Calling all lemon lovers. This sweet, moist, and very lemony pound cake has sour cream for a perfect dense crumb, lemon zest and juice for that bright lemon flavor we all love, and a wonderful golden brown top. Easy to make, it is versatile (variations included in the post) and fantastic with a simple glaze!
A simple title for a wonderful old-fashioned lemon pound cake you'll want to make often.
Considering the years I've been baking and the number of lemon cakes I've baked, this remarkable recipe holds the number one spot.
Pound cakes are vintage and wonderful and keep well (always well wrapped in plastic wrap or under a cake dome, of course), and the ingredients are everyday staples.
This recipe is the best of both worlds in every bite.
Our fav homemade lemon pound cake recipe so far if you like a dense crumb. Different from, say, this fluffier and more traditional lemon cream cake.
Lemon is a crowd-pleaser, we all know that. Just look at the mouthwatering lemon brownies or the lemon poppy seed muffins, and I'm sure you can agree.
Ingredient list
- Sour cream: the regular type, full-fat sour cream cheese is used for richness and creaminess.
- Lemon: fresh lemon juice and zest are used for extra lemon flavor.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
- White, granulated sugar.
- Unsalted butter.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Flour: I use cake flour for this recipe because the texture is softer, but all-purpose flour can be used, and the result will be excellent.
- Baking soda: is used as leavener to help the cake rise, so make sure it isn't expired.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Powdered sugar: also called icing or confectioners' sugar, you can easily buy it online. Domino powdered sugar is a very popular one.
See the recipe card towards the end of this post for quantities.
Sour cream
As the title highlights, it is the star ingredient, making this recipe a fantastic one.
It's a dairy product that results from mixing regular cream with types of bacteria that ferment and thicken it, giving it a tangy and slightly sour flavor.
Why use it in a cake?
Sour cream substitutes some of the butter and/or milk, adding moisture to the cake and making for a tight but soft and tender crumb.
The slight tanginess offsets the sugar and other rich ingredients, like butter.
I personally think sour cream in a cake is one of the best things ever discovered!
How to make a lemon pound cake
Baking is all in the details, like having room temperature ingredients when specified in the recipe.
- Mixing the batter: I use a large bowl and an electric mixer, and you can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Make sure you don't overbeat it after the flour mixture is added.
- Loaf pan: prepare it beforehand as specified in the recipe card below.
- Preheated oven: it's crucial if you want the cake to bake and rise as it should.
Vintage Kitchen tip: after incorporating flour in a cake batter, we don't want to develop gluten, as it will toughen the cake. So mix *just* until it's all well incorporated but don't overbeat. I like to end mixing with a silicon or rubber spatula to ensure the ingredients are fully integrated.
Watch our step-by-step videos
Delicious lemon glaze
The most common and best way to glaze loaf cakes is with a powdered sugar glaze.
It’s versatile, easy, and a crowd-pleaser!
The powdered sugar (also called confectioners' or icing sugar) is mixed with a liquid, lemon juice in this recipe, because, well, it's a lemon loaf cake.
- Cold cake: make sure it's completely cooled down. Otherwise, the glaze will melt when you drizzle it and hardly cover the cake.
- Thicker glaze: use less liquid if you want it to be thick but not drip much down the sides (like this zucchini bundt cake).
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Sour cream: full fat is what I always use because it makes for a richer cake, but low fat can be used with good results.
- Flour: if you have cake flour, I like to use it for pound cakes. It lightens up the crumb, while still keeping the traditional dense quality. But keep in mind that all-purpose will work just fine also.
- Creaming: thoroughly cream the butter, sour cream, and sugar. It makes the cake rise better and makes for a wonderful crumb.
- Baking: pan sizes are important (see variations below) because dense cakes such as this lemon pound cake take a while to bake. So if the pan is too small, it will color and dry too much on the outside before being fully baked on the inside.
- Storing it: well wrapped, it keeps for three days at room temperature, a week in the fridge, and a month or more in the freezer. I love to freeze leftover pound cake in slices and toast them whenever I get a craving.
- Bundt cake: you can easily double this recipe and bake it in a bundt pan or tube pan. I do it all the time.
- Lemon syrup: this is a pound cake, so it's dense by definition. And for us lemon lovers who want an extra moist lemon cake, you can add some lemon syrup before the glaze, while the cake is still hot. You mustn't let the cake cool down. Similar to what we do to the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins.
Simply mix ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice with 2-3 tablespoons of sugar and brush over the cake just as it comes out of the oven.
You can also poke it with a brochette stick or something similar so the syrup seeps into the cake faster. - Serving it: if you want a lemon dessert, serve a thick slice topped with sweetened whipped cream and raspberries, strawberries, or a mix of berries, or lemon curd. Or make a trifle using the same ingredients and layering them in individual glasses (like the Creamy Peach Trifle recipe) or a large glass trifle bowl.
