Description
This Easy Lemon Pound Cake is a moist, buttery classic dessert featuring a bright lemon flavor in both the cake and a luscious lemon glaze topping. Perfectly balanced with fresh lemon zest and juice, it’s simple to prepare and ideal for any occasion, delivering a tender crumb and a tangy-sweet finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare pans: Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Spray two 9×4-inch loaf pans with baking spray and dust with flour. Tap out and discard excess flour. Set aside.
- Mix lemon buttermilk: In a medium bowl or pitcher, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream butter and sugar: In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure even mixing.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Incorporate flour and buttermilk: Alternately add one-third of the dry flour mixture and half of the lemon buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, stirring gently after each addition until smooth. Repeat until all ingredients are combined into a smooth batter.
- Divide and bake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool cakes: Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a cooling rack and remove the pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely to room temperature.
- Make glaze: While the cakes cool, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and honey-like in consistency. Adjust by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more lemon juice to thin as needed.
- Glaze the cakes: Pour the lemon glaze over the cooled pound cakes, allowing it to drip down the sides. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- You can easily cut this recipe in half to make just one loaf cake.
- For easier storage when making ahead, leave the glaze off and add it about 30 minutes before serving to allow it to set.
