This easy and classic lemon pound cake recipe is a refreshing breakfast, brunch and dessert favorite! It’s just as good as it is simple and beautiful! Finished with a flavorful glaze and deliciously moist.

A pound cake is a simple cake recipe originally made with 4 staple ingredients – a pound of butter, pound of sugar, pound of eggs and a pound of flour.

They can be baked either in a loaf or a bundt pan and served with powdered sugar or a glaze. It’s a great recipe to use as a base to experiment with different flavors, like lemon, orange or chocolate.

This lemon pound cake recipe is always a favorite for Easter and Mother's Day brunch
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Who can resist Lemon Pound Cake in spring and summer? It’s always a fave. Don’t be fooled by the weeks old pound cake sold at America’s favorite coffee shop. This lemon pound cake is moist, refreshing and oh so irresistible!

It’s one of my favorite lemon recipes! Don’t skip our complete guide to the BEST Lemon Desserts too.

It’s bright and flavorful with a little zest in every bite. This Lemon Pound Cake is perfectly paired with a simple glaze that takes it over the top.

The lemon glaze on this recipe is literally the icing on the cake. It’s sweet with a hint of tartness, it’s so easy to make and it finishes the cake off wonderfully. I adapted it from my favorite glaze recipe, but caution you, it’s all too good on a spoon.

This delicately flavored loaf cake was meant for sharing, it’s so easy to transport, so it’s a great choice to take to friends when you visit. It works so well with a tea or coffee in the afternoon and it’s great for a sociable coffee morning.

This recipe is always a hit with everyone who tries it, people will be begging you for the recipe! (See the full printable recipe in the card below).

Lemon Pound Cake Ingredients

  • Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference.
  • Sugar – White granulated sugar.
  • Flour – All purpose.
  • Milk – Whatever you have on hand from skim to Vitamin D, but full fat offers the best flavor.
  • Eggs
  • Lemon Extract – Gives this cake bright flavor. Do not substitute it with lemon essence.
  • Lemon Juice – Fresh squeeze lemon juice is preferable. You can substitute 100% Lemon Juice found in the produce section of your grocer.
  • Zest – The other rind of a lemon packs a lot of punch.

It’s so simple and easy to make this delicious pound cake!

How To Make Lemon Pound Cake – Step by Step

  1. Prep – Grease 1 pound bread pan and preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Add Air to Butter – In a mixing bowl, beat butter until light in color (about 3 minutes). This is what gives the cake rise since a leavening agent is not used.
  3. Add Sugar – Gradually incorporate sugar and beat until fluffy.
  4. Add Eggs – One at a time and blend in on low until just combined.
  5. Alternate Adding Flour and Milk – Add lemon extract until smooth.
  6. Bake – Pour into bread pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes (use toothpick test to confirm).
  7. Cool
  8. Make Glaze – Meanwhile, combine glaze ingredients and mix on medium until smooth. Remove cake from pan and pour glaze over top.
The best lemon pound cake recipe - so easy, too!

Variations

  • Make it Ornate – Bake it in an ornate loaf or bundt pan.
  • Serve with Berries – Beautiful berries are the perfect pairing.
  • Serve with Mint – Lemon and mint go incredibly well together!
  • Drizzle with Raspberry Sauce – It’s like raspberry lemonade!
  • Fold in Blueberries
  • Fold in Poppyseeds
  • Fold in Nuts

If you love pound cake as much as we do, be sure to check out my ultimate pound cake guide – you’ll learn everything you need to know about baking this incredibly delicious treat! 

