This Lemon Pound Cake is moist, tender, tart, and tangy—it’s enough to make me swoon! The light, fluffy crumb is the perfect texture for soaking up the sweet and sour lemon glaze. Even better…it’s the absolute easiest cake to make. I always whip up this cake for special occasions, and it’s a crowd favorite every time. I bet you have everything you need in your pantry right now, so you’ve got no reason not to make it!
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“This recipe is perfect…So simple and delicious. The larger portions of butter in this recipe make it heavenly!
CHRISTINE
Easy recipe for Lemon Pound Cake
This classic dessert is baked in a loaf pan and is bursting with refreshing citrus notes that cut through the buttery sweetness of the cake. This recipe is also one of my favorite ways to use up extra lemons, as the batter and glaze are loaded with lemon juice and zest! Seriously, this cake is gorgeous, and the flavors are zippy and balanced. It’s the perfect easy dessert recipe for a casual dinner or a fancy get-together (or if you’re in the mood for cake that isn’t too sweet.) I just love it!
Recipe Success Tips
- Use the full amount of butter. Yes, this recipe uses 1 cup of salted butter, which makes it rich and moist. Make sure the butter has been taken out of the fridge at least 1 hour before baking this pound cake so it has time to soften.
- Use an 8½ X 4½ loaf pan. The loaf pan should hold around 6 cups of batter. Make sure you fill it about ¾ of the way full.
- Sift the powdered sugar. This will ensure there are no lumps in the glaze.
- Reduce the risk of a dry cake. Test for doneness 5-10 minutes before the suggested bake time, so the cake doesn’t overbake, and use the spoon and level method to accurately measure the flour.
- Room temperature lemons. Room temperature lemons are easier to juice, so take them out of the fridge when you remove the butter. Make sure to zest them before juicing them.
- Do not overmix. Overmixing can lead to a denser cake, so mix just until the ingredients are combined.
Lemon Pound Cake
Cost $5.82 recipe / $0.48 serving
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter (room temperature, plus more for greasing, $1.98)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting, $0.25*)
- ½ tsp baking powder ($0.03)
- ¼ tsp baking soda ($0.01)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1 cup granulated sugar ($0.96)
- 4 large eggs, beaten ($0.68)
- ¼ cup buttermilk ($0.13**)
- 3 lemons (juiced and zested, divided, $1.47***)
- 1 cup powdered sugar ($0.30)
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8.5×4.5-inch (1.5 qt) loaf pan with butter. Line the pan with parchment. Butter the parchment and dust with flour, shaking off excess flour.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Mix the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs, buttermilk, ¼ cup lemon juice, and 1 tbsp zest. Mix until incorporated.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture in thirds, mixing after each addition and scraping down the sides before the next addition.
- Add batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated 350°F oven until the cake springs back when you press the center and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the pound cake from the oven and cool for ten minutes before removing it from the pan and placing it on a cooling rack.
- To make the glaze, mix the powdered sugar with 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1½ tsp lemon zest.
- Drizzle the glaze on the cooled pound cake and serve!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Lemon Pound Cake Step-by-Step photos
Prep the loaf pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F and place an oven rack in the center. Next, grease an 8.5×4.5-inch (1.5 qt) loaf pan with butter and then line the pan with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and then dust it with flour, shaking off any excess flour.
Make the cake: In a medium-sized bowl, mix 1½ cups of all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, and ¼ tsp salt.
In a separate large bowl, mix 1 cup room-temperature salted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add 4 beaten large eggs, ¼ cup buttermilk, ¼ cup lemon juice, and 1 tbsp zest. Mix until well incorporated.
Add the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture, adding one-third at a time, mixing after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl before the next addition. Do not overmix. Mix until the ingredients are just combined.
Pour into the loaf pan: Add the batter to your prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated 350°F oven until the cake springs back when you press the center. You can also check the doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; if it comes out clean, it’s done.
Cool: Remove the pound cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for ten minutes. After 10 minutes, lift it out of the pan using the parchment paper and place it on a cooling rack.
Make the glaze: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1½ tsp lemon zest.
Glaze the pound cake: Drizzle the glaze on the cooled pound cake.
Serve: Slice the pound cake, serve, and enjoy.
serving suggestions
This cake is fantastic, still warm from the oven or served at room temperature. I think it pairs beautifully with a scoop of no-churn strawberry ice cream. If I’m not in the mood for ice cream, I’ll top it with a dollop of fresh homemade whipped cream. Sometimes I’ll even double down on the lemon flavor and serve each slice with a spoonful of homemade lemon curd.
