Calling all lemon lovers. This sweet, moist, and very lemony pound cake has a perfectly dense crumb (sour cream in the batter), that bright lemon flavor we all love thanks to a triple dose of citrus, and a wonderful golden-brown top. I have been making it for decades, and it's always a hit for brunch and coffee breaks. It's versatile (variations are included in the post) and fantastic with a simple glaze!
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A remarkable lemon sour cream loaf
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 unforgettable recipe is among the top three, so that's saying a lot.
It's different from this fluffier and more traditional lemon bundt cake.
The first time I took this lemon cake to the office, it not only disappeared in a nanosecond, but even I was impressed by the texture. It was maybe more of a hit than the lemon blueberry loaf, and that's saying a lot!
Pound cakes are vintage and wonderful, and in my 30+ years of baking, I've baked my share of them from scratch. However, I was not expecting to be surprised by a lemon sour cream pound cake recipe.
So go ahead and keep this recipe close. It's worth it.
Why add sour cream to this cake?
It substitutes some of the butter and/or milk, adding moisture while rendering a classic, tighter crumb with a velvety feel. The slight tanginess offsets the sugar and other rich ingredients, like butter. I personally love using sour cream for cakes; it makes a difference.
- Lady O ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This cake is most certainly a keeper for every occasion! Moist and delicious!
- Beulah ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hello Paula, I baked this cake & as you stated, it was a winner for its moistness & lemony! My husband begged me to hide it cause he couldn't stop eating it!🙂
Thanks for sharing, especially the extra tips!!!
- Malia ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fantastic recipe. This is the lightest, yet buttery dense, pound cake! It's hard to describe, except for YUM!!
Testing notes
Paula's baking tips that make a difference.
Creaming: It's important to cream the butter, sour cream and sugar well at the beginning so the cake rises better.
Sift the flour. It adds air to the batter and helps to create a good, dense crumb.
Pan size is important because dense cakes take a while to bake. If the pan is too small, the cake will color and dry too much on the outside before being fully baked on the inside.
Don't overbake it! The second the tester or toothpick comes out clean, remove the pan from the oven.
Bundt cake: you can easily double this recipe and bake it in a bundt pan or tube pan. I do it all the time.
FAQ
The first one has more butter than eggs, while the second should have equal amounts (by 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).
Not creaming well and overmixing 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 silicone spatula. Pound cakes should have a tight crumb but not be pasty or heavy.
Ingredients
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands I use.
- Sour cream: the regular type; full-fat sour cream cheese is used for richness and creaminess.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest: the bottled stuff just doesn't give you the same fresh flavor. Zest the lemon close to using it.
- All-purpose flour or cake flour: both are excellent and get great results.
- Baking soda: make sure it isn't expired.
- Powdered sugar: also called icing or confectioners' sugar.
Steps to make 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.
Creaming
Use a large bowl and an electric mixer, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Take the time to fully integrate the butter, sour cream and sugar before adding the eggs. It should take several minutes.
Sifting the dry ingredients
You can do it in a separate bowl, or have the flour mixture measured and ready to sift directly over the cake batter (my choice).
Paula's Tip
After incorporating flour into a cake batter, you don't want to develop gluten, as it will toughen the baked cake. So mix *just* until it's all well incorporated, but don't overbeat. Also, I like to end mixing with a silicone spatula to ensure the ingredients are fully integrated.
Last mix with a spatula
I like (and recommend) using a spatula at the end to make sure the batter is fully integrated and no flour spots are left at the bottom of the bowl.
Prepared pan
Grease the pan and also line the bottom and two short sides of the pan with a piece of parchment paper. It will be easier to remove the cake and also reduce the chance of it sticking.
Delicious lemon glaze
The most common and best way to glaze this sour cream pound cake loaf is with a powdered sugar glaze. It's versatile, easy, and a crowd-pleaser!
Thicker glaze: use less liquid if you want it to be thick but not drip much down the sides (like this zucchini bundt cake).
Drizzle the glaze
You can spoon it over the loaf cake or pour it from a jar. Do so slowly, making sure it's distributed as evenly as possible. It will drip unevenly, and that is fine.
Cold cake: make sure it's completely cooled down. Otherwise, the glaze will melt and thin out when you drizzle it and hardly cover the cake.
Extra moist lemon cake
This is a pound cake, so it's dense by definition.
But you can add lemon syrup before the glaze, while the cake is still hot. Just like we do for the lemon poppy seed muffins.
