You’ve just found the best Lemon Pound Cake recipe on the Internet, no lies! I keep it tart and sweet but super moist with a tight crumb and classic pound cake texture. Plus I add a secret ingredient that changes the game. Folks will be wondering why your lemon pound cake is next level, and trust me, they are gonna beg for the recipe. The queen of pound cakes is definitely back with another one!
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Lemon Pound Cake Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter and cream cheese: Full fat cream cheese gives the most flavor. Salted or unsalted butter work fine here. Leave out the salt if using unsalted. And make sure both are room temp.
- Cake flour: Cake flour is lower in protein than regular flour which means the cake is lighter. I tend to use Swan’s Down for all of my pound cakes plus don’t forget to sift. If you don’t have any, you can make your own cake flour!
- Fresh lemon zest: Be sure you only use the yellow outer portion of the lemon as the white pith can be bitter tasting.
- Lemon Pudding: 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 being softer along with adding more lemon flavor.
How to Make Lemon Pound Cake
- Combine the softened cream cheese, butter, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cream them together using high speed until smooth.
- Next, slowly add the sugar and instant pudding to the bowl and cream until the mixture is light and fluffy. Just note this will take about 5-7 minutes.


- Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated.
- Using the mixer on the slowest speed, add the flour one cup at a time into the bowl. Only mix long enough to incorporate the flour and do not overbeat at this point.


- Next, add the lemon zest to the bowl and mix it into the batter.
- Pour the cake batter into a greased and floured or baking sprayed 12-cup bundt or tube pan.


- Bake your lemon cake for 1 hour and 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Then remove the cake and cool it on a wire rack for at least an hour.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the 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 the glaze over the top of the cooled cake and sprinkle with lemon zest.
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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
- Use room temperature butter and cream cheese. The extra softness allows more air to incorporate into it while you’re beating it.
- Beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar really well together for about five to seven minutes. More air equals a lighter cake especially since no other leaveners are used in this lemon cake recipe.
- Adding the flour. Use the lowest speed on the mixer and don’t overbeat.
- Be sure to preheat your oven. This step ensures more consistency and even cooking.
- Allow the cake enough time to cool. If the cake is hot the glaze may melt rather than harden.
Storage
After baking: Store the whole cake and leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container or well sealed in plastic wrap. Do not store it in the refrigerator as the air may dry the cake out more quickly. Freezer: You can also freeze the cake for up to three months. Just be sure it is well wrapped so it doesn’t absorb any flavors from the freezer. Thaw out the cake at room temperature before serving.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Room temperature: For both butter, cream cheese and eggs. The batter will turn out smoother giving you a better cake texture in the end.
- Beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar really well together for about five to seven minutes. More air equals a lighter cake especially since no other leaveners are used in this lemon cake recipe.
- Don’t Overbeat: Use the lowest speed on the mixer when adding your flour and don’t overbeat.
Recipe Help
I recommend using cake flour which is lower in protein than all-purpose flour and makes a more tender cake. You can buy it or make your own.
The addition of dairy ingredients such as cream cheese and sour cream work to make a moister cake. In this recipe, instant lemon pudding adds an extra boost of moisture.
You can either add more lemon zest or even lemon extract to the batter to bring out more lemon flavor.

More Pound Cake Recipes
- Lemon Loaf Cake
- Biscoff Pound Cake
- Pound Cake Beignets
- Classic Pound Cake
- Whipping Cream Pound Cake
- Chocolate Pound Cake
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
This recipe was originally published March 2019, it has been updated for content and process photos.
This is the best by far, hands-down!
I’ve made a couple personal tweaks, but they love it. Ty for sharing
My husband truly loved this cake. It was so delicious!
This is my number one lemon pound cake recipe! It’s the most requested cake from me. I had another favorite lemon pound cake but sometimes the Lemons wasn’t so great but with this recipe using the lemon pudding makes it so much better. I make a sour cream lemon glaze that gives you just the right pucker and goes great with your recipe!
Looks like a great recipe that I will certainly try. However, I want to make it in a bundtlette pan which has six 1-cup bundts. Since I’ve never made this recipe before I don’t know how much batter to pour in each 1-cup bundt; I don’t want to fill them up too much so that the batter overflows. Would appreciate your advice.
I would go 2/3s of the way up in the pan just to be safe.
But maybe test one and then see how high it rises.
In this recipe you don’t use baking powder or vanilla extract or milk
This is, hands down, one of the BEST cakes I have ever tasted! I had saved the recipe to try later, and when my son saw it he requested it for his birthday. That was a great decision! The texture is perfect- moist, slightly dense without being like a brick. And the sweet-tart lemon flavor! Absolutely fantastic recipe!
Every Christmas Holiday season the past 3 years I’ve made this cake! Just put it on the oven for New Years 2021 dessert! Thank you Jocelyn! And Happy New Year!
I’ve made this cake numerous times; simply delicious! It never lasts for long.
Can you use softasilk cake flour?
Yes you can.
This cake was great
Wonderful recipe, all my friends go wild over it. However last time I made it the pudding somewhat separated from the rest of the ingredients so there was a moister band of cake sandwiched between the drier parts (although still deliciously moist). Does anyone know why this happened? Too much beating? Not enough? Thanks!!!!
1. Check oven temp to make sure you are fully heated the oven to proper temp
2. Heavy bands are sometimes caused by poor rise – make sure you creamed the butter fully. This type of cake recipe relies on creaming to make the case rise as there is no leavener.