Amazing lemon pound cake: 1 zesty bite

Hi there! I’m Alex, and nothing brings me more peace than pulling something truly delicious out of the oven—that moment when the kitchen fills with the smell of sweet success. It’s why I started this whole adventure! Forget complicated techniques; we are all about making soul-satisfying food that’s actually approachable. Today, we’re diving into the sunshine on a plate: my **Classic Moist Lemon Pound Cake with Tangy Lemon Glaze**. Trust me, the velvety crumb and that intense, zesty lemon flavor are going to make this your new go-to **lemon pound cake**. It’s the kind of baking that calms the soul, even if your day has been chaos. Let’s get baking!

Why This Classic Moist Lemon Pound Cake is Your New Favorite Zesty Lemon Dessert

I know there are a million recipes out there, but this one hits different, truly. It’s the kind of **moist lemon cake** that feels fancy but is honestly so simple to pull off. You end up with something beautiful that tastes like pure sunshine.

SAVE

• It delivers that incredible, velvety crumb every single time.
• The lemon flavor isn’t weak; it’s an intense, bright, **zesty lemon dessert** experience!
• It has a simple yet beautiful presentation that looks perfect for any gathering.

This recipe proves that the **best homemade lemon cake** doesn’t require a specialty pastry chef!

Ingredients for the Best Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

Gathering your ingredients is half the battle, and for this one, quality really counts. We need those room-temperature items so everything blends into that dream texture we are chasing. Don’t skip the temperature cues here—they are vital for a light, buttery base!

For the Tender Pound Cake Batter

Remember, the cooler butter and eggs will make getting that fluffy creamed texture really tough, so plan ahead! This list is what creates that incredibly rich, buttery foundation.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Perfect Lemon Glaze

This glaze is super simple, but that vibrant, tangy punch is what sets the whole **lemon pound cake** over the top. You can thin it out or make it thick enough to really coat beautifully.

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Expert Tips for Your Easy Lemon Pound Cake Success

Look, I’m going to let you in on a few secrets that elevate this from a good cake to the best lemon pound cake you’ve ever made. It’s all about respecting the temperature and knowing your citrus. If you’re new to baking, or just want to level up your technique, check out my guide on foundational skills right here!

Achieving the Velvety Crumb in Your Lemon Pound Cake

That velvety crumb we are desperate for? It starts with creaming the butter and sugar for a full five minutes. You want it pale and fluffy—air bubbles are your friends! Once the flour goes in, though, you have to stop yourself. Overmixing develops gluten, and suddenly your light, tender cake turns into something wonderfully lemony, but tough as leather. Just mix until you don’t see dry streaks anymore. That’s it!

Maximizing the Zest in Your Lemon Pound Cake

This tip is pure gold for flavor: when zesting your lemons, use a microplane if you have one. You want that bright, sunshine-yellow part—that’s where all the powerful oil is stored. Be super careful to stop right before you hit the white part underneath, which is called the pith. If you accidentally scrape too much pith, your beautiful cake will taste bitter, and we definitely don’t want that!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Homemade Lemon Cake

Okay, the ingredients are ready, and we are prepped for action! This is where we turn those lovely separate components into one cohesive, delicious cake. Don’t rush the mixing stages; they are what create that signature tenderness you’re looking for in a lemon pound cake. Just follow these steps, and you can’t go wrong.

Preparing the Pan and Creaming the Base

First things first, let’s get that environment set up. Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). I highly recommend using a 10-inch tube pan or a nice Bundt pan for this. Make sure you grease and flour it really well; no one wants a beautiful cake sticking to the bottom!

Now, grab your softened butter and sugar. We are going to mix these with your electric mixer until they look light, pale, and super fluffy. This takes commitment—set a timer for at least 5 minutes! This step incorporates the critical air that keeps our moist lemon cake from being too dense.

