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Easy Lemon Pound Cake

A bright and cozy lemon pound cake that's tender and perfect for gatherings, staying moist for days.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 350
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened Room temperature
  • 1.5 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large lemons, zest For lemon sugar
  • 4 large eggs Room temperature
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour Spoon and leveled
  • 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
  • 0.5 teaspoon fine salt
  • 0.5 cup sour cream Room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk As needed for batter consistency
Optional glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Grease and flour a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan thoroughly. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. Combine sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Rub together with your fingers until the sugar looks slightly moist and smells floral.
  3. Beat the butter with the lemon sugar for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
  4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition.
Mixing Ingredients
  1. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Add half of the dry mix to the batter, then sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla. Finish with the remaining dry mix. Add milk as needed to achieve a thick batter.
Baking
  1. Spoon the batter into the pan and level the top.
  2. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Cooling and Glazing
  1. Rest the cake for 15 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a rack.
  2. Once warm, drizzle with lemon glaze if desired.

Notes

For extra moisture, brush the warm cake with lemon simple syrup. Keep the cake tender for days and adds a bright sparkle of flavor. Can also be made in loaf pans with adjusted baking times.