Description
Moist and tender Italian Lemon Pound Cake made with fresh lemon zest, juice, and sour cream. This easy homemade lemon loaf cake features a buttery crumb and optional sweet lemon glaze. Perfect for brunch, dessert, or afternoon tea.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks; can substitute salted butter but omit added salt)
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- Zest of 2 lemons (about 2 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1–2 lemons)
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk, room temperature (2% works too)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Lemon Glaze (Optional but Recommended):
- 1–1¼ cups powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 2–3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1–2 teaspoons milk (for consistency)
- Pinch of lemon zest (optional garnish)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C)—yes, 325°F, not the usual 350°F, which helps prevent over-browning. Grease your 9×5-inch loaf pan thoroughly with butter or cooking spray, then dust with flour, tapping out the excess. For foolproof release, line the pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides to act as handles.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Whisking aerates the flour and evenly distributes the leavening agents, ensuring your cake rises uniformly.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the room-temperature butter and granulated sugar for 3–4 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale yellow. This creaming process incorporates air bubbles that give your pound cake its tender structure
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition—about 30 seconds per egg. This ensures proper emulsification so your batter doesn’t separate. After all eggs are incorporated, mix in the lemon zest and vanilla extract, beating just until combined.
Here’s where technique matters: Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and milk. Start and end with dry ingredients, following this pattern: dry → sour cream → dry → milk → dry. Mix on low speed after each addition just until the flour disappears—overmixing develops gluten and creates a tough, dense cake.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the ¼ cup fresh lemon juice with 3–4 broad strokes. The acid from the lemon juice tenderizes the crumb and adds that bright citrus punch, but don’t overmix or you’ll deflate all those air bubbles you worked so hard to create.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 60–70 minutes, checking at the 60-minute mark by inserting a toothpick into the center—it should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too quickly (usually after 45 minutes), tent it loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning while the center finishes baking.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 15–20 minutes—this prevents it from breaking apart when you remove it. Run a butter knife around the edges to loosen, then lift out using the parchment paper handles or invert onto a wire rack. Cool completely before glazing, about 1–2 hours, or the glaze will melt right off.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1–1¼ cups powdered sugar with 2–3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach a pourable but thick consistency—it should drizzle slowly off a spoon. Once the cake is completely cool, pour the glaze over the top, letting it drip naturally down the sides. Sprinkle with extra lemon zest for a pop of color.
Notes
- Zest before juicing: Always zest your lemons before cutting and juicing them—it’s nearly impossible to zest a halved lemon.
- Don’t overmix: Once you add flour, mix only until you can’t see dry streaks. Overmixing creates tunnels and a dense, tough texture.
- Test doneness properly: Insert the toothpick into the center, not near the edges which cook faster. A few moist crumbs are perfect—completely clean means it’s overbaked.
- Prevent sinking: Make sure your baking powder is fresh (less than 6 months old) and your oven temperature is accurate—use an oven thermometer to check.
- Glaze consistency matters: Too thick and it won’t drip; too thin and it’ll soak right in. Aim for honey-like thickness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes + 90 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 425
- Sugar: 34g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 57g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 105mg