Easy lemon glaze recipe - prefect for cakes and doughnuts

Tips

  • Preheat oven to just 300 degrees. This is lower than most of your baking, and it’s with good reason! 
  • Bring ingredients to room temperature so that you achieve the perfect crumb.
  • Use full-fat ingredients for the best results (no margarine).
  • Do not overbeat the batter – alternate ingredients exactly as stated in directions.
  • Use a high quality baking spray. This ensures a clean, proper release. You won’t regret it! 
  • Pour into loaf pan allowing space to compensate for rise (discard or use excess batter in mini loaf pans).
  • Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the crust is golden brown.
  • If baking in miniature loaf pans, reduce baking time to 50 minutes.
  • Double all of these recipes to fill a bundt pan.

To Store

  • Room Temperature – Store covered or in an airtight container up to 5 days. Once you cut into this cake, moisture begins to escape. Use plastic wrap to cover the exposed slice. Sliced pound cake keeps for 3-4 days.
  • Refrigerate – Store covered or in an airtight container up to 7 days, ensuring exposed surface is covered with plastic.
  • Freeze – Wrap pound cake in plastic wrap and add an extra layer of aluminum foil or a freezer bag to prevent frost or freezer odors from seeping in. Freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature to enjoy.
How to make lemon pound cake - easy recipe for brunch and dessert
Incredibly easy, incredibly good lemon pound cake recipe
This lemon pound cake recipe is always a favorite for Easter and Mother's Day brunch
4.80 from 5 votes
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Lemon Pound Cake

Easy lemon pound cake recipe – a refreshing breakfast, brunch and dessert favorite! It's just as good as it is easy and beautiful!
Prep: 8 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 28 minutes
Servings: 8
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Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Grease 1 lb bread pan and preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat butter until light in color {about 3 minutes}. Gradually incorporate sugar and beat until fluffy.
  • Add eggs one at a time and blend in on low.
  • Alternate adding flour and milk, add lemon extract until smooth.
  • Pour into bread pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes {use toothpick test to confirm}.
  • Allow to cool. Meanwhile, combine glaze ingredients and mix on medium until smooth. Remove cake from pan and pour glaze over top.

Julie’s Tips

Substitutions

  • Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference. Full fat, do not substitute margarine.
  • Milk – Whatever you have on hand from skim to Vitamin D, but full fat offers the best flavor.

Tips

  • Bring ingredients to room temperature so that you achieve the perfect crumb.
  • Do not over beat the batter – alternate ingredients exactly as stated in directions.
  • Pour into loaf pan allowing space to compensate for rise (discard or use excess batter in mini loaf pans).
  • Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the crust is golden brown.
  • If baking in miniature loaf pans, reduce baking time to 50 minutes.
  • Double the recipe to fit a bundt pan.

To Store

  • Room Temperature – Store covered or in an airtight container up to 5 days. Once you cut into this cake, moisture begins to escape. Use plastic wrap to cover the exposed slice. Sliced pound cake keeps for 3-4 days.
  • Refrigerate – Store covered or in an airtight container up to 7 days, ensuring exposed surface is covered with plastic.
  • Freeze – Wrap pound cake in plastic wrap and add an extra layer of aluminum foil or a freezer bag to prevent frost or freezer odors from seeping in. Freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature to enjoy.
Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 83g | Vitamin A: 392IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg

Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.

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22 Comments

  1. Hi Julie I make this recipe most of the time Easy and Delicious , I like to know for the icing on my old printed out it said 6Tbs.of melted butter 3c.powedered sugar 1/4c. lemon juice & lemon zest I wonder if all is correct, isn’t too much butter ? I like to receive the right recipe if possible, Thank You & keep up with the great work.

  2. Hi Julie,

    Iโ€™ve made this recipe twice just to make sure I didnโ€™t make it wrong the first time, and it absolutely did not work. Two cups of butter is way too much and it makes the cake incredibly greasy and heavy. Do you have any recommendations on what to do?

    1. Hi Ellie! It’s Pound Cake – traditionally made with a pound of butter. It’s a very heavy, dense cake by definition. You may prefer my sweet Lemon Loaf

    1. A little more potent for a small amount so that it doesn’t effect the consistency of the bread. Enjoy!