This Glazed Lemon Pound Cake definitely brightened the day. There’s something about a lemon dessert that provides a little sunshine and a lot of deliciousness.

Plus a group of my favorite bloggers is sharing some incredible citrus recipes, like this moist lemon cake recipe, that you’ll want to add to your menu. Scroll down to see some scrumptious lemon, orange, and lime-flavored dishes.

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake slice plated with berries and cream.

Why You Must Make

  • Citrus recipes are the perfect holdover until summer arrives with its abundance of fresh produce. It’s only fitting that I recommend this lovely, dense and fine-crumbed lemon pound cake!
  • A Lemon Loaf Cake recipe is smaller than a full-sized Bundt cake, so it will satisfy your cravings without increasing your pants size! But check out this Lemon Bundt Cake if you need a bigger version.
  • It’s a lovely dessert with just its lemon glaze, but can be jazzed up with sliced, macerated strawberries, plump fresh raspberries or blueberries, and either a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
  • You could also try warming a slice of cake in the microwave, as when it’s warm it gets all extra buttery and gooey. But don’t forget that a lemon glaze for cake is a simple way to keep the cake moist and gives a beautiful finishing touch!

Expert Tips

Pound cakes are dense with a fine crumb and there are a few things you should note before baking one.

  • Start with room-temperature eggs and butter to ensure the ingredients incorporate as well as possible.
  • PRO-Tip: If you forget to set out your eggs ahead of time, place them in a bowl of very warm (not boiling!) tap water for 15-20 minutes to get the chill off.
  • Make sure the butter and sugar are creamed together well, so your pound cake will have a velvety texture.
  • Add eggs one at a time and don’t over-mix as this will add air to the batter and alter the desired texture.
  • Make sure to prep your pan well. If it’s a non-stick pan, just a coating of an oil and flour baking spray, like Baker’s Joy, works well. If not, I like to grease my pan with shortening, then dust with flour.
  • Allow your cake to cool for about 10-15  minutes before removing it from the pan. This gives the crust time to cool and firm up, but not too long so that the cake sticks.
  • Then cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
Glazed Lemon Cake Recipe overhead loaf view on a white tray.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Is This Called a Pound Cake?

You may think the dense pound cake got its name because it is heavier than the ordinary cake. But the first pound cakes were made with a pound of eggs, a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, and a pound of flour. The name “pound cake” now makes sense, doesn’t it??

What’s the Best Way to Infuse Lemon Flavor into a Cake?

Adding lemon juice, zest, and/or lemon extract are great ways to add lemon flavor to cakes, cupcakes, and muffins. Dorie Greenspan’s method of rubbing lemon zest and sugar together with your fingers helps release the lemon oil from the zest.
In the process, the sugar absorbs the lemon oil. Use this lemon-infused sugar in your recipe.

You May Also Like:

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake slices garnished with berries

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Glazed Lemon Pound Cake - served with whipped cream and berries for a delightful dessert

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Yield 10 servings

A dense, delicious lemon loaf with a simple lemon glaze.

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Glaze:

  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottom of a large loaf pan (1 pound loaf pan or approximately 9 x 5 x 2 ½-inches) with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Add the sugar and lemon zest into a large mixing bowl. Using your fingertips rub the sugar and zest together for a minute or two until the oils are released and the sugar smells fragrant (a trick I learned from Dorie Greenspan).
  3. Add the softened butter and beat until creamy and smooth.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well in between each addition. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Note that the mixture may appear curdled.
  5. Sift the dry ingredients on top of the egg/butter mixture and then gently fold until you have a smooth batter. Do not overmix.
  6. Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°. Continue baking for 35-60 more minutes (mine took another hour!).
  7. Remove from oven to a cooling rack. After 10-15 minutes, release from the pan and place upright on the cooling rack.
  8. Make the lemon glaze by combining the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring this mixture up to a boil and then decrease the heat to low and allow it to simmer for about 2-3 minutes until thick and syrupy.
  9. Using a toothpick poke holes all over the top and sides of the cake and brush the cake with the glaze.
  10. Cool to room temperature before serving. Wrap leftovers well in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Notes

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1 slice

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 399Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 331mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 1gSugar: 35gProtein: 5g

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