Description
Zesty lemon pound cake brings sunshine to your dessert table with its rich, velvety crumb and bright citrus notes. Moist layers infused with tangy lemon zest offer a delightful balance of sweetness and tartness you’ll absolutely love.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Citrus Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Leavening and Seasoning Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Lemon Glaze Ingredients:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Arrange oven rack to center position and heat to 325°F. Thoroughly coat bundt or loaf pan with butter and flour.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until voluminous and pale, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Incorporate eggs individually, ensuring complete integration after each addition.
- Fold in freshly grated lemon zest and tangy lemon juice, mixing until evenly distributed.
- Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate vessel, creating a uniform dry mixture.
- Alternately introduce dry ingredients and buttermilk into butter mixture, starting and concluding with flour. Mix gently to maintain cake’s delicate texture.
- Transfer batter into prepared pan, smoothing surface with a spatula for even baking.
- Bake for 70-80 minutes, rotating pan midway through cooking process. Confirm doneness by inserting toothpick into center – it should emerge clean.
- Rest cake in pan for 15 minutes, allowing initial cooling and preventing structural collapse.
- Carefully release cake onto wire rack, permitting complete cooling.
- Prepare glaze by whisking powdered sugar with lemon juice until silky and pourable. Drizzle artfully over fully cooled cake.
Notes
- Zest carefully to avoid the bitter white pith when grating lemons for maximum bright flavor.
- Room temperature ingredients help create a smoother, more even cake texture that prevents potential lumping.
- Use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled for a more vibrant, authentic citrus taste that elevates the entire dessert.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend to maintain the cake’s tender crumb.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 70-80 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 34 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg