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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I added fresh lemon juice as I blended ingredients, it was fabulous, soooo much flavor! I also used French vanilla pudding instead of lemon, I think we improved on perfection… if you like vanilla!!
Thank you Jocelyn!
Cindy Cooks
This cake turned out so good. It tasted like the cakes I grew up eating at my grand parents house. Thank you
This cake is delicious! I have made it several time, my family loves it. I have one issue every time!. My glaze will not harden and sit on the outside of the cake like in your picture. It seeps in, which is quite tasty, but isn’t very pretty. Is there any advice you can offer me? Also let me add that it’s not just with this cake this problem happens with any pound cake I put glaze on.
For this year’s socially distanced Thanksgiving, everyone is sharing dish(es) by pickup and go. Needless to say, most family members want larger portions than they usually receive when we celebrate under one roof. In an attempt to satisfy most, I made this cake THREE TIMES today. I tasted a sliver of one. Let me tell you, this cake is so flavorful, light and moist. My 20 y/o son took one bite and couldn’t believe how delicious it was. Thank you for sharing! Happy Thanksgiving!!
I absolutely love this recipe, I make it several times a year. However I’m about to make it tomorrow and I only have 2 sticks of in salted butter and one stick of salted butter. Can I use it but omit the one stick of salted butter and omit the salt that the recipe calls for?
Yes you can. So happy you enjoy the recipe!
Jocelyn what would be the bake time for mini cakes , the pan just a bit bigger than cupcakes? Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I am thankful for all your fabulous recipes I know everything is made with love!
You definitely want to shorten to a bake time of probably starting at 20-25 minutes but this is just a guess. Make sure you watch carefully. They will be wonderful! Thank you so much.
This recipe was hands down the best lemon cake recipe ever. It will definitely be my go to for lemon cake. The cake was soft and delicious! p.s. – I always use instant pudding in my cakes, so it was awesome to see this recipe used it as well.
Best Lemon cake I ever made or eaten. Loved the flavor and the crust.
This is hands down the absolute bet lemon pound cake I’ve ever made or eaten! It was tart, flavorful, light, moist and YUMMY!
This is my first Grandbaby Cakes recipe. I’m excited to try more. Thank you!
Followed recipe and was concerned about it not having any flavoring– lemon or vanilla– but the pudding took care of it. The cake rose to the top of the pan and had a beautiful crust on top. I made the lemon glaze. My family loved it. My daughter wanted lemon pound cake for her birthday and was happy. I have been following your site because many of your recipes are similar to the way my mom taught me. Thanks!