The first time I took this lemon sour cream cake to the office, it not only disappeared in a nanosecond, but even I was impressed by the texture.
And I've baked my share of pound cakes in my 30+ years of baking. Being surprised by a sour cream pound cake recipe was not what I was expecting.
So go ahead and keep this recipe close. It's worth it.
Why is my pound cake heavy?
Overmixing or overbeating can lead to a heavy, stiff pound cake, especially after adding the flour. Make sure you beat at a low speed after you add the dry ingredients, or do it by hand with a whisk or silicon spatula. Also, some recipes have a lighter crumb than others while maintaining a pound cake's characteristic dense structure, so try different ones and find your favorite.
How do you keep a pound cake moist?
Don't overbake it, and keep it well covered in plastic wrap or an airtight container. If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge or freezer after three days at room temperature.
Do you add baking powder or baking soda to a pound cake?
I like baking powder to help the cake rise and get the characteristic crack on top. Baking soda can also be used, but it needs an acidic ingredient to work properly, and some recipes might not include it. You can also use both.
Originally, a pound cake relied on beating to incorporate air and help it rise in the oven. Nowadays, recipes are adapted to a more hectic life and the need for easier baking, so most use some form of chemical leavener (baking powder, baking soda, or a mix of both).
How long do you leave pound cake in the pan before removing it?
I recommend cooling it for 15 minutes on a wire rack in the pan before removing the cake. Otherwise, it'll be too tender, and you might risk tearing it. Run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges before removing it to ensure it doesn't stick to the sides.
What is the difference between a butter cake and a pound cake?
The first one has more butter than eggs, while the second should have equal amounts (in weight). Nowadays, pound cakes have gotten lighter and easier to make, and most don't maintain the exact proportions as the very old ones, which were a pound of each ingredient (flour, butter, sugar, and eggs).
Origin of pound cake
Pound cake originated in France and was made with only four ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, and eggs.
A pound of each! Can you imagine that? Heavy would be a big understatement, I imagine. The famous French cake quatre quarts (which means four quarts).
This was before ingredients like baking powder were discovered, which, in my opinion, turned an already delicious recipe into something even better because it made it lighter but dense, with a moist crumb.
Variations
There are so many ways you can vary this fantastic recipe!
- Pans sizes: double the recipe and bake it in a 10 or 12-cup bundt or tube cake pan like the lemon bundt cake, or a sheet cake like the chocolate chip pound cake. Bake mini bundt cakes like blood orange cakes or chocolate Kahlua cakes.
- Flavorings: add other citruses (I sometimes make this a lemon-lime loaf), add a tablespoon of liquor (replacing some of the lemon juice), use ground spices (cardamom, cinnamon), and add ½ cup of chopped nuts or chocolate chips.
- Chocolate glaze: the combination of lemon and chocolate is highly overrated. Cover this lemon loaf with chocolate ganache and taste for yourself.
- Vanilla pound cake: if you omit the lemon in this recipe and use more vanilla extract, you have a fantastic plain pound cake recipe.
Related recipes you might like:
Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
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PrintThe BEST Lemon Pound Cake
Calling all lemon lovers. This sweet, moist, and very lemony pound cake has sour cream for a perfect dense crumb, lemon zest and juice for that bright lemon flavor we all love, and a wonderful golden brown top. Easy to make, it is versatile (variations included in the post) and fantastic with a simple glaze!
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 â…” cups all-purpose or cake flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 9 tablespoons (130g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Zest from 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
For the glaze:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven 325ºF/170°C.
- Butter or spray one 9x4 loaf pan.
- Spray or butter the pan and line the bottom with parchment if you want. It makes it easier to remove it later.
- In a large bowl beat butter and sour cream until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add lemon zest and mix.
- Add sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes more.
- Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one before adding the next.
- Add vanilla and juice.
- Sift flour with baking soda and salt and add it to the butter mixture at low speed, in 2 additions, beating only until well mixed. Don't overbeat.
- Pour batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. It might take longer depending on your oven and the type of pan you use. If the top is browning too quickly, tent with a piece of aluminum foil for the last part of the baking.
- Cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack, run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges to loosen and remove from the pan carefully.
- Let cool completely before glazing.
For the glaze:
- Mix the powdered sugar and juice until smooth.
- Put the cake on a wire rack and a piece of parchment paper below to catch the drippings.
- Slowly drizzle the glaze along the center of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
- You can scoop the glaze that drips onto the paper and pour it over again. Do so quickly before the glaze sets.
Notes
- Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Sour cream: full fat is what I always use because it makes for a richer cake, but low fat can be used to with good results.
- Flour: if you have cake flour I like to use it for pound cakes. It lightens up the crumb a little, while still being dense. But keep in mind that all-purpose will work just fine also.
