Luscious Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch (2024)

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If you love a delicious pound cake with a lemony twist, this is the recipe for you! You’re going to love this new cake from Out of the Box Baking!

Luscious Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch (1)

Lemon Cakes are the Best!

I don’t know about you but I’m absolutely in love with anything lemon! I love lemon pie, lemon cheesecake, and lemon cupcakes!

So, when I came up with the idea for this lemon pound cake, I knew it would be good even before I tasted it! And best of all, I didn’t even have to buy cake flour! This recipe calls for all purpose.

I took my orange raspberry pound cake recipe and simply converted it to lemon. I happened to have blueberries on hand and thought about using them, but I was in the mood for simple. (Let’s face it: sometimes simple is better.)

The cake was so simple to make (more about that later) and it tasted amazing. But before we get into all of that, let’s have a little chat about citrus cakes and why they’re so good.

Why Make a Lemon Cake?

I mentioned above that I’m a fan of anything lemon but you might wonder why lemon cakes, in particular, are so popular. Here are just a few of the reasons:

Zesty, bright, tangy: These are all words to describe citrus cakes. Many people serve them in the summertime because of their brightness. Lemons are also refreshing, and make you feel good.

Lemons are loaded with juice. This adds to the overall moisture of the cake. You rarely see a dry lemon cake!

Lemons are versatile: They pair well with so many other flavors. Take raspberries, for instance. Or blueberries. Or strawberries. Lemon and berries. . .what a perfect combination!

Lemons have a bright appearance. They’re so bright and colorful!

Lemons are inexpensive. You can buy a whole bag of them for just a few dollars. You can always keep them unhand for zesting or juicing.

Lemons are rich in vitamin c and other nutrients. Okay, they don’t exactly make your cake healthy, but they do add some necessary nutritional value.

Have I convinced you yet that lemon is the way to go? Okay, great! Let’s get started with this delicious cake!

Lemon Pound Cake Ingredients

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You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to make this cake. These are such simple ingredients. You might already have them on hand in your kitchen.

FOR THE CAKE

  • room temperature butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
  • sugar
  • room temperature eggs
  • lemon zest and juice
  • lemon juice
  • all purpose flour
  • salt
  • baking powder
  • lemon extract (optional, if you don’t have lemon juice)

FOR THE GLAZE

  • powdered sugar
  • lemon juice

How to Make Luscious Lemon Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease bundt pan or tube pan. Set prepared pan aside.

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk together. Set aside.

Combine eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cube butter and place in large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. (I opted to use my food processor.)

Luscious Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch (3)

Cream butter until light and fluffy.

Luscious Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch (4)

Add sugar and continue to beat until well incorporated.

Luscious Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch (5)

Add eggs and lemon juice and mix at low to medium speed until it all comes together into a smooth mixture.

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Now work in your flour mixture, half at a time on low speed. Don’t over mix.

You will have a thick batter.Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula so you don’t leave any batter behind.

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Spoon cake batter into prepared bundt pan.

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Place in preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 55 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch.

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Remove from oven and place on wire cooling rack to let cake cool.

Once you can handle the pan, flip it and allow cake to release naturally.

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While cake is cooling, make your glaze.

Combine lemon juice and powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and lump free.

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Drizzle over the top of the cooled cake.

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Slice and serve.

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Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. I prefer to refrigerate mine because I love my lemon cake cold.

What to Expect from this Lemon Bundt Cake

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Is there anything better than a homemade lemon pound cake? I think not!

This is a true pound cake so it’s got some weight to it, but it still somehow manages to be light and fluffy, as well.It’s a moist lemon pound cake, but in no way soggy. In short, it’s just perfect!

I love the texture, but I especially love the lemon flavor of this luscious lemon cake. I’m a fan of anything lemon, as I mentioned above.

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Pound cake is one of those cakes that tastes even better the next day. The depth of flavor seems to intensify as time goes on.

Variations on this Recipe

This is such a lovely and simple recipe, which makes it perfect for adaptations. Here are a few ideas that come to mind:

Orange instead of lemon: This is an easy switch! Use orange juice in place of lemon juice. The outcome will be lovely!

Berries: You can add a cup of berries to the batter. Before you (gently) stir them in, coat them in flour. Types of berries could include: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or any number of other berries.

Lemon Curd: I think this would be delicious paired with my amazing homemade lemon curd.

White Chocolate: I think that melted white chocolate would be amazing drizzled on top of this cake!

Other Lemon Favorites from Out of the Box Baking

The Ultimate Lemon Chiffon Cake

Luscious Lemon Custard Bars

Lemon Coconut Loaf

Delicious Lemon Coconut Bars

That’s it for this post, friends!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious lemon pound cake recipe.Lemon lovers are sure to love it!

If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you’re at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

Luscious Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch (16)
Luscious Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch (17)

See this recipe at:

Full Plate Thursday

Weekend Potluck

The Lazy Gastronome

Busy Monday

About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.

Luscious Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch (18)

Luscious Lemon Pound Cake

Yield: 15

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

If you love a delicious pound cake with a lemony twist, this is the recipe for you! You’re going to love this new cake from Out of the Box Baking!

Ingredients

  • FOR THE CAKE
  • 1 cup (two sticks) room temperature butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 room temperature eggs
  • Zest and juice of one lemon
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • FOR THE GLAZE
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Grease bundt pan or tube pan.

    Combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk together. Set aside.

    Combine eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set aside.

    Cube butter and place in large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. (I opted to use my food processor.)

    Cream butter until light and fluffy.

    Add sugar and continue to beat until well incorporated.

    Add eggs and lemon juice and mix until it all comes together into a smooth mixture.

    Now work in your flour mixture, half at a time on low speed. Don’t over mix.

    You will have a thick batter.

    Spoon into prepared bundt pan.

    Place in preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 55 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch.

    Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

    Once you can handle the pan, flip it and allow cake to release naturally.

    While cake is cooling, make your glaze.

    Combine lemon juice and powdered sugar and whisk until smooth and lump free.

    Drizzle over the top of the cooled cake.

    Slice and serve.

    Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. I prefer to refrigerate mine because I love my lemon cake cold.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 15Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 222Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 140mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 1gSugar: 32gProtein: 4g

The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.

Luscious Lemon Pound Cake from Scratch (2024)

FAQs

Why is my lemon pound cake dry? ›

The ratio of wet to dry ingredients determines a cake's moisture level. If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry. On the other hand, if there's too much milk and not enough flour, a cake will taste too wet. Finding the right balance between wet and dry ingredients is key.

Why did my lemon pound cake fall? ›

Cakes sink in the middle due to several reasons. One reason is that the cake batter might be too moist, causing it to collapse during baking. Another reason could be that the oven temperature is too low, leading to uneven baking. Opening the oven door too frequently while baking can also cause cakes to sink.

Can you over beat a pound cake? ›

Be careful not to overbeat the butter-sugar mixture, especially on a hot day — you could rupture the air cells and cause the batter to be heavy.

Why is my pound cake gummy? ›

Those gluey pound cake streaks happen when your over-cream the butter and sugar. The cake rises in the oven and then it quickly collapses a bit while cooling which causes those gummy streaks. To prevent this, use a low speed with creaming and do so just until combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

How do I make my cake more moist? ›

Try switching out any water in your recipe for full-fat milk or buttermilk for a moist, decadent texture. Another ingredient that can enhance the moisture of your cake is mayonnaise. Adding a dollop of mayonnaise to your batter can help make your freshly baked cake softer with an added boost of moisture.

How do you make pound cake moist again? ›

But there's no need to panic - there's an easy way to fix a dry cake. Simply soak your cake in milk for 30 minutes to an hour. The milk will help to rehydrate the cake, making it moist and delicious. Just be sure to brush off any excess milk before serving.

How do you revive a dry lemon cake? ›

The 4 Best Ways to Fix a Dry Cake
  1. Brush the cake with a simple syrup glaze.
  2. Soak your cake in milk or cream.
  3. Add frosting.
  4. Fill your cake with mousse or jam.
May 14, 2023

Why is my lemon cake not fluffy? ›

Why is my lemon cake not fluffy – The cake is not fluffy because the batter wasn't beaten enough. The butter and sugar should be creamed well until pale and creamy. The eggs should be added into the butter mixture one at a time until well incorporated.

Do you let a pound cake cool before flipping? ›

Cool Before Flipping

When you remove your cake from the oven, don't flip it out of the pan right away! Instead, let the cake cool for ten minutes in the pan. Then, placing the wire rack over the base of the cake, invert the pan. Peek under the wire rack and see if the cake has dropped out.

How long do you let a pound cake cool before removing from the pan? ›

When it's done baking, let the cake sit in the pan for 10 minutes: no more, no less. It's enough time for the cake to firm up some after baking so that it doesn't fall apart, but not so much time that the cake gets stuck to the pan. Ten minutes is the sweet spot.

Why is a cold oven the secret to a better pound cake? ›

Starting your pound cake in a cold oven also impacts the texture of the cake. A longer bake time and lower temperature allows the leavening more time to work before the cake sets, resulting in a taller, fluffier cake.

Is it better to bake pound cake at 325 or 350? ›

Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Not 350°F. Generously grease a 10-12 cup Bundt pan with butter or nonstick spray. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Should pound cake batter be thick? ›

Unlike layer cakes, which use a thin batter that should never fill the pan more than halfway (more on that here), pound cake batter is thick, and should fill the pan within an inch of the top to encourage a prominent crown.

Why is my lemon cake dense? ›

Generally too many egg yolks or not enough oil or butter in the recipe. Also use cake flour instead of all purpose.

How do you fix dry lemon cake? ›

The 4 Best Ways to Fix a Dry Cake
  1. Brush the cake with a simple syrup glaze.
  2. Soak your cake in milk or cream.
  3. Add frosting.
  4. Fill your cake with mousse or jam.
May 14, 2023

How to prevent a pound cake from being dry? ›

Pound cake can also be too dry if you added too much flour (or not enough butter or sugar). Solution – You can try lowering the oven temperature. Or remove the cake from the oven a little earlier. Or follow the recipe exactly – and refrain from adding extra flour or reducing the amount of sugar or butter.

Is pound cake supposed to be dry? ›

It's a heavy cake (as pound cakes should be!) with a dense, velvety crumb, but there's nothing dry or crumbly about it. While this cake can hold it's own, it's even better when served with homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit.

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