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 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. 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.
I love your recipes so I’m going to try this one
Hi Sally! I’m a HUGE fan of yours and all your recipes are amazing, so I’ll definitely be making this one. Just a thought: could I add poppy seeds to the batter? If yes, how much would you recommend adding? Thanks!!
Hi Nati, this lemon pound cake would be great with poppy seeds! We’d add 1-2 Tablespoons of poppy seeds.
What are your thoughts on adding blueberries to the batter?
I do it often! See recipe note. I recommend 1 cup (about 140g) fresh.
Can limoncello be substituted for the lemon juice ?
Hi Karen! Limoncello is quite sweet and wouldn’t be a suitable replacement for lemon juice in this recipe. You could try adding it to the icing, though, in the place of the lemon juice. Let us know if you give that a try!
Holy cow, this recipe is amazing. I already have a great lemon pound cake recipe, but this one blows it out of the water. Doesn’t even need the icing – it’s light, fluffy, lemony — perfect, just as it is. It’s a great treat for guests. I’m passing it on to my daughter. Thank you so much.
It turned out lovely. It did not need the icing it was so nice! I made a few changes because I didn’t have the I ingredients:
I substituted sour cream for probiotic yogurt and juice of half a lemon
I added oil I stead of butter
I went by the rind and juice of one lemon,I might add a bit more next time I make it. Thanks Sally!
Your recipes have always been a huge hit! I’m going to try this for the first time, but wanted to know any tips or tricks for working with GF flour? I’m baking for a friend who has to be gluten free. Is it possible? Thank you!
Hi Kimberly, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. If you’re interested, here are all of our naturally gluten free recipes. Hope you can find one there to try!
I am going to give this recipe a try. If I use small loaf pans do you think this recipe is enough for 4 cakes?
Hi Mary, it really depends on the exact size of your mini loaf pans—mini loaf pans can vary in size. We hope you enjoy this recipe!
Hello! Is it possible to add earl grey tea to this batter or icing? If so, how could I do that without messing up the batter or icing? Thank you!
Hi Erin, adding tea to the batter would take some testing, since it would be adding more liquid to the batter. You could try replacing some of the lemon juice in the icing with tea for earl grey flavor there. Let us know if you try it!
I found a delicious earl grey tea glaze recipe online and it went PERFECTLY with this lemon loaf!!! It is a match made in heaven. The lemon loaf is moist and with an extra lemon zest, has the perfect amount of lemon flavor.
Hi Sally! I just made this cake and turned out amazing, so thank you!
However I had a problem with the icing, as soon as I put the lemon juice it turned brown ( like caramel colour)… any ideas why?
Thank you
Hi Eleonora, that can sometimes happen with icings. Certain brands of confectioners’ sugar may come out whiter than others, and adding the lemon juice can sometimes give it a brownish tint. If you’d like, add a (very!) tiny drop of purple food coloring to the icing. That will brighten it up!
Thank you Lexy! I had no idea!
Tastes delicious but didn’t rise much. Any idea as to why?
Hi Chris, this lemon pound cake doesn’t have a ton of rise, but make sure your baking powder is fresh. We find it starts to lose its effectiveness after about 3 months or so, even if not technically expired. Over mixing the batter can also cause cakes and bread to bake up dense, so be sure to mix the batter until just combined. Thank you for giving this one a try—we’re glad you enjoyed it!
Sally I’m a huge fan of your recipes!!! Could I use this recipe in a bundt pan or as cupcakes?
Hi Deedee! See the post above for instructions on making in a Bundt pan. Cupcakes should work as well—we’re unsure of the exact bake time, but keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
This was delicious! I used the extra amount of lemon zest in the batter and put a little in the icing. I took this to a church potluck and it was a hit! Very summery!
Lemonade pound cake bread! My girls decided it tastes just like homemade, fresh and not overly sweetened lemonade. Wow this is so subtly punchy – how is that possible? Incredibly moist, dense but in no way at all heavy. The heavy cream glaze is perfect! Finally found a great glaze. We doubled it but next time we think 1.5 is plenty. Thank you all this is completely sublime. Perfect summer-cookout hostess gift!
Thank you so much! Love your recipes!