Mixing the Batter for a Moist Lemon Cake

Once the butter and sugar are perfect, beat in the eggs one by one. Make sure each one is totally combined before adding the next. Then, mix in your lemon zest, juice, and vanilla extract until it just holds together for a second.

In a separate bowl, whisk your dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, and salt. This is key: you need to add the dry and wet ingredients alternately. Start and end with the flour mix. Add about a third of the flour, mix gently, then add half the milk, mix, then another third of the flour, the rest of the milk, and finally the last bit of flour. Mix only until you can’t see white streaks anymore. Seriously, stop the mixer! Overmixing is the enemy of tenderness.

Baking and Glazing Your Lemon Pound Cake

Scrape all that gorgeous batter into your prepared pan and get it into that 325°F oven. It needs a good long bake, usually between 60 to 75 minutes. Don’t peek too early! You’ll know it’s done when a wooden skewer inserted right in the center comes out clean.

SAVE

When it comes out, let the cake hang out in the pan on a cooling rack for just 15 minutes. While it rests, whisk up the glaze ingredients until smooth. After those 15 minutes, flip the cake out onto the rack. Now, grab that skewer again and gently poke holes all over the top of the warm cake—this lets the glaze soak right down inside, making it impossibly moist! Pour that tangy glaze evenly over the top immediately and let it drip down. It sets up perfectly as it cools!

SAVE

Serving Suggestions for Your Classic Lemon Pound Cake

This beautiful slice of sunshine deserves the perfect moment, right? It’s sturdy enough for a grab-and-go treat but elegant enough for company. If you’re planning a little gathering or just bringing dessert to a friend’s house, this cake is always a hit. Don’t feel like you need a whole spread; this truly shines on its own.

I love serving it slightly chilled with a pile of fresh raspberries or blueberries—the tartness of the berries plays so nicely against the sweet lemon. It’s absolutely the perfect **Afternoon Tea Cake**, too! If you’re looking for more low-stress ways to host, check out some of my tips for easy entertaining. Sometimes, the simplest dessert is the most impressive!

Storage and Reheating Instructions for Lemon Pound Cake

Because this is such a wonderfully moist lemon cake, storage is important to keep that velvety texture intact. Don’t stress too much, though; this cake is pretty resilient!

Since we’ve used that lovely sugary glaze, the best place to keep your finished lemon pound cake is right on the counter at room temperature. Just cover it loosely with plastic wrap or place it under a cake dome. It will stay perfectly fresh and flavorful like this for about two to three days. Keeping it sealed tight prevents it from drying out.

If you made a really huge cake or it’s super hot where you live, you can keep leftovers in the fridge. Just make sure you wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, and then maybe wrap that again in foil. Cold dulls flavor and can dry things out a bit, so when you want to serve it chilled, let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes first to come back to room temperature.

Reheating? I usually don’t bother, but if you want that fresh-from-the-oven warm feeling, just take a slice and microwave it for about 10 seconds. That little bit of time warms the butter in the cake and melts the glaze just perfectly. Instant gratification, right?

Frequently Asked Questions About Making Lemon Pound Cake

I love hearing from you all! It’s the best part of this whole journey. If you’ve made this cake and have questions, or if you’re wondering about variations, chances are someone else has wondered the same thing. Drop me a comment below or find me on Facebook to chat! Here are a few things I hear all the time.

Can I bake this lemon pound cake recipe in a loaf pan?

Absolutely, you can! It makes a wonderful lemon loaf cake, perfect for gifting or for smaller servings. The main thing to remember is that the bake time will change. A standard 9×5 inch loaf pan is deeper than my large Bundt pan, so it will take longer for the heat to reach the center. My standard cake takes about 70 minutes in the tube pan, but a loaf might need closer to 80 or 90 minutes. Keep checking it with that wooden skewer starting around the 75-minute mark. If the top starts getting too dark before the middle is done, just tent it loosely with a little piece of aluminum foil.

How do I prevent my lemon pound cake from sinking?

