Ever since I was a little boy, pound cakes have held a special spot in my heart. I remember coming home from school, dropping my bookbag at the door and heading to the kitchen to grab a slice of pound cake. Things are different now – I’m a bit older and I don’t have a bookbag full of textbooks, but I still drop my keys in the bowl by the door and head off to grab a slice of pound cake. Some things never change!
My wife disagrees with me about pound cake. She feels that they are boring and dense. Well, they are dense. But boring? Nope! The crispy edges are full of flavor, and then the dense cake itself? I like to break off pieces and nibble on it that way.
Plus, pound cakes are quite possibly one of the most versatile desserts. Think about it. You can frost ’em with a simple glaze like I did here. You can slice ’em and serve with an assortment of fresh berries. You can turn ’em into a trifle. Heck, you can even grill a slice of pound cake. Yes, that works! A slice of grilled pound cake topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream just screams summer.
I’ve made dozens of pound cakes over the years, and I always enjoy playing with the ingredients and flavors. I recently hit the kitchen with the goal of putting a bright lemony twist on a classic sour cream pound cake. This Lemon Pound Cake turned out quite well! My wife wandered through the kitchen after I took those photos, and she took a little nibble. I think her exact words were, “Now that’s a pound cake that I like!”
This Lemon Pound Cake is buttery, delicious and packed with lemon flavor. If you’re looking for a tasty spring dessert, then put this one on the list. (Of course, this Lemon Pound Cake can be made during any season – I just typically crave lemon desserts on spring days.)
Pound cakes have been around since the early 1700’s, and there are many variations out there. Heck, I’ve made 1 or 2 40 or 50 over the years. However, there are a few tips that remain true regardless of the style of pound cake.
Scrape down the mixing bowl after each addition. Take a spatula and run it around the edge the bottom of the mixing bowl. If the batter isn’t fully mixed, it will be noticeable when you slice into the cake.Always grease the bundt or tube pan. I often use nonstick baking spray for various baking projects, but for pound cakes I go the extra step – I grease the bowl with vegetable shortening and then dust the bowl lightly with flour. Several years ago, I had a rough go with pound cakes. Every one of them stuck to the pan and tore apart. Turns out I just needed a new bundt pan. , and I haven’t had a problem since! (I still grease and flour the pan every time.)Take care not to overbake the pound cake. A pound cake traditionally bakes at a lower temperature for a longer period of time – often up to 90 minutes. I begin checking the cake ~10 minutes before it’s supposed to be done. Just insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the cake. If it comes back with wet batter on it, the cake needs to bake longer. If it comes back with a few moist crumbs? It’s done. Pull it out of the oven. The pound cake will continue to bake in the pan for a few minutes.
Pound cakes can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to three days. Pound cakes can also be refrigerated, although plan on letting them rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes to warm up before serving.
Absolutely! Pound cakes lend themselves quite well to freezing. I wrap slices in plastic wrap and then put the slices in a gallon-sized ziptop bag. That way, I can pull out just one slice if I’m craving pound cake. (Make sure to label the ziptop bag with the name of the recipe and the date – I speak from experience here To thaw, just unwrap the frozen slice of pound cake and let sit at room temperature for about an hour.
There are many, many variations of pound cakes out there. Unfortunately, pound cakes sometimes get a bad rap for being dry and crumbly. I get it. A bad pound cake is quite disappointing. One of my favorite tricks for keeping a pound cake moist is sour cream. This Lemon Pound Cake uses an entire cup of sour cream, and I have to say that the texture is quite nice!
All in all, this Lemon Pound Cake turned out quite well. (If you want, you could certainly add several tablespoons of poppy seeds to create a Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake.) I like serving slices of this cake with an extra slice of lemon and a couple of mint leaves. Fresh berries would be a good addition to the plate, too. I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we did!
This Lemon Pound Cake is buttery, delicious and packed with lemon flavor. If you're looking for a tasty dessert, then put this one on the list!
4.50 from 6 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 387 kcal
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Spray a 12-cup bundt pan generously with non-stick baking spray; set pan aside.
Using a countertop mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (~3-4 minutes at medium speed).
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing fully after each addition.
Add vanilla extract, lemon juice and sour cream; mix until well combined.
Using a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and lemon zest; stir until well combined. Add this flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture in 2 additions; mixing fully after each addition.
Transfer batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 75-80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out mostly clean.
Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting cake onto wire rack. Let cake cool completely.