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 skewer or something similar so the syrup seeps into the cake faster.
Serving ideas
If you want a lemon dessert, serve a thick slice topped with sweetened whipped cream or the classic lemon curd, and fresh berries.
Make a trifle using the same ingredients and layering them in individual glasses (like the creamy peach trifle recipe) or as a stunning centerpiece in a large glass trifle bowl.
Variations
- Possible pan 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 in a 9x13 rectangular pan. 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.
Lemon Pound Cake (sour cream, lemon glaze)
Ingredients
Lemon cake:
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup + 1 tablespoon, at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from about 1 lemon
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Lemon sugar glaze:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Make the cake batter:
- Preheat oven to 325ºF (170°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with shortening and flour it. You can line it with a strip of parchment paper covering the bottom and the two narrow sides to make it easier to remove the cake. The two long sides are greased but unlined.
- Beat 9 tablespoons unsalted butter and ½ cup sour cream in a large bowl until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest and mix.
- Add 1 ½ cups sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes more.
- Add 3 eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one before adding the next.
- Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.
- Sift 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour with ¼ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt and add it to the butter mixture in 2 additions, beating at low speed only until well mixed. Don't overbeat.
- Pour batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 45-50 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.
Make the powdered sugar glaze:
- Mix ¾ cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon 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.
Anna Long says
I'm wondering if the amount of sugar can be reduced?? 2 cups seems like a lot for a little pound cake??
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Anna, you can reduce it and I'd say between 1/4 to 1/2 cup without a significant change in texture. Sugar helps with the golden brown color, texture and moisture so don't reduce it too much or it can be drier and denser than you want it to.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Rebecca, that's a bummer. It might be due to extra juicy cherries. I'll definitely be testing this pie again this coming week as I have fresh cherries available, and will update the post with adjustments. I'm also sending you an email. Have a great week.
Crystal says
I absolutely loved this recipe. It reminded me of a family recipe that I enjoyed with my grandpa many years ago.
Gerda Godschalk says
I live in the Netherlands and the flour here is different then in America The cake is lovely an soft. But I have a few comments:
My batter was very moist, And I wonder why there is so much sugar in it.
A pound cake should have equal amounts of flour, fats and sugar in it. Yes?
Next time I make this cake I will add les sugar, more lemon zest.
Harriet says
Could u do this with oranges
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Harriet, yes you can but the cake will be sweeter as orange is not as tart as lemon.
Regina says
Hi, I was wondering, can I bake this cake in a ceramic loaf?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Regina! I like metal pans because the bake more even and faster. I never tried this particular recipe, but ceramic (or glass) pans work better for recipes that need to bake slower. I've had adverse results when using non-metal pans as cakes and brownies never fully baked as they should.
Naoko W. says
I decided to make this so as not to waste the leftover sour cream and lemons. It turned out so well and was a huge hit with my family. It's a perfect medley of sugar and lemon. I will never go back to making regular pound cakes. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
Kim says
Simply the best pound cake! The second time baking this now. Doubled the recipe for a Bundt. 65-70 minutes was my time. Thank you for sharing. This is a keeper!
Patricia Matzke says
I get that bloggers want us to read the entire piece and not just the recipe, but if you make a specific note (amongst many others) to use baking POWDER, but list baking SODA in the ingredients, one like myself may not get to that note until my cake is baking and not rising very well. Please write your recipe as you make it, not with note tucked away telling your readers the way to make it better.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Patricia, I checked the recipe again and it only uses baking soda as specified in the instructions, so there must be another issue why your cake is not rising well. Can it be that the soda was expired or maybe something with the oven? You can send me a picture of the final cake and we can troubleshoot.
But rest assured that I don't post the recipes without testing and proofreading them. I can make mistakes and sometimes do, but this particular recipe was made by dozens of readers and myself as written with great results.
Niki says
My son is absolutely in love with this recipe. I’ve baked it 4x in the last 2 weeks. I do however cut the sugar to 1 cup and it still absolutely delicious. With the frosting you don’t miss the additional 1/2 cup. Thank you so much for being my go to recipe. My family and friends will enjoy this got years to come.
Dolores L Beauchamp says
Hello Paula. I love all things lemon especially baked but I'm also a diabetic can I use a sugar substitute and how would I measure that . Thank you and Happy Holidays
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Dolores, unfortunately I don't bake without sugar and am not qualified to advise on that, especially since you're a diabetic which is a medical condition. I can suggest googling for diabetic-specific sites. Have a great holiday week.
