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Homemade Lemon Pound Cake

Name: Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 70 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams); 1 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature, 226 grams); 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (248 grams); Zest of 2 lemons; 3 large eggs (room temperature); 1 egg yolk (room temperature); 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice; 2 tsp pure vanilla extract; 2 cups powdered sugar (sift after measuring, 227 grams before sifting); 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice; 2 Tbsp milk or heavy cream; ⅛ tsp salt

By Beth

5 from 1 rating

on Apr 12, 2024

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You will fall in love at first bite with this moist lemon pound cake, bursting with fresh lemon flavor and topped with an irresistible lemony glaze. This easy recipe takes just 15 minutes of active prep, and the hardest thing about it? Resisting eating the whole thing yourself!

slices of lemon pound cake on a wire rack surrounded by lemon slices and peels

This is the BEST Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

I am definitely on team lemon lovers (if you couldn’t tell by my huge collection of lemon desserts), and I have trouble even writing about this lemon pound cake recipe without my mouth watering the entire time. It’s that good.

sliced lemon pound cake on a white cutting board surrounded by fresh lemon slices, peels and fresh flowers in the background

Not only does it win on flavor and texture, but when you follow my easy step-by-step instructions you’ll realize it’s also super easy to make (even for beginner bakers), and it’s made with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Now that is a dessert winner!

Keep reading for all my tried and true tips for making the best pound cake from scratch!

over head view of ingredients for lemon pound cake on a counter top including three whole lemons, 4 eggs, two sticks of butter, a bowl of granulated sugar, a bottle of vanilla extract, and a bowl of all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt

Best Lemon Pound Cake Ingredients

Simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand in your kitchen come together to make an irresistible cake. Get the full recipe with measurements and instructions in the recipe card below. Here’s what you’ll need:

All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Salt
Unsalted butter: room temperature
Granulated sugar
Lemon zest
Eggs: room temperature
Egg yolk: room temperature
Fresh lemon juice
Vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze

Powdered sugar
Fresh lemon juice
Milk or heavy cream
Salt

over head view of a lemon pound cake sliced on a white cutting board on a light blue surface surrounded by small white plates with slices of cake on them, fresh whole lemonds, lemon slices and peels and fresh flowers

How to Make Homemade Lemon Pound Cake

This easy lemon pound cake recipe comes out perfectly every single time. Just follow these easy steps:

Prep oven & be sure to bring ingredients to room temp. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Make sure you are using room temperature butter and eggs. When ingredients are at room temperature, they just naturally trap air better when you whip them up. So, what you end up with are baked goods that have a lighter texture.
Mix dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter for 1 minute until fluffy.
Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest. Add in the granulated sugar and lemon zest, beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Pound cake gets its nice texture from creaming the butter and sugar together well, do not skimp on the creaming. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add remaining wet ingredients. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Beat in the egg yolk, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. I like to stop a little short and use a spatula to hand-mix the last bit of flour in. The batter will be thick.
Prep pan. Generously butter a loaf pan. That’s a 9×5 inch pan or 8.5×4.5 inch pan – it’s important to know what size you have because the bake time can vary by 10 minutes.
Add to pan. Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth using a spatula.

lemon pound cake batter in a loaf pan on a countertop

Bake. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes check to see if the pound cake is browning too much. If so, tent the pound cake with aluminum foil and bake for 15-25 more minutes. **If you didn’t tent at 50 minutes, check again in 5-minute intervals to see if tenting is needed.
Bake time note: The total suggested bake time for a 8.5×4.5 inch pan is 75-80 minutes and 9×5 inch pan is 65-75 minutes. Be sure to know what size your pan is. I tend to err on the side of baking longer because pound cake is so dense. No one wants an undercooked pound cake.
Cool: Allow the pound cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool.

over head view of lemon pound cake, half sliced on a white cutting board surrounded by a bowl of lemons and lemon slices and peels scattered around

Lemon Glaze

Make the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar, this helps to create a silky, smooth glaze. Add in 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp milk or heavy cream, and vanilla extract, whisk to combine. Add another teaspoon of lemon juice to thin out the glaze or more powdered sugar to thicken the glaze. Taste and adjust, whisk in the salt.
Top cake with glaze. Drizzle generously over the cake. Allow the glaze to set for 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving.

two slices of lemon pound cake on a small white plate with more of the cake and fresh lemon slices and peels in the background

Tips for Making Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch

For the best pound cake, follow these tips:

Don’t forget to zest the lemon before squeezing the juice: Since you need both zest and juice, don’t forget to zest first. It’s much easier to get the zest before the lemon juice has been squeezed out.
Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temp ingredients allows the batter to blend together more smoothly, giving you the perfect texture in your finished product.
Don’t skimp on the creaming: Be sure to beat the butter and sugar together really well. This is how a good pound cake gets its texture.
Cool the cake before glazing: If you don’t let the cake cool before adding the glaze, it won’t harden on the cake and may melt off instead.

a sliced lemon pound cake surrounded by fresh lemon slices and lemon peels

Lemon Pound Cake Recipe Storage

Store leftover cake covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. You can refrigerate for up to a week, but the refrigerator may dry out the cake a bit.