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Lemon Pound Cake is made with fresh, squeeze lemon juice and zest for a cake that’s like a taste of summer with every bite. If you love classic pound cake, then you’ll be head over heels for this citrus loaded version!
Happy Friday, friends! The sun is shining and the weekend is finally here. I thought I’d bring a few rays of sunshine into my house with a little something sweet for my guys. It was an easy choice…pound cake plus lemons, what a great combination. This has become not only a family favorite dessert but also a reader favorite at A Southern Soul
What Goes In Lemon Pound Cake
- Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest
- Sour Cream
Tips For Making This Cake
- Take your time and measure all the ingredients carefully.
- Zest the lemon before you juice it. If you’ve ever tried to zest a lemon or lime after you’ve squeezed it, you know why this step is so important.
- Butter and flour your pan well. The last thing you want is for your cake to stick in the pan.
- Let the cake cool completely before drizzling on the glaze.
For More Great Cake Recipes, Give These A Try
- Old Fashioned Caramel Snack Cake
- Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- Angel Food Cake
- Vanilla Sheet Cake with Chocolate Fudge Icing
With a bright citrus taste, this lemon pound cake is yummy and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temp (2 sticks)
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 eggs at room temp
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 ¼ tablespoons grated lemon peel
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease tube or bundt pan.
- Dust pan with flour; tap out excess.
- Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl.
- Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl at medium speed until fluffy.
- Gradually add sugar and beat 5 minutes.
- Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each egg is added.
- Beat in lemon juice and peel.
- Using rubber spatula, mix in dry ingredients.
- Mix in sour cream.
- Pour batter to prepared pan – batter will be thick.
- Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Let cake cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Cut around cake in pan. Turn out cake.
- Carefully turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely.
- For an extra touch – drizzle glaze made of 1 cup confectioners sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice over cake.
Did you make my Lemon Pound Cake?I’d love to see! Share on Instagram, tag @asouthernsoul, and use the hashtag #asouthernsoul!
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[…] Recipe adapted from A Southern Soul […]
Absolutely the Best lemon pound cake that has ever hit my mouth! Followed your recipe without changing a thing.. came out beautiful and so delicious. Used Myer Lemons that were gifted to me from one of my clients. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.. Definitely a keeper and will be made for special occasions.. Today was my Husband’s Birthday and he loved it as much as I did!
You’ve made my day! Thank you so much for sharing and for the terrific rating. Happy birthday to your husband!
~Donya
If I only have salted butter do I omit the salt?
Add just a pinch.
~Donya
Perfection – it turned out amazing and smells fab – I cant wait to do the glaze and then eat it – going to take with me on New Years Eve for Dessert
Made enough to fill a bundt pan and a small 6″ pan – if I could post a pic it turned out so pretty – thanks for the recipe
This cake was AWESOME!
I made it twice now with Meyer lemons grown in our yard. It is a hit and will be a staple.
Hey there Mary!
Wow! I am so happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying this classic pound cake, using home-grown lemons is a terrific idea! Thank you so much for your wonderful rating and for your kind words of support, if you ever have any questions about a recipe please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask!
~Donya
I make almond pound cake regularly. Obviously, you are aware that it calls for an extra cup of butter and another cup of flour. I can see where the butter is subbed by the sour cream, but how is this cake without the added cup of flour? i enjoy the dense pound cake when we eat pound cake, so I am curious.
I do want to add that I am grateful for the recipe to try this weekend instead of a lemon loaf cake being passed off as a pound cake. Though loaf cakes are nice, there is a reason pound cakes are called pound cakes… and as a true southern lady, when I make a pound cake- that is what I want to make. I had to search hard to find an actual lemon pound cake recipe. I was thinking about simply substituting lemon extract for the almond in the million dollar cake variety but wasnt sure that would be enough. This one sounds much better. Thank you in advance for any insight.
Hey there Lissell!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, if you’re looking for a true southern Lemon Pound Cake, then you’ve definitely come to the right place! You’re totally correct, in this recipe I add a cup of sour cream instead of using an additional 2 sticks of butter, this not only adds the necessary fat but also keeps the cake moist and dense with a fantastic flavor. With a little experimenting, I found that an extra cup of flour was unnecessary since there is no milk or buttermilk in the recipe, the combination of sour cream and lemon juice gives the cake enough liquid to balance 3 cups of flour, I found that an additional cup of flour made the cake dry rather than moist and dense. I hope that this is helpful, please let me know how everything turns out, I’d love to hear what you think!
