This Perfect Lemon Pound Cake is the ultimate no-fail Spring dessert with fresh, tart lemon flavour! It’s perfectly moist and tender and is delicious with fresh berries or cream! And don’t forget to check out my tips on how to make the perfect pound cake every time!
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This Perfect Lemon Pound Cake is one of my all-time favourite Spring desserts. I originally shared it with you 2 years ago on the blog, but since it’s one of those recipes I’ve made over and over again, I’ve made a few small changes to the recipe that I think make it even better, so I’m re-sharing it with you today with brand new photos and a tutorial video that will help you make the perfect pound cake at home every single time.
The secrets to making the perfect pound cake at home are actually quite simple, but even though pound cake recipes are traditionally quite simple and seemingly easy, it’s also the kind of cake that’s easy to mess up if you’re unfamiliar with the process.
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When it comes to how to make the perfect pound cake, the mixing is absolutely key. Whipping the butter and sugar together for an extra long time to create the ultimate fluffiness and then adding the eggs one at a time, whipping them in to create volume in the pound cake batter is what creates the lift in the cake – no leavening agent required!
Pound cakes are traditionally more on the dense side than a typical sponge cake, which is part of their trademark texture. But there’s a big difference between being dense and being heavy and you’ll definitely want to avoid the latter by not only whipping enough air into the wet ingredients, but also by making sure that when you fold the flour into the wet ingredients that you’re doing so with a light hand – this can make or break your pound cake – because if you’re too heavy handed when folding in the dry ingredients you’ll end up with a heavy, dry result that doesn’t rise. And trust me, no one wants that!
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My last tip for making the perfect pound cake is to make sure it’s baked just enough, and not over- or under-baked. I know this probably sounds obvious, but since this recipe doesn’t contain any leavening agent it’s even more critical that it’s not under-baked or you’ll find the middle of the cake falls after baking, which is not a good look. Toward the end of the baking time, watch the cake carefully and test it with a toothpick every few minutes until it’s completely done. Be sure to remove it from the oven as soon as it passes the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean), otherwise you’ll be left with a very dry pound cake!
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This Perfect Lemon Pound Cake is one I’ve adapted from Chef Anna Olson. As far as baked goods go, I’ve never tried so many winning recipes from one chef as I have from Anna Olson. It should come as no surprise that her recipe for lemon pound cake is exceptional. I’ve made a few minor changes to the recipe as I’ve made it over the years, and it’s become a favourite in our family!
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Looking for more delicious desserts? You’ll LOVE these:
- Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- Lemon Raspberry Meringue Nests
- Best Ever Orange Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Classic Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Vanilla Marble Pound Cake
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Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this classic recipe. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Perfect Lemon Pound Cake
This Perfect Lemon Pound Cake is the ultimate no-fail Spring dessert recipe that's moist and tender and made with fresh lemons!
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Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 493kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- zest of 2 large lemons
- 5 eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream (full fat)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a loaf pan with butter and add a piece of parchment paper along the bottom and up two of the sides for easy removal. Grease the parchment paper as well, just to be sure nothing will stick.
- Add the butter to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on high speed until the butter is pale in colour (about 4 minutes).
- Add the sugar and beat on high speed until the mixture is extra light and fluffy (about 7-10 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl every few minutes). The mixture should turn a pale yellow colour and be quite fluffy after 7 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one or two at a time and continue beating on high speed after they've all been added to incorporate even more air into the batter.
- Add the sour cream and the vanilla to the bowl and beat for another minute or so, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Add the lemon zest and beat on high speed until combined.
- Add the flour and salt to the mixing bowl and fold it into the wet ingredients by hand using a rubber spatula. Be sure to do this carefully so you don't deflate the batter as the flour is incorporated. Folding requires that you scrape the bottom of the bowl and use an "up and over" motion. Do not stir, as this will break the air bubbles you've created by beating the ingredients up until this point. This cake contains no leavening agent, so the bubbles in the batter are what will keep it from sinking in the middle as it bakes.
- Carefully scrape the batter into the loaf pan you've prepared.
- Bake for 65-75 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. After 65 minutes, test the cake by gently inserting a wooden skewer in the centre. If it comes out clean, it's done! If not, return the cake to the oven for another 5 minutes and test again.
- When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest in the pan for about 10 minutes.
- Remove it from the loaf pan using the parchment paper to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 196mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 917IU | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg
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Judith says
lemon cake was easy, perfect and delicious.
Chrissie says
That’s great! So glad you liked the recipe!
Jenna says
Made tonight. Was not too lemon flavoured. Dense, and a bit crispy. Going to try again with some added lemon extract.
Chrissie says
Thanks for the feedback Jenna! Lemon extract would be good, but if you’re looking for an even more intense lemon flavour, feel free to add even more lemon zest!
Mary ellen says
I am going to try and have some fresh blueberries what do you think about incorporating into batter.
Chrissie says
I think that’s a great idea! I’d suggest tossing the blueberries in some flour before incorporating them into the batter, just so they don’t all sink to the bottom of the loaf!
Rajiv Kumar says
Yesterday there was a party in my family, we made this cake. It was very awesome!!!! Everobody praised of this cake.
The Busy Baker says
Thanks so much for letting us know! Glad you liked them!!
Corry says
Hi Chrissie
Can I change the sour cream to yoghurt?
Chrissie says
Great question. I wouldn’t recommend reducing the fat at all in this recipe – if you’re going to use yogurt instead of sour cream, be sure to use full fat Greek Yogurt with a low water content (regular yogurt has a high water content, Greek yogurt has a lower water content) that’s at least 10-12%. Any lower fat than that and the cake won’t rise because there will be too much water in the recipe. Hope you like the recipe!
Kathee says
I made this and I agree with the comment needs some extract, lemon oil or lemon juice. The lemon flavor was too faint for my personal taste. Some guests liked it just as it is.
Chrissie says
Feel free to add lemon extract or even a couple more lemons (the zest only) to make it more to your taste!
Judith says
Absolutely perfect. I will be making this again and again! Not dry not dense but just right! Easy to make with simple ingredients. The taste without lemon zest (didn’t have any) was still perfect.
Chrissie says
So glad you liked it!
Brandi Burgess says
I am OBSESSED with lemon desserts! This perfect lemon pound cake is my NEW FAVE!!!
The Busy Baker says
Thanks so much Brandi!! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Kat says
Hi, may I know what size of loaf pan did you used? Thanks
Ana Ghiran says
Hey Kat!Sure, I am using a 9×4 inch pan.