We love this recipe. Used both bundt and loaf recipes for different occasions. But when doing the loaf pan in a wilton 9×5 pan, the bottom and sides are scorching and have to be scrapped. Would parchment paper help or just the wrong pan.
Hi Karen, parchment paper would definitely help. Is your pan particularly dark? That could be contributing to the darker sides and bottoms as well. You could also try moving the pan a rack further from the heating element to see if that helps (bake time could be just slightly longer that way). Glad this one is a favorite for you!
This lemon Pound Cake was absolutely delicious!!!
Very dense and lemony…The icing was perfect! Ive tried other icing recipes, and this was the best.
THANK YOU, SALLY, YOU NEVER DISAPPOINT
Will definitely put this pound cake on my “to bake” list especially since it’s make in a loaf pan. You mentioned in this post your lemon loaf recipe that’s in your cookbook, but is it also listed somewhere on your website (can’t seem to find it). I’m always in search of a really good lemon loaf recipe and am sure yours will be delicious.
Hi Barbara, that particular recipe is exclusive to the cookbook Sally’s Baking Addiction. This is the closest version we have on the website, or you might also enjoy this lemon poppy seed bread. Let us know how you like it!
This pound cake tastes like summer sunshine! The lemon flavor is just perfectly balanced, and even with the icing it’s the perfect in it’s sweetness! It is just a perfect cake! I will definatley be making it often!
Is it possible to substitute lemon extract for the vanilla?
If you are looking for more lemon flavor, you can increase the lemon zest or try adding a small amount of lemon extract to the mix.
I think so many of your recipes all the time and they are always five-star. Today I actually have a different question. Do you have a link to the fort in the photo that says “eat dessert first”?
Etsy! We can’t seem to find the exact Etsy shop this one came from, but here is a similar one: https://www.etsy.com/listing/153747276/eat-dessert-first-recycled-silverware
I think my load pan is 8″ x 4 1/2″ x 2 3/4″. Can I still use it? Any modifications I may need to make? Thank you!
Hi L, Absolutely. The bake time will be a few minutes longer, but use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
Hi there! Is there any reason a layer of raspberries or blueberries can’t be baked into the middle of this? I swear I made a lemon raspberry pound cake recipe of yours years ago but can’t find it so I’m sure I’m remembering wrong. Thank you so much!
Hi Liz! Could you be thinking of our raspberry swirl pound cake recipe? Blueberries would be a fantastic addition to this lemon pound cake – we would stir in about 1 cup to the batter.
If adding blueberries how do you keep them sinking? I tried dusting them with flour first but they all sank. Thanks!
Big fan, first time commenter! Does this icing set, or does it remain pretty liquify/sticky? Thank you!
Hi Megan, the icing will set. The moisture from the cake will seep into the icing if it sits for a while, though.
Hi, do you think this would work well with lime instead of lemon? I’ve had a request for lime drizzle and wanted to use one of your recipes.
Hi Asli, we haven’t tested it but the lime should be an even substitution.
Thank you!
Can I use whole wheat pastry flour in place of the all purpose for all or part of this recipe?
Hi Amy, for best results, we recommend sticking with all-purpose flour here. Swapping with whole wheat pastry flour will change the overall taste and texture. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Sally! I love your recipes and all the tips. Now I need to know the best way to get zest from the lemon. Ideas??
I don’t know what I did wrong but the two loaves I made are very greasy. I double checked the butter thinking I put in too much but it was correct. Any ideas?
Hi Cathy! Happy to help troubleshoot. Could the cakes be under-baked? Also make sure to start with proper room temperature butter and other room temperature ingredients.
Hello Sally,
I‘d love to make this cake for my daughter‘s birthday. Does the cake need cooling? We‘re gonna go camping and might only have a cool bag available, which might not do in case the cake needs to be put in a fridge.
Hi Teresa, you can store this cake for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the refrigerator. Hope the cake is a hit!
This was amazing! It’s not every day you can make something perfect on your first try! I would highly recommend having a slice.. or five for breakfast.
Could I use the soaking syrup from the lemon poppyseed bundt cake recipe on this pound cake as well?
Absolutely!
Delicious! I made this for work and it was very well received. The recipe is great as is, or you can make (~18) personal-sized ones in a muffin tin, just shorten the baking time to 35 min.