- Creaming: take your time to cream butter, sour cream, and sugar. It makes the cake rise better and makes for a wonderful crumb.
- Baking: pan sizes are important (see variations below) because dense cakes such as this lemon pound cake take a while to bake. So if the pan is too small it will color too much on the outside before being fully baked on the inside.
- Storing it: well wrapped it keeps for 3 days at room temperature, a week in the fridge, and a month or more in the freezer. I love to freeze leftover pound cake in slices so I can toast them whenever I get a craving.
- Bundt cake: you can easily double this recipe and bake it in a bundt pan or tube pan. I do it all the time.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10
- Calories: 347
- Sugar: 37.7 g
- Sodium: 120.9 mg
- Fat: 13.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 53.4 g
- Fiber: 0.6 g
- Protein: 4.7 g
- Cholesterol: 86.5 mg
Sally says
The absolute best pound cake I’ve ever made! I set the timer for 45 checked it with a long toothpick. Being a novice cook for 47 years, my better judgment told me to leave in the oven the extra 10-12 mins. When the toothpick comes out clean, it’s done!
Paula Montenegro says
SO happy to heat that Sally! All ovens are different so we should always follow recipes while trusting our instincts. Have a great week.
Candace says
I tried the recipe to the letter 3 times each time and it never came out. The edges were done, but the middle was never done. I let the 2nd and 3rd bake a bit longer than the time allotted and still no good result. Will try another recipe.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Candance, sorry to hear that! Do you know if the oven temperature is working? It sounds like an oven issue. I made it lots of times and there are a lot of pictures posted on Pinterest with people that made it and it came out well.
Beau Barrett says
The problem is your oven is too hot! It's the reason why people are frustrated with the pies and cookies they make. Go to a gourmet store and by a quality oven thermomiter. Most ovens are too hot- even new ones can change unnoticed. Also remember cooking is art- baking is science.. Keep an eye on what you are baking. I wrecked many cookies and pies by following baking instructions. It comes out when IT'S ready. God Bless! Beau.
Brigitte Hanson says
I agree with turning down the heat and baking longer. I had 2 different loaf pans. One dark and one lighter, the darker pan took 55 min and the lighter pan 60 min at 350 degrees. In order to have the center done the edges were overdone even covered with foil. The rise wasn't great either. I think I'll stick to my old recipe where you introduce the sour cream alternating with the flour.
Paula Montenegro says
I will have to try this recipe with that technique and see how it goes. Have a good week Brigette!
Matt says
I have made a similar recipe many times, but I lost it, and this version is really close. One thing that I was taught at a catering company was to add the sour cream at the end, I think because of the fat content overwhelming the fat/sugar balance in the creaming process. I wonder if that matters? So you'd cream the sugar/butter, then add half of the sour cream, then half of the flour/dry mix, remaining half of the sour cream and then the last half of flour. I was told to always end with flour.
Is there a reason you cream the sour cream with the butter?
PS: the discussion on flour weight variance above- the problem with using a measuring cup measurement for flour is people scoop their cups differently and get different amounts of air- so if you say you used x grams by weight, that's always a more reliable number than cups, and I appreciate the weight option. So few Americans do it and it's such an unnecessary variable- we need to be more modern and use a scale and be precise. Weight is also a lot faster to measure than scoops.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Matt! Thanks for your comment.
The first time I made this cake I mixed butter and sour cream together and it turned out so well that I continue to do it this way. But I agree about adding it alternating with the flour as a wet ingredients. I do that in many other recipes that ask for sour cream. I'm thinking the cake will turn out fine either way, but I've never really tried both with this particular recipe.
About the flour weight, I know that google shows 125g as the first option sometimes when you search for it, but it also shows a tablespoon being 8 or 9 grams. So that will make a cup be between 128g and 144g. I've weighted it hundreds of times, and usually go back and weight it again when I get that question, to make sure I'm not making a mistake. I use the scoop and swipe method. This is a futile conversation many times with readers. I use the metric system on a daily basis, I don't live in the US, and also post recipes in Spanish, so I always had to make the conversion in order to write them in that language.
Anyway, I put a lot of thought and effort when posting a recipe, and more times than not what bothers is the way people assume the mistake is always with the blogger. It's a part of what I do. Have a great week!
Bobby says
I made this cake. I followed the recipe to the T, it turned out perfectly.
I used 2 stone loaf pans. The cook time was about 1 hour. I bake until internal temp reached 210 degrees. I think because it’s a dense cake you will have to use a temp gauge. It rose very well and has a small crumb. The flavor is perfect.
Paula Montenegro says
So happy to hear that Bobby! Dense cakes vary in the baking time depending on the oven, it's sometimes hard to explain in a written recipe. A temp gauge is a good idea. Have a happy New year!
