Y’all, I am claiming it… this is the best lemon pound cake recipe, no lies! You know ya girl, the Queen of pound cakes made sure you taste the lemon, while keeping the crumb moist and buttery. Don’t believe me? Just bake it once, boos. I keep it tart and sweet but super moist with a tight crumb and classic pound cake texture. Plus, I add a secret ingredient to this lemon pound cake that makes it like no other. Get into it!
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How to Make a Lemon Pound Cake
These step-by-step photos show how to make a lemon pound cake with lemon glaze, but be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions. Skip to the → Best Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
1. Add the cream cheese, butter, and salt to a large mixing bowl
Cream on high speed until completely smooth.
2. Slowly add the sugar and instant pudding mix
Continue to cream until the mixture looks light, fluffy, and pale.
PRO TIP: My secret ingredient is instant lemon pudding. Based on my research and recipe testing, I discovered that it added more moisture and changed the texture of the finished cake to be softer, along with adding more lemon flavor.
3. Lower the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time
Mix just until each one is incorporated before adding the next.
4. Reduce the mixer to its lowest speed and add the flour one cup at a time
Mix just until combined. Do not overbeat here.
5. Add the lemon zest and finish the batter
Mix briefly until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
6. Pour the lemon cake batter into a Bundt pan
Smooth the top evenly.
7. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
Let the cake cool briefly in the pan, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Make the lemon glaze and pour it over your lemon Bundt cake
Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cooled cake, sprinkle with lemon zest, then slice and serve.
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Full Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pound Cake:
- 8 ounces cream cheese one brick, room temp
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 package lemon instant pudding (just the dry powdered mix as is, do not hydrate the pudding) 3.4 ounce
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups sifted cake flour
- 3 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
For the Lemon Glaze:
- 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice start with 2 then see if you need more
- Optional: lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
For the Pound Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Add room temperature cream cheese, butter and salt to large mixing bowl and begin creaming on high speed until smooth.
- Slowly add sugar and instant pudding to bowl and cream until light and fluffy which takes about 5-7 minutes.
- Lower speed of mixer to medium and add one egg at a time and mix until incorporated.
- Slow mixer to slowest speed and add flour one cup at a time into bowl until just incorporated.
- Do not overbeat at this point.
- Add lemon zest to bowl and mix.
- Once everything is incorporated, pour cake batter into greased and floured or baking sprayed 12 cup bundt or tube pan.
- Bake for 1 hour and 5-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove cake and place on cooling rack for an hour or until it is completely cooled.
For the Glaze:
- Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. If it is too runny, add a bit more sugar or if it is too thick, add a little bit more lemon juice. You want to consistency to coat the back of a spoon but slide off easily.
- Drizzle on top of cooled cake, sprinkle with lemon zest and serve.
Video
Notes
How to Store
- Room Temp: Keep the cake covered in an airtight container or wrapped well on the counter for up to 3 days. Skip the fridge, boos. It will dry the cake out.
- Freezer: Wrap the whole cake or slices tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients, boos. Let your butter, cream cheese, and eggs sit out so the batter mixes up smooth and bakes evenly.
- Cream it real good. Beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar for a full five to seven minutes to work in air. This cake doesn’t rely on other leaveners.
- Slow down when the flour goes in. Use the lowest mixer speed and stop as soon as it’s combined so the cake stays tender.
- Zest the smart way. Stick to the yellow part of the lemon only because the white pith will make your cake taste bitter.
Recipe Help
Cake flour, boos. I usually grab Swan’s Down and always sift it for a lighter, tighter crumb. If you don’t have any, you can make your own cake flour!
You can either add more lemon zest or even lemon extract to the batter.
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This recipe is a 3 for 3. I have your Caramel cake and keto shrimp in grits in my rotation. I am a great cook but I am very new to baking. Baking is a science and I normally cook without recipe. Baking you have to follow the exact recipe I did this and it came out amazing. I will enjoy this Mother’s Day treat with my mother in law. I tasted the batter I was sure I wouldn’t like the finished product because of the taste of the batter but I was so wrong. I think creaming the sugar, butter and cream cheese together had me thinking it wasn’t going to be sweet enough but it was perfect.
Making this for Mother’s Day for our Mom. She requested Lemon Pound Cake…so she shall have Lemon Pound Cake! We will be using Gluten Free Flour. So excited to try this and will let you know how it goes. Thank you for sharing.
Can this be made into cupcakes? 🙂
Yes you can do that however this is a more dense recipe so it won’t have the fluffy nature and texture you may be looking for in lemon cupcakes. You can try these however if you want them more fluffy: https://grandbaby-cakes.com/fluffy-lemon-cupcakes-recipe-mojito-frosting/ or you can use my layer lemon cake for something lighter yet still very moist: https://grandbaby-cakes.com/lemon-layer-cake/
Can this recipe be divided into two loaf pans?
Yes you can.
This is the best lemon cake recipe ever. I have made it a few times and it has always been a crowd pleaser.
I was wondering though – would I be able to use the same recipe and put it in cupcake moulds?
I do not have cream cheese. Any substitute or will it be super different if I skip it all together?
No in this case you can’t really replace it. And you must have it or the recipe ratios will be off. You can try my sour cream cake and add lemon flavor to that. https://grandbaby-cakes.com/sour-cream-pound-cake-recipe/
This is the best lemon pound cake recipe! It’s delicious and the lemon taste is present. My husband and I love it!!
Thank you so much!!
This is a keeper. Make it in bundtlets and take to friends just because.
This Cake was absolutely delicious! It was so moist and very flavorful. My sisters have been very spoiled since we have been in quarantined together and They have been enjoying my baking every since. I can’t wait to make it again.
I am planning on making this for my Dad’s birthday on the 28th, but due to the pandemic, I haven’t been able to find lemon instant pudding mix anywhere, not even online, where it will be available by the time I need it. Is there a substitute that I can use for it? Thanks!
You can add more lemon zest and lemon zest to make up for the lemon flavor but I think overall it will still be very tasty.
Can you substitute lemon juice for the lemon zest?
No. They are not the same. One is a liquid that will change the liquid ratio in your recipe.
Hi!
The first time I made the cake I didn’t use enough cooking spray and some of it stuck to the pan. Also, it was a darker colored bundt pan, therefore some of the sides of the cake we’re almost burnt. The carke tasted delicious overall.
I made it a second time and read that I needed to drop the temp down 25°. It was beautiful and came right out of the pan. However, there was a small portion of the cake that was slightly undercooked and I kept it in the oven 20 mins longer, now the cake is dry.
Any tips..