Storage and Reheating
Place leftovers in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also wrap leftovers tightly in a layer of parchment paper and a second layer of aluminum foil, then freeze for up to 3 months.
While you can refrigerate pound cake, it dulls the flavors and changes the texture. If you choose to refrigerate or freeze it, try warming it in a 350°F oven with a touch of butter brushed on each slice. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried frozen cake, but it’s delightful straight out of the freezer as well. The crumb stays soft, and it’s a perfect treat for a hot summer day.
More Cake Recipes To Try
- This Chocolate Depression Cake turns out rich and chocolatey without eggs, milk, or butter, and is made entirely with shelf-stable pantry staples.
- This Do Nothing Cake is spongy from the crushed pineapple and extremely moist, and the toasted coconut topping with a scattering of pecans gives it the perfect crunch.
- This Classic Vanilla Cake from scratch turns out seriously soft, moist, and packed with warm vanilla flavor.
I was in the mood for a sweet treat, but not in the frame of mind to leave the house, so I made this for our bedtime snack tonight and this really hit the spot. Sweet, buttery, lemony, goodness. I caught my hubby in the kitchen sneaking another piece. lol! Thanks for a winning recipe.
Thought whole point of budgetbytes is cooking/baking on a BUDGET.
Eggs, butter, powdered sugar is extremely pricey and hardly economical.
Ever since Beth ‘stepped away’ from BB these so called contributors are just posting random recipes that ignores her original vision.
Yes just my opinion…
Hi there! This is an older recipe that was posted before Beth retired and with her direction by her side in our studio. While eggs are currently more expensive than usual, they’re typically quite economical and a staple in most budget-conscious homes. At less than $1 a slice, it’s still a fraction of what you’d pay at a coffee shop, and making affordable swaps is what we’re all about. Is a dessert a necessity? No. But every now and then, baking a little treat for yourself, a friend or for the holidays is good for the soul. :)
Agreed! It’s a worthwhile treat using pantry staples
Tasty but too much butter. Next time I’ll use about 75% of the recommended butter.
Awesome, keep putting different recipes out there, I love cooking as well. Keep posted.
I love cooking by recipe ! !
This is a fairly dense, moist, and very zingy cake! And not too finicky, which is what I look for in all baking recipes. 😁 I brought this in to work to say thank-you to a coworker who’s been sharing their lemon tree’s largesse, and it DISAPPEARED in a few hours. A hit all around!
Can lemon juice be substituted in this recipe?
Unfortunately not since it’s a main flavor component!
My first time baking a Lemon pound cake! The taste is lemony, the firmness was on point. Above all it is delicious. Would make it again.
delicious and easy to make! didn’t put on lemon glaze as we had fresh strawberries, thawed cool whip then used your recipe for pound cake. lemon juice definitely gave more flavor. thank you bb :)
I’m a pretty experienced baker and have no issue with much more finicky recipes, but this one came out with an awful texture and very little flavor.
If I adjusted this, I’d suggest softening the butter just past room temp (such as under a warm glass) and adding additional flour (1tbsp at a time) if needed until you get the consistency in the photos.
I’d agree that an 8×4 pan would not hold this much batter. I ended up using a standard 9×5 and still having some leftover.
you can just melt the butter in the microwave for about 25 secs. i always use melted butter
I wonder if anyone has tried this recipe in a Bundt pan and if it came out easily. I received the Nordicware quartet Bundt pan for Christmas and would love to use it with this recipe
Hey! I have not made this specific recipe but I was looking at its ratio and it’s pretty close to the 1:1:1:1 ratio of the very original pound cake, which is a denser, delicious kind of cake, and it is actually perfect for bund pans because they come out perfectly, so I’d say just go for it!
Hope this helps!
This recipe is perfect! I have a pic of it, too, but I don’t know if I can post it here. So simple and delicious. The larger portions of butter in this recipe make it heavenly!
Butter Roll
perfect! thanks for another great recipe!
I was looking for a simple but summery baking project, and I’m so glad I tried this one! It was simple, but delicious. The lemon was really bright, and the cake itself was rich and buttery. Can’t wait for leftovers toasted with a bit of butter (my absolute favorite way to eat pound cake! glad to see it mentioned here).