Chris jones says
I am sure the 240 grams of flour is not correct I made this cake yesterday using grams not cups the batter was very thick, as I was preparing the ingredients I was thinking that’s a lot of flour but didn’t bother to check the conversion.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Chris! I'm wondering how the cake turned out?
The batter is thick. A cup of flour is 140g, can be 135g sometimes.
I measure and weigh ingredients personally, I don't google it. I don't live in the US and I use the metric system. So I'm pretty familiar with it. Hope this helps.
Ayako Goto says
I am pretty sure that 1C flour is 125g.
I measure and weight it.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Ayako, I do measure and weight it myself also (I use the metric system where I live) and it's always between 135g and 140g.
Ayako Goto says
And 1tablespoon of flour is 8 gram.
Jo auBuchon says
I haven't tasted it yet but I wish that the juice measurement was a little more exact than "juice of half a lemon". What size lemon? I used a medium sized lemon and felt that it was the reason that my cake took 56 minutes to attain an internal temp of 210. At 45 minutes, it was still raw inside.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Jo, I added 2 tablespoons so it's easier. Let me know how it tasted.
Jo says
Thanks so much! The first loaf I made tastes great just took longer to bake.
Paula Montenegro says
So glad about that! Oven and pans are different around the world even though it might seem not like a big issue sometimes, but they are, and 350° should be exact everywhere, sometimes there are differences in the way the ovens are calibrated or the type of material the pan is made of. So 5-10 minutes differences, in a cake for example, are more common than one might think. Have a great week Jo and thanks for writing back, it helps a lot to troubleshoot!
LeLo says
This Cake is Heaven. I reduce the amount of sugar (only 200g). This cake is the fave of my whole family. Thank you for sharing.
Deb says
The best! I made it with limes rather than lemons, because that was what I had. Nevertheless, it was delicious! Thank you for posting.
Paula Montenegro says
Great to hear that Deb!
Barbara Fallon says
I’m not a dessert baker but thought I’d give this recipe a try. The flavor was wonderful but mine also didn’t rise like the picture, took about 10 min longer to bake and was a little dense. Looking at your other pound cake recipes as well as other sources I wonder if the 1/4 tsp of baking soda is a typo. No other recipes use so little.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Barbara, I checked the recipe again and it's fine, and I know many made it and it turned out well as they posted the finished cakes on Pinterest.
But common issues for dense cakes might be over beating, oven temperature not right, smaller pan size so the cake can't rise properly, takes too long to bake, and dries out a bit. Ingredients at room t° are also important so the batter mixes well. Does this help?
Andy says
So delicious! Was super easy to make!
Lesa says
Delicious! Mine did not rise in the middle as high as pictured. I used a 9x4 pan? Wondering if it didn’t need a 1/2 tsp if baking soda as opposed to 1/4?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Lesa, thanks for the comment. I think the oven plays a big part in how cakes rise many times. The baking soda I agree it might need less.
Becca says
Ok this was definitely delicious! I would make a couple of tweaks when making again, though. Mine was definitely not set in the middle after 45 minutes and I had to cook it an additional 20+. The outside crusts were beautiful and set though and I think I over cooked them a bit by the time I as done! I might try cooking at 325 for one hour and see where that lands me next time. I also greased my pans and lined with parchment, and that worked beautifully! Definitely a solid recipe which I'll be making again! (I'm also curious whether the additional butter and flour is for the pan - your recipe wasn't clear but I noticed those amounts were not doubled in the doubled versions...so might might have had too much flour and butter. (Oh well!)
Paula Montenegro says
First, I'm so glad you liked it! It's definitely one of my favorite recipes. I sometimes make it lemon-lime and it's amazing too.
If by additional you mean the tablespoons of flour and butter they are part of the whole amount. I think it might not be clear enough, I'll check out how to change that. And as for the baking time, ovens and pan materials play such a big part that it's hard to give an exact time. Thanks for the comment Becca!
Natalie says
Oh wow.. this pound cake looks so moist and delicious. Flavorful and perfect. I will definitely make this to accompany my afternoon tea. Saved!
SHANIKA says
This Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cakes looks so good and this flavor combo sounds killer! I always like a little crunch on top and this looks like such a winner!
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
This pound cake looks so delicious! And all of your great tips make it sound like a breeze to make. Can't wait to give it a try!
Kate says
Oh wow I can tell just from the pictures how soft and tender this cake is, not too dense and not too light! And the photos are really beautiful too!
Amy says
I love how you used sour cream in this loaf! It gives the cake a delicious, moist texture! The combo with the sweet lemon just sends the flavors over the moon. Thanks for the recipe!
Kushigalu says
I am drooling over this cake. So delicious. I have to try this soon.
Leslie says
This pound cake looks like absolute perfection! Sour cream does have this profound way of making everything better!