~Donya
Superb lemon cake, probably best I’ve ever tasted. In addition to my love of it, three other good cooks had the highest praise for it and want the recipe.
Hey there Elaine!
Wow! I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, reading this comment has made my day! If you liked this pound cake, you should check out my Million Dollar Pound Cake Recipe, it’s just as easy to make and its super delicious! Thank you so much for your kind words and for your fabulous rating, I really appreciate your support. Let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, I’m always more than happy to help!
~Donya
Easy to make. Through it together just before dinner and enjoyed it for dessert.
Hey there!
Thank you so much for your kind words and your fantastic rating, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! If you liked this recipe, you should check out my Million Dollar Pound Cake, it’s just as easy to make with phenomenal flavors. Let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, I’d be more than happy to help!
~Donya
This is the tastiest cake I have ever baked! It is moist and the lemon juice and zest add a nice tangy flavor to the cake.
Hey there Lori!
Thank you so much, I am so pleased to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I really appreciate your support, have a happy holidays!
~Donya
This is the pound cake I recall from my youth! Literally tastes like the one my Gran used to make. I made it for my son and his girlfriend, added fresh blueberries, and a lemon glaze. Holy Cow! Delicious! Super moist and flavorful with just the right amount of heaviness. Thank you for posting this keeper ❤️ By the way, in case anyone is wondering, you can make this in two 9″-inch loaf pans. Just grease and flour in the same manner as the recipe. Turns out beautiful!
Hey there Tempa!
Wow! Thank you so much for this fantastic rating, and your sweet comment, I am so happy to hear you and your son enjoyed this recipe! This lemon pound cake is one of my favorite recipes of all time, it makes me happy to hear it’s as nostalgic for you as it is for me. Thank you so much for your support, let me know if you ever have any other questions about a recipe!
Best,
~Donya
Hey Donya…. that’s the best lemon pound cake I have ever made, and i’ve made quite a few pound cakes! Thank You So Much for sharing your treasured recipe – was it your Mama’s or did you tinker? Well, it makes a flavorful, soft, light pound cake! The dense but light texture felt like I’d made it with cake flour, but no I just used AP. Granted, baking with sour cream has some amazing influence, but everything comes together in this cake to make it something magical. I did not change a thing, no tweaks, doesn’t need it. Oh, just the baking time adjustment because I made 5 small loaves to give as gifts.
Hey there Leslie!
Thank you so very much for your sweet words and your fantastic rating! It’s my recipe, and it truly warmed my heart reading this comment. It’s so funny you mentioned the sour cream because I always think of it as my special secret ingredient; sour cream will do wonders to just about any recipe you add it to. I am absolutely thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for your support!
~Donya
Oh my gosh! I came across this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it. This is THE BEST Lemon Pound Cake I have ever eaten! Will be making this again, and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Hey Tameka!
I am overjoyed to hear you liked this recipe! I grew up on good southern pound cake, these recipes are some of all time favorites so I’m thrilled you liked it! Thank you so much for your rating and your support!
~Donya
This looks like a long-lost recipe I had for lemon pound cake that I absolutely loved! It had great texture, had that heavy pound cake feeling but didn’t feel “heavy when you ate it. I always added extra lemon juice and zest because I love lemony desserts. This also tastes (tasted when I made in past) great with orange. (Lime would also be deliscious)
I have not made this recipe but it looks same from what I can remember.
Wow!! This recipe is great! I made this on Sunday and it came out great! Made a bundt cake and had batter left over to make a loaf cake! Lovely texture! Delicious!! Will be making this often!!
Thank you so much, Neisha for letting me know.
I’m glad you like this recipe. It’s my go-to for pound cake.
Have a wonderful week,
~Donya
OMG!!! This is one of the best pound cakes I’ve ever made! Texture is wonderful and delicate lemon flavor. After it cooled and I took it out of the pan, I drizzled with a mixture of powdered sugar, butter, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. This cake is to die for and I will be making it again.
This pound cake looks delicious ?
Will try it, but want to use lemon extract also
How much would I use or do I omit lemon juice. Want to try it today. Thanks
Hey Marilyn. I’m thinking if you are going to add the extract and the fresh juice, maybe start with a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract and cut the juice down to 1/4 cup. Hope that helps.
~Donya
This looks so delicious. I love lemon!
Thanks Julie!
If it’s lemon we love it too. Thanks for stopping by.
XO,
~Donya
Lemon is one of my favorites! Can’t wait to share this recipe with a friend who loves lemons as much as I do!
Awesome Stacey! Thanks for sharing and stopping by. Lemon lovers unite!