Lemon Pound Cake
This recipe yields a classic lemon pound cake with a tender crumb and a bright, tangy lemon glaze. Made with simple ingredients, the cake is easy to prepare and perfect for dessert or a tea-time treat. The rich, buttery cake is complemented by a refreshing lemon syrup absorbed while warm, ensuring every slice is moist and flavorful.
Equipment
- 1 6-cup Loaf Pan Ensures proper cake shape and even baking.
- 1 Stand Mixer Or a powerful hand mixer, essential for thoroughly creaming butter and sugar.
- 1 Medium Mixing Bowl For combining dry ingredients.
- 1 Wire Rack with Sheet Pan Crucial for cooling the cake evenly and catching excess glaze.
- 1 Pastry Brush or Turkey Baster For even application and absorption of the lemon glaze.
Ingredients
Main
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar plus 1/3 cup
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup lemon juice plus 1/3 cup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup loaf pan and line it with parchment or waxed paper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter. Add 1 cup of the sugar and mix. With the mixer running at low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.
- Working in alternating batches, and mixing after each addition, add the dry ingredients and 1/4 cup of the lemon juice to the butter mixture. Mix until just smooth.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake until raised in the center and a tester inserted into the center comes out dry and almost clean (a few crumbs are OK), 65 to 75 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the remaining 1/3 cup lemon juice until the sugar is dissolved.
- When the cake is done, let cool in the pan 15 minutes (it will still be warm). Run a knife around the sides of the pan. Set a wire rack on a sheet pan with sides (to catch the glaze) and turn the cake out onto the rack. Peel off the waxed paper.
- Using a turkey baster or pastry brush, spread glaze all over the top and sides of the cake and let soak in. Repeat until the entire glaze is used up, including any glaze that has dripped through onto the sheet pan. Let cool at room temperature or, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator (Well wrapped, the cake will last up to a week). Serve at room temperature, in thin slices.
Notes
Ensure all cold ingredients, especially butter and eggs, are at true room temperature for optimal emulsification, leading to a perfectly smooth batter and tender crumb. When mixing, avoid overworking the batter once the dry ingredients are added; mix only until just combined to prevent gluten development and a tough cake. The cake is done when a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs, indicating a moist, not dry, cake. Glaze the cake while it's still warm to allow maximum absorption, resulting in a deeply flavored and moist finish. For an extra bright citrus note, consider adding a tablespoon of lemon zest to the cake batter.