have any experience baking with citric acid but would love to hear what you try!
Can I use soy milk for the icing? I have all the ingredients at home except the milk/cream 🙁
Hi Asli, we haven’t tried it specifically with soy milk, so are unsure how it would taste, but if you decide to try it, please let us know.
Hello Sally I’m a huge fan!! Is there a way to make this recipe into cupcakes?
Hi Deedee, you can make this in cupcake pans, but it is pound cake so expect a very dense texture. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. For lighter lemon cupcakes you can use this lemon cupcake recipe and top with your favorite frosting.
So yummy – even though I completely forgot the sour cream (and noticed it just sitting in the counter after. Shoot). It still turned out so moist and yummy. My only problem was the middle undercooked and the sides were overcooking – so my middle was slightly underdone. Hoping it cooks a bit while it cools. Thank you!
Delicious! I’m thirteen and made this, but didn’t have enough butter. So I did half butter and other half virgin olive oil and it turned out great!
We just made this cake! We didn’t butter a pan, instead we used paper. Then we pulled it out of the pan after about ten mins and ate it warm! We couldn’t wait for it to cool! It’s DELICIOUS! Super moist, very lemony! (I did add an extra tablespoon lemon juice to the cake batter!) I am so excited to get your cookbook, I love every single recipe I’ve ever made from your website. When I want to make something, I come straight to your site to look if you have a recipe. I also tell everyone who is new to baking to use your recipes!
My loaf turned out beautiful but it seems dry to me. So many goodies in it surprised me to be dry. Did I miss something?
Hi Patty, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Over-baking, even by just a couple minutes, will lead to a dry cake. All ovens are different, so make sure to keep an eye on yours as it bakes. Also make sure to weigh or else spoon and level your flour when measuring; too much flour will yield a dry cake as well. Thanks for giving this a try!
Instead of using aluminum foil can I put a glass lid on it instead?
That should do the trick, if you have a lid that goes with your loaf pan, Maggie.
Can I substitute the cream in the recipe for greek yogurt? I only have milk and would like the icing to be thick
Thank you 🙂
Hi Maggie, in the icing? We don’t recommend using greek yogurt in the icing.
Instead of sour cream can I use greek yogurt? Thank you
Hi Ash, yes, absolutely. Same amount.
This is absolutely delicious!! First time making Lemon Poundcake and it did not disappoint! Texture and flavours are perfection! It did take slightly longer to bake than the 60 mins. My oven is likely slightly off temp. I just checked it in 5 minutes intervals once I hit 45 mins. I didn’t need to check it with a toothpick 45-55 mins. It was still wobbly. It took about 70 mins. I just watched closely. I added a little almond extract to the lemon icing but that was the only thing I changed. Will definitely make this again! Your recipes are always my go to because they never disappoint!
Can I use salted butter? Thanks!
Hi Amy! You can use salted butter and omit the added salt in this recipe.
Hi wondering if I could use gluten free flour instead of regular flour.
Hi Roxanne, we haven’t tested it, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do!
I just made it with KA GF flour and it was a huge hit! I used it in a trifle and it was amazing!
Amazing recipe like always! If I wanted to use this recipe to make mini loaves, how would I adjust the bake time?
Hi Bella, you can certainly make this as mini loaves. Same temperature, but baking time will vary depending on the exact size of your mini loaf pans. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. So glad you enjoyed it!
This came out incredible! I’ve made several lemon pound cakes and this is by far the best I’ve ever made! So delicious! I did add a handful of flour dusted frozen blueberries which is my favorite combination. But the real star was the lemon cake itself. Sally’s recipes never fail!
This was delightful! Tastes just like the one at the coffee shop. The directions were so easy to follow!
The taste and texture is amazing. But mine sunk when cooling. I have never had this happen so I don’t know why.
Hi Heather, Breads and cakes usually sink if they have been under-baked. Did you use a toothpick to test for doneness? An easy fix for next time!
I made this pound cake with the addition of blueberries. It is absolutely delicious! A keeper.
Hello!! I absolutely love this recipe, but is there any way I can leave the lemon out? My son wants chocolate icing and it doesn’t match very well with lemon.
If I leave lemon out, is it just a vanilla cake?
Thank you!!
Hi Cecilia, you might want to try this cream cheese pound cake instead!
This pound cake is fabulous! Can this recipe be used to make a 9×13 sheet cake? If so, can you advise of any adaptations needed? Thank you!
Hi Barbara, We haven’t tested this pound cake recipe in a sheet pan. It would likely be quite dense. You may enjoy this lemon cake recipe instead – see recipe notes for instructions on baking it in a 9×13. Enjoy!
Excellent pound cake. Used full fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it was delicious. Even used the yogurt substitute in the icing. The icing wasn’t as thick but definitely sweet enough! Topped slices with strawberries and Greek yogurt for breakfast. Used parchment paper on bottom and sides to create a sling to lift cake from loaf pan.
Came out a little dry and bland. Not impressed at all. I am a pretty good baker but like most free internet recipes you get what you pay for.
That’s a pretty sweeping statement and very condemning. I’ve always used Sally’s recipes, including this one, and had great success with them all. Maybe you’re not the baker you think you are?
Well I did think about this recipe a lot because I found that there was some flavor there so I made the recipe again.
The only thing I did different was to use fresh lemons instead of just using up some old lemons.
Huge difference, My second cake is quite a bit better. I like it a lot.
I made the bundt version of this pound cake. Followed the recipe exactly (incl. the use of baking powder instead of baking soda). The texture was ‘mealy’, almost like I’d used almond flour. I’ll stick to my old recipe from now on…
I am hoping you can answer a quick question. I have a glass 9×5 loaf pan. Should I lower the oven temp?
Love your site!! Thanks for any help.
Hi Ann, in general, if using a glass pan, the bake time may be a few minutes longer. As always, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf to check for doneness.
Saw this and really wanted to make it but I didn’t have any lemons so I made it orange flavor and it worked great! I also didn’t have any sour cream so I used cream cheese instead and it turned out really good 🙂