Calling lemon lovers everywhere. Forget what you know about lemon cake — this Lemon Pound Cake is about to blow your mind. With bright lemon flavor and a tart lemon glaze, it’s the ideal summer dessert.
Lemon Pound Cake Ingredients
You might just have most (if not all) of these simple ingredients already in your kitchen.
- Flour – Flour is what holds all of this together. No need for fancy cake flour, all-purpose flour is just fine for this easy recipe.
- Baking powder – Baking powder acts as a leavening agent for this moist pound cake. It’s what helps to give it rise and height.
- Salt – As stated before, we aren’t using butter in this recipe, so we do need to add just a touch of salt to balance out the flavors.
- Vanilla yogurt – Part of what makes this such a moist lemon pound cake is the fact that we use yogurt instead of unsalted butter like a classic pound cake recipe. The tangy flavor also helps to complement the lemon.
- Sour cream – Sour cream adds moisture to the cake batter without thinning it out too much. The slightly sour flavor also pairs well with the yogurt.
- Sugar – You can have a cake without sugar! Regular granulated white sugar is what we need.
- Large eggs – Any time you are baking with eggs, assume the recipe calls for large eggs. For the best results, make sure to use room-temperature eggs.
- Lemon – Lemon desserts just aren’t the same without fresh lemon juice or zest. I always prefer using fresh lemons instead of the bottled variety.
- Lemon extract – This is one of three ways we incorporate lemon into this lemon loaf recipe. But feel free to use vanilla extract if you don’t have any on hand.
- Vegetable oil – I prefer moist crumbs for my homemade lemon pound cake, and using vegetable oil is a great way to achieve that.
- Lemon marmalade – This is the third and final addition of lemon to our easy lemon pound cake. It has a delicious but subtle lemon flavor and is perfect for lemon recipes of any kind.
- Powdered sugar – Sometimes called confectioners’ sugar, powdered sugar is used to provide both structure and sweetness to our tangy lemon glaze.
Variations
Lemon pound cake is a sweet and citrusy treat that’s fantastic all on its own. But you can switch it up, too!
- Berries – Fold blueberries or raspberries into the batter for a burst of fruity flavor and a pop of color.
- Poppy Seeds – Add poppy seeds to the batter for some crunchiness and subtle nutty flavor.
- Coconut – Stir shredded coconut into the batter for a tropical flavor.
- Spices – Shake in ground ginger or cardamom for an added layer of flavor.
How to Make Lemon Pound Cake
You are going to love how easy it is to make this bright and citrusy cake.
- Prepare oven and pan. Preheat the oven and coat a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. You can also line the pan with parchment paper if preferred.
- Dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together yogurt, sour cream, sugar, and eggs. Blend well and then add lemon zest, extract, and vegetable oil. Slowly, add the flour mixture. The batter might be a little lumpy.
- Bake. Pour batter into bread pan. Set pan onto a baking sheet. Bake until it passes the toothpick test. If the top starts to brown before the cake is fully cooked, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil.
- Cool. Remove the lemon pound cake and allow it to cool in the pan on a wire rack before gently removing it from the pan. It should come out easily, but if not, cut along the sides with a knife and then tap on the bottom until it releases.
- Make glaze. While the cake is cooling, heat the marmalade in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking until smooth. Remove and stir in powdered sugar. You may need to add a little more powdered sugar or a small amount of milk or water until an easily pour-able consistency.
- Finish. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake, cut into individual slices, and serve.
Storage and Freezing
How to Store
Store your cake in a cool, dry place at room temperature. Make sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil or in an airtight container. It should stay good and moist for up to 5 days.
Can I Freeze Lemon Pound Cake?
This Lemon Pound Cake is also freezer-friendly. Wrap very well in aluminum foil and/or freezer paper and store in the back of the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw by unwrapping and sitting at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
Common Questions about Lemon Pound Cake
Unless you choose to glaze your pound cake with a dairy-based topping, it isn’t necessary to refrigerate it. In fact, it will stay moist longer if stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
Lemon pound cake, like any baked good, can turn out dry if there are too many dry ingredients mixed with the wet ingredients. Be sure to measure precisely to avoid a dry cake.
Lemon zest is the best way to introduce concentrated lemon in a cake. You can also use lemon juice and lemon zest.
More Delicious Desserts
After a delicious dinner, there’s nothing I love more than a homemade dessert. Here are some of our favorites.
Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces vanilla yogurt 2 individual containers
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup lemon marmalade , for glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Cooking spray preferably butter flavored
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 9-inch bread pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle or a large mixing bowl using an electronic hand mixer, cream together yogurt, sour cream, sugar and eggs. Blend well and then add lemon zest, extract and vegetable oil. Slowly, add dry mixture. Mixture might be a little lumpy.
- Pour batter into bread pan. Set pan onto a baking sheet. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. If the top starts to brown before the cake is fully cooked, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil.
- Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before gently removing from the pan. It should come out easily, but if not, cut along the sides with a knife and then tap on the bottom until it releases.
- While cake is cooling, heat marmalade in a small sauce pan over low heat, whisking until smooth. Remove and stir in powdered sugar. You may need to add a little more powdered sugar or a small amount of milk or water until an easily pour-able consistency.
- Glaze cake and serve. Enjoy your Lemon Yogurt “Pound” Cake!
Nutrition
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Loved how simple this cake was, and I didn’t even have to go to the shop to get the ingredients – had everything in my kitchen already! Brilliant recipe for beginners – easy to make, lovely flavour and brilliant texture!
I love any kind of lemon dessert and this pound cake looks so light and fluffy.
Love the big lemon flavors in this pound cake! Absolutely delicious.
Totally in love with this lemon cake. Looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
This looks SO good! Pinned!
This looks really delicious Jessica! Pinning for later 🙂
It looks amazing! I am Pinning this for Easter!
Mmmm pinned for later
Thanks!