As an antidote to other muted winter produce, the arrival of colorful citrus on the shelves is like nature’s own burst of sunshine. Lemons, with their vibrant hue and unmistakable zing, are a welcome reminder that brighter days are ahead. And what better way to celebrate their return than with this luscious lemon pound cake?
This cake is everything you crave in spring- fresh, buttery, and bursting with vibrant lemon flavor. It’s irresistibly soft and tender, thanks to a splash of buttermilk that adds a subtle tang and keeps every crumb perfectly moist. The fresh lemon zest infuses every bite with fragrant brightness. The real star, though, is the zesty glaze — a sweet-tart blanket of lemony goodness that melts into the warm cake, creating a glossy finish that’s as beautiful as it is delicious. It’s simple, stunning, and perfect for any occasion, from a relaxed brunch to a sunny afternoon tea. So grab those gorgeous lemons while they’re at their peak, and let’s get into it!
For many many years, I, like so many of you parents, would have to come up with creative, thoughtful presents for my children’s teachers. And this lemon cake was my go to. Every December, right before the winter break, I would bake two dozen of these cakes, package them, and send them off with the girls. In Miami, very few people bake and these cakes took on a life of their own. Teachers would tell me how much they enjoyed sharing them with their families, how they hoped my kids would be in their classes the following year, or how lucky they were that they taught both my kids so they received double. I even had teachers I didn’t know stop me and tell me they couldn’t wait to teach my kids so they could get a lemon cake! All of this to tell you that this simple, affordable, and easily multipliable cake will win you many friends should you wish to share.
The success to baking, unlike cooking, is science. And that’s the reason why I always use a digital scale to weigh ingredients-the scale never lies. If you don’t follow the rules, you may not always get what you want, especially if you don’t bake often enough to get a good feel for it. But using a scale ensures you’re getting the exact measurements every time. Flour, sugar, and other ingredients can vary a lot depending on how they’re scooped or packed into measuring cups, but a scale takes out the guesswork. It also makes it easier to follow recipes from around the world, which often use weight measurements. Once you get into the habit, you’ll wonder how you ever baked without it!
I get it—not everyone has a kitchen scale and maybe you don’t want to invest in one if you don’t bake that often, which is why I always include standard measurements in my recipes, too. However, if you’re using cups to measure dry ingredients like flour or sugar, make sure to use the ‘spoon and level’ method. Instead of scooping directly from the bag, lightly spoon the ingredient into the measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge. This prevents you from accidentally packing too much into the cup, which can throw off the balance of the recipe (think tough and dry instead of tender and moist).
After I weigh the flour, I add the baking powder and the salt. Never skip the salt in a baking recipe. I know it seems counter intuitive to add salt to a sweet dessert, but salt makes chocolate taste more chocolatey, lemons taste more lemony…you get the picture. Baked goods without salt taste flat.
Then it’s time to cream the butter and sugar. Start with softened/room temperature butter, which means that you can leave an indent if you press your finger in it. Butter that is too warm will result in a dense cake that doesn’t rise properly. “Room temperature butter” can be a misleading term in recipes because you’re looking for butter that is soft enough to beat but not a melting goo (and room temperatures can be vastly different during the year).
I use my stand mixer, but you can also use a handheld mixer. I mix the butter and sugar until it’s fluffy and pale yellow. You actually need to beat it for a couple minutes to get the right texture. I think people tend to under-beat their butter but over-beat their batter. This is the time when you’re trying to incorporate air so don’t be stingy, give your butter and sugar enough time with the paddle.
Then I add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until thoroughly incorporated before adding the next. This helps create a smooth emulsion, without the batter separating or curdling. Your mixture should look like thick, gritty mayonnaise when you’re done with this step.
With the mixer on the lowest setting, I add about one-third of the flour and mix until almost combined. Then I add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. I repeat with another third of flour, and then the last half of the buttermilk, ending with the last third of the flour plus the lemon zest. This may seem fussier than just dumping in all the flour at once, but doing it in stages like this prevents overmixing, which can create a tough cake. Taking this extra few minutes ensures your lemon pound cake will be moist and tender.
After the last batch of flour is mostly incorporated, I use a rubber spatula to scrape around the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all the dry ingredients are fully mixed into the batter.
And then it’s time to bake! First I spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray.
And then I fill it up with the lemon pound cake batter:
Bake until golden brown, about 50-60 minutes. Remember, you can always bake more but you can never un-bake. So I usually check it around at the 50 minute mark. I’d rather have to bake it a few minutes more than wish I had baked it a few minutes less because it’s over-baked.
While she’s cooling, I whip up the luscious lemon glaze. Fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar get mixed together until thick and glossy.
Once the cake has cooled down for 10 minutes I remove it from the pan and put it on a cooling rack over parchment paper (to prevent a mess) and glaze it.
The residual heat of the cake will encourage the glaze to melt and spread over the top and down the sides of the cake. You can always pour more on but don’t use any utensils to spread it because it will make a mess of the glossy finish.
I’m so excited for you to try this bright and sunny lemon pound cake. Let me know what you think and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen!
Got a sweet tooth? Get your fix with some of our other popular desserts like Matcha Cake, or this amazing Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
Lemon Pound Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 8
- Category: sweets
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 6–3/4 oz. (1 ½ cups) all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 oz. (½ cup) unsalted butter, slightly soft
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Zest of 1 lemon, finely chopped or grated
For the glaze:
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- A few drops of lemon oil or the zest of one lemon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Prepare the baking pan– Spray a loaf pan that’s about 8x5x3 inches with a nonstick coating.
- Make the cake- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (which is what I use or you can use a hand mixer). Combine the sugar and butter in the mixing bowl and beat it on medium speed until it’s pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating until blended before adding the next one.
- With the mixer on lowest setting, add about one-third of the flour and mix until almost combined. Then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat with another third of flour, and then the last half of the buttermilk, ending with the last third of the flour plus the lemon zest.
- Mix until almost all of the flour is incorporated and then turn the mixer off. Use a stiff rubber spatula and scrape around the side and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the flour is mixed into the batter.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out with some wet crumbs, about 50-60 minutes. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes. Use this time to make the glaze.
- Make the glaze-Combine the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a bowl and mix with a fork until it is completely smooth. It will be thick like toothpaste.
- Glaze the cake-Carefully tip the loaf pan, tapping it to release the cake. Put the cake on a cooling rack. It is a good idea to put a piece of parchment or a baking sheet under the cake to catch any dripping glaze. Pour the glaze slowly over the cake. You can go over it again with the glaze if you missed some spots but DO NOT use any utensils to touch the glaze because it will mar the surface of the glaze. Let the heat of the cake melt the glaze.
- Cool the cake completely on a rack before serving. The glaze will harden as the cake cools.
Notes
*This cake is very easy to double. You will need to increase the baking time by about 10-15 minutes.
*You can freeze this cake if desired, wrapped in aluminum and tucked into a ziptop bag. I prefer to freeze it whole but you can also slice and freeze the slices. The glaze gets a little sticky as it defrosts but still delicious.
Keywords: spring, citrus, sweets, brunch, cake, lemon