Suchita says
I would like to try this recipe.Could you please let me know the measurements in grams.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Suchita, there's a button in the recipe card that you can toggle to alternate between US and metric measurements.
Suchita says
Hi
I could not find any button in the recipe card to convert measurements into metric.,... could you please help with the conversions.,... kindly reply in my mail.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Suchita, you can now toggle the button and it'll show the metric measurements. Happy baking!
Jayne says
I baked this lemon pound cake yesterday and it came out wonderful. Best lemon cake I have made, and I have made many. I will be making it again. I have a few questions and comments. My cake did not rise like yours. I used 9x5 pan. I think the pan may have been too large. Next time I will use a smaller loaf pan, 8x4. I think that may have been why it did not rise like yours did. Also I had to bake the cake longer than 50 minutes, more like 70 minutes. Look forward to hearing from you.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Jayne! I'm happy you liked it so much. A bigger pan produces a shorter cake, so that might've been the case of not growing so much, but it would've required less baking time. So I'm thinking if you're oven's temperature is well calibrated or if you baked it at a lower temp. That might account for the extended time. Also, some pans have finishes that distribute and bake better than others.
Cristina says
En ves de baking soda puede ser baking powder...use crema acida...
Cristina says
Hola hoy hice el pancake y se me hundio un poco del centro....aqui estamos a 2300 metros sobre el nivel del mar....en ves de bicarbonato se puede usar baking powder...o a lo mejor agregar un poco mas de harina...son sugerencias mias....gracias
Cristina says
Hola..voy hacer la receta....me ha pasado que el panque se hunde quisiera saber como hacer para que no pase.....
Paula Montenegro says
Hola Cristina, a veces se hunde porque se bate demasiado la mezcla después que se agrega la harina. No abras el horno antes de 20-25 minutos.
10ecgrannie says
UNBELIEVABLE!
I’ve baked pound cakes for 50 years! My favorite recipes incorporate cream cheese and butter. But THIS sour cream lemon pound cake brings something else to the game!
This cake has a remarkably fine crumb and the lemon is pronounced without being overpowering!
Next time I’m baking it in a binder pan because a loaf is just not enough!
Paula Montenegro says
SO happy to know you loved it! Have a great week.
10ecgrannie says
Correct comment to read:
Next time I’m baking in a Bundt pan because a loaf just isn’t large enough!
Lisa Greene says
Not gonna lie. This was the best cake I've ever made. You know how people substitute ingredients in a recipe then give a rating of one star? I hate that. Well, I did substitute the lemon zest with lime because my lemons were too old and soft to grate. The juice was ok, though. And I stupidly bought low fat sour cream the last time I shopped. I over melted the butter and when I added the eggs the batter "broke" (I think it's called )and looked curdled. I think my eggs were still too cold. I wasn't even precise with measuring my dry ingredients either but this did smooth out the batter. I was a mess and it STILL turned out to be the best dang cake I ever made. We can't stop eating it! It's calling to me now and my mouth is watering. This is going in my "Best of" file.
Paula Montenegro says
OMG Lisa, thanks for letting me know! So happy it worked in spite of lol. Enjoy it and have a great week.
Rietta says
In your notes you say you use baking powder but the recipe states baking soda. Which one should it be?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Rietta, the cake uses baking soda only. Have a great week!
Lisa says
I can't wait to try this! It look fabulous. We have rain later today and tomorrow here in SoCal and a lemon cake will definitely brighten up our afternoon.
Chris says
HI Paula:
Can this recipe be doubled two make 2 loaf pans? If so, should I add the 6 eggs one at a time or can I add 2 eggs at a time? Also, does the bake time change if baking two pans at once?
Thanks!
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Chris! You can double it, no problem, and use two loaf pans or a tube pan. It's better to add the eggs one at a time so they integrate well. The baking time shouldn't change if using 2 pans. If using one tube or bundt pan, it'll probably take 15 more minutes. It depends a lot on your oven.
Madeleine says
Wow delicious and I didn't even put the glaze on. I was generous with the zest, lemon juice and even added a splash of lemon extract. Used 250gm sugar because I always reduce the sugar. This went into my permanent cake baking files as I've been searching for a really good pound cake recipe.
Paula Montenegro says
So happy to know you loved it Madeleine!