Moist Lemon Pound Cake
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Moist Lemon Pound Cake is soaked in lemon syrup and finished with a drizzle of lemon glaze. Every bite of this moist pound cake is bursting with fresh lemon flavor. It will have you hooked in just one bite!
This Moist Lemon Pound Cake is the perfect dessert for lemon lovers! It is tender, super moist, and has a bright refreshing lemony flavor. It is so zesty and sweet that it will brighten up anyone’s day.
The lemon loaf itself has a tight crumb, but it does not taste heavy and dry at all. You will poke holes around the cake and douse it with lemon syrup. This syrup will sink into the holes and give the cake extra moisture inside. To finish, drizzle the top of the cake with lemon glaze, delivering an intense burst of lemon flavor with every bite.
Ingredients You Need
This Moist Lemon Pound Cake needs only one large lemon. It can be made easily using typical pantry and fridge items.
Pound Cake
- Unsalted butter. Make sure to bring the butter to room temperature to get the best result.
- Granulated sugar. To sweeten and aerate the butter, making the cake soft.
- Lemon zest. It adds an amazing lemony flavor and aroma to the cake.
- Eggs. Make sure you use room-temperature eggs because they blend more evenly in batters.
- Vanilla extract. To enhance the flavor.
- Cake flour. I like to use cake flour for a tender texture. You can also use all-purpose flour for this recipe, but the cake will be denser.
- Baking powder. It makes the batter to rise during baking. It creates air bubbles that give your baked goods their light, airy texture.
- Salt. To enhance the flavor of other ingredients.
Syrup
- Granulated sugar. To sweeten the syrup.
- Hot water. To dissolve the sugar.
- Lemon juice. To add extra lemony flavor.
Glaze
- Confectioners’ sugar. It dissolves easily, making it great for glaze.
- Lemon juice. To add extra lemony flavor.
Tip for Perfectly Split Loaf Cakes
Why the crack occurs? Since the pound cake batters tend to be thick and dense, the exterior bakes first. The center of the cake continues to bake, it rises, pushing through the top crust, and creating a crack.
Most of the time, the crack is uneven as the batter cooks unevenly. If you like the rustic look, that’s fine. However, if you want the iconic center crack, follow this simple step.
Once the cake batter has been poured into a loaf pan, add some softened butter to a piping bag and lay a single straight line of butter lengthwise down the center of the cake to create a clean split. Alternatively, you can also brush a dough scraper or knife with melted butter and dip in the middle of the batter. As the cake bakes and the butter melts, this extra step encourages the batter to split precisely down the middle.
How to Make This Recipe in Bigger Loaf Pan
This recipe makes just one small 6-inch loaf pan. The size is perfect for a small family. If you only have a standard loaf pan with 8.5×4.5 inches or 9×5 inches size, just double the recipe. Make sure to bake the cake longer in the oven for about 55-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The baking time varies depending on the size of your loaf pan.
Baking Tips
- Grease and flour the pan. To unmold the cake easier.
- Have ingredients at room temperature. Room-temperature ingredients mix much more effortlessly into the batter.
- Don’t overmix. Avoid overmixing the batter as it will lead to a tough and rubbery cake.
- Don’t overfill the mold. You should fill them about 80% full as the cake rises during baking.
- Tap the mold before baking. To make sure there are no gaps between the cake batter and the mold at the base or around the sides. Tapping the mold a few times on the counter before baking also removes any large air pockets that may cause uneven texture in your finished cake.
- Cool the cake completely before glazing it. The glaze will melt if you drizzle it when the cake is still warm.
How to Store
It’s best to store the leftovers at room temperature with an airtight cover. On average, the cakes will last for 3-4 days when stored properly at room temperature. Don’t refrigerate pound cake as the texture and the flavor of the cake will have drastically changed after being kept in the refrigerator.
More Lemon Recipes
Ingredients
Pound Cake
- 7 tbsp (100 gr) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 gr) granulated sugar
- Lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (100 gr) cake flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Syrup
- 2 1/2 tbsp (30 gr) granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp (40 gr) hot water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Glaze
- 2/3 cup (85 gr) confectioners’ sugar
- 1-1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- Lemon zest, for decoration
Instructions
Pound Cake
- Preheat the oven to 340F/170°C. Grease and flour a 6×3.1×2.1-inch/15x8x5.4 cm loaf pan. Shake off the excess flour.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until pale and fluffy. Scrape the side with a spatula.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
- Sift in cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat on the lowest speed until just combined. Don't overmix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Level the top evenly with the spatula. Tap the mold on the working surface a few times to remove the air bubbles.
- Add some softened butter to a piping bag and lay a single straight line of butter lengthwise down the center of the cake to create a clean split. This step is optional.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Syrup
- In a small bowl, add granulated sugar and hot water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add lemon juice and stir until combined.
- Remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.
- Poke lots of holes into the cake with a toothpick.
- Gradually brush the syrup all over the cakes, including the sides, letting it soak in as you go.
- Cool the cake completely.
Glaze
- In a bowl, sift confectioners' sugar. Add lemon juice and stir until combined.
- Drizzle the top of the cooled cake with the glaze. Sprinkle lemon zest for decoration.
- Allow the glaze to set before serving.
- Cut the pound cake with a serrated knife. Serve.
