Moist Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

This moist lemon pound cake recipe features a delicious, tender lemon cake that's buttery and dense but with a wonderful crumb. We bake it until golden and caramelized on the edges, then we top it with a simple lemon frosting that's sweet, tangy, just like the original Starbuck's lemon loaf.

When it comes to delicious desserts, nothing is better than a simple loaf cake. Sweet, moist, and tender, recipes like a chocolate chip loaf cake are simple to make and hard to stop eating. That's the best combo if you ask us.

Today, we're showcasing a delicious variation of a lemon pound cake recipe. We did a bit of a Frankenstein experiment and combined the flavor and sensibilities of a classic pound cake with the extra moisture of a loaf cake to create a hybrid, super moist lemon pound cake.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Basic Ingredients: Both the pound cake and the frosting are made with simple, basic baking ingredients you can find in your kitchen or at your local grocery store.
• Easy: If you can use a whisk and the oven, you can make this cake!
• So Rich: This cake is so rich and buttery.
• Moist: We use a combination of butter, oil, and sour cream to make a super moist pound cake.
• The Perfect Cake: This recipe for lemon pound cake combines the dense texture of pound cake with the extra moisture of loaf cake.
• Zippy and Sweet: The lemon in the cake and the frosting add a zippy citrus flavor to the sweet cake, creating the perfect balance of flavors.
• Perfect for Recipe Prepping: This is a freezer-friendly loaf cake, so you can make a double batch and freeze one for later.

Ingredients

Cake

• All Purpose Flour: We have used an all purpose 1:1 Gluten free Flour, however all purpose flour works as well for this poundcake.
• Butter and Oil: ¼ cup unsalted butter and vegetable oil add fat for richness and moisture for a wonderful texture.
• Baking Powder: Just 1 teaspoon baking powder gives the cake all the rise it needs.
• Eggs: Eggs add more fat and moisture and help bind the ingredients together.
• Sour Cream: Sour cream adds more moisture and fat, and its acidity creates a more tender crumb, along with adding a slight tang to the cake.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds a warm, velvety note to the cake. We prefer Singing Dog vanilla for its quality, purity, and deep vanilla flavor.
• Lemon Juice, Extract, and Zest: A combination of freshly squeezed lemon juice, extract, and zest gives the cake its pop of zippy citrus flavor.

Frosting

• Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar gives the frosting its sweet flavor and body.
• Heavy Cream: A little heavy cream thins out the frosting while maintaining its richness.
• Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice gives the frosting a bright lemon flavor.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.

Flavor Variations

• Regular Cake and Frosting: Leave out the lemon for a buttery pound cake with a simple, sweet vanilla frosting.
• Add Berries: Add your favorite berries for a lemon berry cake like this gluten free lemon blueberry loaf.
• Lemon Cupcakes: Bake this batter in muffin tins to make super-rich lemon cupcakes.
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cake: Add poppy seeds to the batter for another classic cake.
• Orange Pound Cake: Use orange juice, zest, and extract to make an orange pound cake.
• Extra Tender: Use cake flour for the most tender pound cake you've ever made.
• Diet-Friendly: Use gluten-free flour and plant-based dairy alternatives to create a moist, tender version similar to our lemon loaf cake recipe that anyone can enjoy.
• Add Nuts: Adding chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds gives the cake even more flavor and texture.

Equipment

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Stand mixer
• Whisk
• Parchment paper
• 8.5 inch loaf pan

Instructions

Lemon Pound Cake

1. Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Mix the sugar and eggs in a stand mixer until light and airy. Then, mix in the butter and oil.
3. Add the vanilla and the lemon extract, zest, and juice, and mix on medium until combined. Then, mix in the sour cream.
4. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined.
5. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 for around 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the pound cake gets nicely browned on top.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool.

Lemon Frosting

1. Whisk all the frosting ingredients in a bowl until creamy.
2. Frost the pound cake when it has fully cooled. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

• Bring your cold cake ingredients to room temperature before mixing them. This ensures easier, more complete mixing and reduces the overall amount of mixing necessary.
• Check your baking powder for freshness. If it's expired or almost expired, your cake won't rise correctly.
• Leave an overhang on either side of your pan when you line it with parchment paper to create handles. It makes it so much easier to remove the cake.
• It's important that you don't overmix the batter. Mix until the ingredients are just combined. The batter might be lumpy, and that's okay!

Pairing Suggestions

Enjoy this cake as a delicious sweet breakfast or afternoon snack with a glass of milk for the kids or some coffee or tea for the grown-ups.

Its classic sweetness and lemon flavor also make it a great dessert after meals like crockpot rosemary chicken, tray baked chicken thighs, or air fryer panko shrimp.