Classic Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

Name: Classic Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the pan; 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar; 2 tbsp (12 g) lemon zest, finely grated from about 2 large lemons, avoiding the white pith; 1 cup (2 sticks) (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces; 4 whole (200 g) large eggs, at room temperature; 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; ½ tsp (2 g) baking powder; ½ tsp (3 g) fine salt; ½ cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature; 3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh lemon juice, strained; 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract; 2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice, strained; 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar; 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted; 2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice, strained, plus up to 1 tsp more if needed

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A buttery, tight-crumbed loaf with a tender, moist center, perfumed with fresh lemon zest rubbed into the sugar. A warm lemon syrup soaks into the crumb and a tart-sweet glaze finishes the top.

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 1 hr 10 min
Wait: 1 hr 35 min
Total: 3 hr 20 min
Makes: 1 loaf (10 slices)

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Ingredients

10 servings

For the cake
1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the pan
1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
2 tbsp (12 g) lemon zest, finely grated from about 2 large lemons, avoiding the white pith
1 cup (2 sticks) (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 whole (200 g) large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
½ tsp (2 g) baking powder
½ tsp (3 g) fine salt
½ cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh lemon juice, strained
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
For the lemon syrup
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice, strained
2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
For the glaze
1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice, strained, plus up to 1 tsp more if needed

Equipment (10)

9×5-inch (23×13 cm) metal loaf pan
Parchment paper
Stand mixer with paddle, or hand mixer and large bowl
Medium bowl and whisk
Rubber spatula
Fine rasp grater (Microplane)
Small saucepan
Pastry brush
Wire rack
Toothpick or instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Set out the butter, eggs and sour cream 1 hour ahead so everything is at cool room temperature (about 68°F/20°C). Cold ingredients make a curdled batter and a dense cake.
You need about 3 large lemons: 2 for the zest (zest them before juicing) and enough for about 7 tablespoons (105 ml) of juice in total.
Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it, or weigh it. Scooping packs in extra flour and makes the cake dry.
Plan on about 3 hours 20 minutes start to finish, including cooling. The cake must cool completely before glazing.

1
Heat oven, prepare panOven 325°F / 165°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 325°F (165°C).
- Rub the softened 1 tablespoon butter over the bottom and sides of a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan.
- Line the bottom and the two long sides with a strip of parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang to use as handles, and press it flat.
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Ready when: Pan is evenly greased and parchment lies flat against the pan.
Tip: An oven thermometer helps. Ovens that run hot give a dark, cracked crust before the center sets.
2
Rub zest into sugar
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the 1½ cups (300 g) sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon zest.
- Rub them together with your fingertips for about 1 minute.
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Ready when: The sugar looks like damp sand, is pale yellow and smells strongly of lemon.
Tip: This releases the zest's oils into the sugar for much deeper lemon flavor.
3
Cream butter and sugar
- Add the 1 cup (227 g) room-temperature butter to the lemon sugar.
- With the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape the bowl and paddle.
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Ready when: The mixture is very pale yellow, noticeably fluffy and increased in volume, with no gritty sugar feel when rubbed between your fingers.
Tip: Don't cut this short. Thorough creaming traps the air that gives pound cake its lift.
4
Beat in eggs
- With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 to 45 seconds after each until fully blended before adding the next.
- Scrape down the bowl after the third egg.
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Ready when: The batter is smooth, glossy and thick, with no streaks of egg.
Tip: If the batter looks slightly curdled, it's likely the eggs were cold. Keep going. The flour will bring it back together.
5
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups (250 g) flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt for 20 seconds.
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Ready when: No streaks of baking powder or salt are visible.
6
Mix wet flavorings
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) lemon juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth.
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Ready when: The mixture is smooth and pourable like thick buttermilk.
Tip: It may thicken slightly from the acid. That's normal.
7
Alternate flour and sour cream
- With the mixer on low speed, add one-third of the flour mixture and mix just until a few streaks remain.
- Add half of the sour cream mixture, then another third of the flour, the remaining sour cream mixture, and finally the last of the flour.
- Stop the mixer as soon as the last streaks disappear.
- Scrape the bowl and fold a few times with a spatula to finish.
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Ready when: The batter is thick, smooth and uniform, with no dry flour pockets.
Tip: Overmixing after the flour goes in develops gluten and makes the cake tough.
8
Fill pan and bakeOven 325°F / 165°C
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it level, nudging it into the corners.
- Tap the pan firmly on the counter twice to release large air bubbles.
- Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 65 to 75 minutes, rotating the pan once at 45 minutes.
- If the top is browning too fast at the 50-minute mark, tent loosely with foil.
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Ready when: The top is deep golden with a lengthwise crack, a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few dry crumbs (no wet batter), and an instant-read thermometer reads 205–210°F (96–99°C).
Tip: Don't open the oven before 45 minutes, or the cake may sink.
9
Cool briefly in pan
- Set the pan on a wire rack.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, you can make the syrup in the next step.
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Ready when: The cake edges have just pulled away slightly from the pan and the cake is warm, not hot.
10
Make syrup and soak cake
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice and 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat.
- Use the parchment handles to lift the cake out onto the rack set over a baking sheet.
- Poke the top all over with a toothpick, about 30 holes, then brush the warm syrup slowly over the top and sides, letting it soak in.
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Ready when: The sugar has fully dissolved and the syrup looks clear, and the cake surface looks glossy and damp.
Tip: Brush while the cake is still warm so the crumb absorbs the syrup instead of leaving it sitting on top.
11
Cool completely
- Leave the cake on the rack until it is completely cool to the touch on the bottom and in the center, about 1 hour.
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Ready when: The bottom of the loaf feels room temperature, with no warmth.
Tip: Glazing a warm cake makes the glaze run off and turn transparent.
12
Glaze and set
- In a small bowl, whisk the 1 cup (120 g) sifted powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice until smooth.
- If it's too thick to drizzle, whisk in up to 1 teaspoon more juice.
- Spoon over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
- Let it set for about 20 minutes, then slice with a serrated knife.
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Ready when: The glaze is opaque white and no longer sticky when lightly touched.
Tip: The glaze should fall from the whisk in a thick ribbon. Add juice a few drops at a time.

Good to know

Tips

Weigh the ingredients if you can. Pound cake depends on accurate ratios, and a kitchen scale is the most reliable way to get them.
Use fresh lemons only. Bottled juice tastes flat and sometimes bitter, and it won't give you zest.
Every oven is different. Start checking for doneness at 60 minutes, and use the thermometer reading of 205–210°F (96–99°C) rather than time alone.
For clean slices, use a serrated knife with a gentle sawing motion and wipe the blade between cuts.

Make ahead

The unglazed cake can be baked and soaked with syrup up to 2 days ahead. Cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature, then glaze on the day you serve it.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: store glazed cake, covered, up to 3 days. Fridge: up to 7 days wrapped well, though the crumb is best brought back to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Freezer: wrap the unglazed cake (or individual slices) in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature, then glaze. To warm slices, heat for 10 seconds in the microwave.

Substitutions

full-fat sour cream → full-fat plain Greek yogurt. Use the same weight (120 g). The crumb will be slightly tangier and equally moist.
unsalted butter → salted butter. Use the same amount and reduce the added salt to ¼ teaspoon.
all-purpose flour → cake flour. Use 2¼ cups (255 g) sifted cake flour for a slightly softer, finer crumb.
pure vanilla extract → pure almond extract. Use ½ teaspoon for a subtle bakery-style flavor, as it's stronger than vanilla.