That sinking feeling—we hate it! Usually, this happens for two main reasons when baking a classic pound cake. First, make sure your oven temperature is spot on. If the oven is too cool when you first put the cake in, the structure may set before it has a chance to rise properly, leading to a collapse later. Use an oven thermometer if you aren’t sure your oven is calibrated correctly.

SAVE

Second, don’t open that oven door until at least 50 minutes have passed! When you open it too soon, that rush of cool air hits the rising cake structure and—poof—down it goes. Patience is truly a baker’s virtue here.

What is the secret to a tangy sweet lemon glaze?

The secret is simple ratios and timing! For the tangiest glaze, you want a high ratio of lemon juice to powdered sugar. I use about 4 tablespoons of fresh juice to 2 cups of sugar. If it seems too watery, add a tablespoon or two more of sugar until it settles into a pourable but visible coating.

The most important timing tip is to pour that glaze onto a *warm* cake, not piping hot, and definitely not when it’s fully cooled. The warmth allows some of the glaze to seep down into those little holes you poked, giving you that incredible, melt-in-your-mouth moisture throughout the entire slice, not just on top!

Nutritional Estimate for This Lemon Pound Cake

I always like to include a little note on what’s in the slice, just for transparency! Keep in mind these figures are always estimates, based on standard commercial ingredients, and they can shift depending on exactly what brand of butter or sugar you use. But this gives you a good ballpark for enjoying this delicious **homemade lemon cake** responsibly!

This is for one generous slice of the cake, as listed in the recipe details:

• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 55g (That’s where the joy comes from, right?)
• Fat: 24g
• Carbohydrates: 58g
• Protein: 5g
• Cholesterol: 95mg

It’s dense and satisfying, so that serving size goes a long way! Treat yourself; you totally earned it after making such a beautiful, **zesty lemon dessert** from scratch!

Share Your Zesty Lemon Dessert Creation

Now for my favorite part! We’ve made something truly special here—a truly moist lemon cake that tastes like pure happiness. I would absolutely love to know how this classic lemon pound cake turned out for you in your own kitchen.

The joy of cooking is sharing the results, so please don’t be shy! If you made this recipe, hop down to the comments section below and let me know what you thought. Did the glaze set perfectly? Did you add a little something extra?

If you snapped a picture of your beautiful, zesty creation—maybe sitting next to your afternoon tea or ready for a gathering—I want to see it! Tag me on social media so I can celebrate your success. If you have any final burning questions after baking, you can always reach out directly through my contact page, too!

Thank you so much for baking with me today. Enjoy every single bite of that incredible, buttery, lemony slice!

Classic Moist Lemon Pound Cake with Tangy Lemon Glaze

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

This recipe delivers a classic lemon pound cake that is incredibly moist with a velvety crumb and bursting with fresh, zesty lemon flavor, finished with a simple, tangy glaze. It is an easy homemade dessert perfect for sharing.

• Author: purejoyalex
• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 70 min
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 min
• Yield: 10 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• For the Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar
• For the Glaze: 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Add this mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined.
5. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
9. While the cake cools slightly, prepare the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice until smooth. Add more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze or more juice for a thinner glaze.
10. Invert the cake onto the wire rack set over a baking sheet to catch drips. Poke holes over the top of the warm cake using a skewer.
11. Pour the glaze evenly over the warm cake, allowing it to soak in and drip down the sides.
12. Let the glaze set completely before slicing and serving your moist lemon cake.

Notes

• For the best texture, make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before you start mixing.
• To get the most flavor from your lemons, use a microplane to remove only the bright yellow zest, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath.
• If you want a stronger lemon flavor, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of the milk with 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice for a slight buttermilk effect in the batter.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 55g
• Sodium: 250mg
• Fat: 24g
• Saturated Fat: 15g
• Unsaturated Fat: 9g
• Trans Fat: 0.5g
• Carbohydrates: 58g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 5g
• Cholesterol: 95mg