American
Lemon Pound Cake
A buttery loaf scented with lemon zest and juice, finished with a thin tart glaze. It bakes until the center reaches a fully set crumb.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 58 min
- Total
- 1 hr 18 min
- Servings
- 10
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Zest carries the lemon oil. Juice alone tastes flat in a buttery cake.
- Sour cream keeps the crumb tender through a long bake.
- A loaf needs a thermometer or a true clean toothpick. The top browns before the center is done.
- The glaze goes on while the cake is slightly warm so it soaks in a little.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment.
- 2
Beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- 3
Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the 1/3 cup lemon juice, the lemon zest, vanilla, and sour cream.
- 4
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold that into the batter just until the flour disappears. Do not eat the raw batter.
- 5
Spread the batter in the pan. Bake 50 to 58 minutes. Tent with foil if the top gets dark before the center is done.
- 6
The cake is done when a toothpick in the center comes out clean and an instant-read thermometer in the center reads about 200°F.
- 7
Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.
- 8
Stir the powdered sugar with the remaining 2 tbsp lemon juice. Spoon the glaze over the slightly warm cake. Cool before slicing.
Pro tips
- Zest the lemons before you juice them.
- The batter may look slightly curdled after the lemon juice. It comes back together when the flour goes in.
- Do not slice it hot. The crumb tears and the center can seem underdone even when it is cooked.
Easy substitutions
- sour cream
- plain whole-milk yogurt
- fresh lemon juice
- bottled lemon juice in a pinch
- powdered sugar
- a simple dusting of granulated sugar if you skip the glaze
Storage and reheating
Storage
Keep covered at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days.
Reheating
Serve at room temperature. Warm a slice 10 seconds in the microwave if you want it soft.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 435
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Moderate · Oven
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From the kitchen
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
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An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
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A sharp chef’s knife
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A large cutting board
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Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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