Southern Lemon Pound Cake

The lemon glaze is bering poured on the lemon bundt cake with the small picture of lemon glaze being poured over the lemon bundt cale

4.60 from 37 votes

This lemon pound cake is a favorite family. The cake is a super moist, full of lemon flavor and the lemon glaze is simple but incredibly tangy and the perfect topping for this cake.

Prep Time30

Cook Time55

Cooling Time2

Total Time3 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 286kcal

Author: Cheryl Norris

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake Pan Release

1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

Lemon Pound Cake

3 cups ((342 grams) cake flour sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2-3/4 cups (550 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
3 tablespoons (18 grams) lemon zest about 4-5 lemons
6 large (300 grams) eggs room temperature
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup ((240 grams) sour cream room temperature

Lemon Glaze

2-3/4 cups ((308 grams) powdered sugar sifted
2-3 tbsp (30-45 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

For the Cake Pan Release

In a small bowl stir the melted butter and the flour together until it forms a paste. With a pastry brush thoroughly coat the sides and bottoms of the bundt pan.

For the Lemon Pound Cake

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Crack the eggs into a separate bowl. Put the sifted flour, baking soda and salt together in a another bowl and combine with a whisk.
Place the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and zest the lemons on top of the sugar. Use your fingers to mix the lemon zest with the sugar. Juice the lemons until you have at least 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
Add the butter to the bowl and beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium-high speed until the butter and sugar are fluffy about 5 minutes.
Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl. Add eggs one at time on low speed and then increase to medium until each egg is well incorporated. Stop the mixer after adding the first 3 eggs and scrape the bowl from the bottom to ensure the ingredients are well mixed. Add the remaining 3 eggs and scrape the down the after adding the last egg.
Add the lemon juice and mix on medium until well combined.
Add one-third of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well combined, but do not over mix. Add one-half of the sour cream and mix on medium speed until well combined. Add half of the remaining dry ingredients, then the rest of the sour cream. Add the remaining the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds.
Scoop the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, which means there is no batter clinging to the skewer and no more than a couple of crumbs clinging to the skewer. Or check the internal temperature with a Thermapen instant thermometer. The temperature should be about 203°F when the probe is inserted in the center.
Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cake rack to cool. Cool the cake in the pan for 15-20 minutes and then invert it onto a cake rack covered with a piece of parchment paper. Allow it to cool completely before adding the lemon glaze.

For the Lemon Glaze

Sift the powdered sugar to remove the lumps and measure out 2-3/4 cups and put it into another bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and stir until the glaze is smooth. At this point you can decide if you want a really thick glaze. If you want it a little thinner, add the remaining lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time until it is the desired consistency.
Place the cake on a wire cake rack or plate. Use a large spoon to slowly pour the glaze over the top of the cake. The glaze will run down the sides the cake. Put as a little or as much of the glaze as you like. Allow the glaze to set, about 10 minutes and then move the cake to a platter or cake holder.

How to Store the Cake

The pound cake will stay fresh when covered in a cake container at room temperature for 4-5 days — it does not need to be refrigerated.
To extend the life of your cake, slice the cake into individual servings, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To freeze the cake, wrap it in plastic wrap then place in a freezer storage bag. It can be frozenfor up to 3 months.

Notes

Bundt Pan: Use a 12-cup bundt pan like the Nordic Ware Anniversary Bundt Pan. This recipe makes a lot of batter, and most standard bundt pans are 10 cups — if you use a smaller pan the batter will overflow in the oven. If you're unsure of your pan's capacity, fill it with water one cup at a time and count.

Weigh Your Ingredients: For the best results use a scale to measure the cake flour. Too much flour makes a dry cake; too little and the cake can sink. Sift the flour after weighing, cake flour clumps more than all-purpose. Weighing your eggs is important because egg sizes and weight can vary and weighing sour cream is easier than trying to measure it with a measuring cup.

Room Temperature Ingredients: The eggs, butter, and sour cream must be at room temperature so the ingredients emulsify properly. Cold eggs will give you a dense cake with a slightly rubbery texture. Set everything out 1-2 hours before you bake.

Lemon Sugar: Zest the lemons directly into the sugar and rub the zest in with your fingers until the sugar is fragrant and pale yellow. The sugar captures the citrus oils before they can evaporate, and this one step gives the cake most of its lemon flavor. You'll need 4-5 lemons for the zest, so zest first, then juice the same lemons.

Make Ahead: This cake needs 2-3 hours to cool before glazing, so if you're baking for an event, make it the day before. It actually tastes better on day two.

Nutrition