Lemon Pound Cake

Dense, flavorful, and moist, this classic Lemon Pound Cake recipe is one you’ll turn to again and again. Drizzled with a tangy lemon glaze, it can be served for breakfast, an after-dinner dessert, or anything in between.

Yes my friends, bust out your baking dishes, whisks, and fresh lemons because today we are making a fabulous Lemon Pound Cake!

For some reason, I’m always craving lemon recipes in the spring. In fact, I enjoy lemon recipes so much that I have an entire blog post dedicated to 14+ of my favorite lemon recipes.

Recently I spent the day in my kitchen whipping up some new spring treats and this Lemon Pound Cake was one of the recipes on that list. I don’t want to compare it to the popular Starbucks lemon pound cake, but it’s really close. Let’s just say it’s better because it’s homemade.

As you know, I love specialty cake pans, so when I saw this adorable lemon-inspired loaf pan, I knew some delicious lemon quick bread needed to happen.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Really easy and quick to make, even for a novice baker!
• Full of bright and refreshing lemon flavor.
• Serves as a sweet for breakfast, afternoon treat, or dessert.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to bake up this zesty lemon pound cake. The ingredients are pretty basic. In fact, you may already have them in your kitchen as you read this.

• cream cheese
• unsalted butter
• eggs
• lemons 
• sugar
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour
• salt
• confectioners’ sugar

This decorative cake pan isn’t required for this recipe, but it sure doesn’t make it look special. If you do purchase this pan, you can also use if for my fabulous lemon yogurt cake!

Speaking of specialty cake pans, I’m kind of an expert with them. I’ve made gingerbread houses, a beehive, individual shortcakes, and even a chocolate skull cake. For your convenience, I put together an entire blog post with all of my creations. They are pretty special.

How to Make

Below, i’ll walk you through the steps for making this delightful lemon pound cake.. I’ve also provided a full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the printable recipe card below.

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Prepare your baking pan by spraying it with baking spray. Then, use a pastry brush to make sure all the nooks and crannies of the pan are coated with the spray. Set aside. (I’ve shared some more tips on this below.) Not using this particular pan, no worries any 9×5 loaf pan will work.

3. With an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine.

4. Next, add the zest and juice from one lemon along with the vanilla extract. Mix well. Add in the flour and salt and mix until just combined.
5. Add this mixture to your prepared baking pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

6. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then invert onto a cooling rack and remove from the pan. Allow the cake to completely cool before topping it with a confectioners’ sugar glaze.
7. To make the glaze, in a medium-sized bowl, start with the confectioners’ sugar. Then, add the half and half one tablespoon at a time to reach the desired consistency. Whisk to combine. Mix in the vanilla extract and optional food coloring.
8. Whisk well until the glaze is smooth and no sugar clumps are visible. Drizzle onto your cake with the whisk or a spoon.

Ta-da! Your delicious lemon pound cake is complete!

Recipe Notes and Tips

How to Add Moisture to a Cake

Now I know that whipping cream cheese into this recipe might sound a bit odd, but it’s the secret ingredient that adds creaminess, moisture, and a subtle tang that pairs perfectly with all that lemon goodness. Trust me on this one.

When you see things like sour cream, buttermilk, and cream cheese in a cake or bread recipe, you’ll know it’s going to be moist. (And I know a lot of people hate that word, but I love it because that’s exactly how I want recipes like this to be.)

How to Grease Speciality Cake Pans

When I do use pans like these, I often get asked how to grease them properly so the cake will come out nicely and easily. I’m going to break it down for you into four simple steps.

1. Evenly spray the pan with a baking spray. The key is BAKING spray, not cooking spray. I recommend PAM Baking Spray or Baker’s Joy.
2. Use a pastry brush (I like this silicone type) to press the baking spray into all the nooks and crannies.
3. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Then, shake the flour all around the pan. Dump out any excess flour.
4. My final tip is to wait until the cake cools slightly before you try to remove it from the pan. It all depends on the size of the cake, but it’s typically a good 15-20 minutes.

More Lemon Desserts You Will Enjoy

• Lemon Blueberry Bread
• Frosted Lemon Cookies
• Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies
• Pink Lemonade Thumbprint Cookies
• Lemon Curd Cheesecake Tarts
• Lemon Sandwich Cookies

As always, thank you for joining me here on Inspired by Charm. I hope you’ll give this lemon pound cake recipe a try and let me know what you think. I think you’re going to love it!  If you do, please leave a comment and a 5-star rating below. 

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Lemon Pound Cake

Dense, flavorful, and moist, this classic Lemon Pound Cake recipe is one you'll turn to again and again. Drizzled with a tangy lemon glaze, it can be served for breakfast, an after-dinner dessert, or anything in between.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon, lemon bread, pound cake, quick bread

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 441kcal

Ingredients

• 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 4-5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees F.
• Prepare your baking pan by spraying it with baking spray. Then, use a pastry brush to make sure all the nooks and crannies of the pan are coated with the spray. Set aside.
• With an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine.
• Next, add the zest and juice from one lemon along with the vanilla extract. Mix well. Add in the flour and salt and mix until just combined.
• Add this mixture to your prepared baking pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then invert onto a cooling rack and remove from the pan. Allow the cake to completely cool before topping it with a confectioners’ sugar glaze.
• In a medium-sized bowl, start with the confectioners' sugar. Then, add the lemon juice along with the vanilla extract one tablespoon at a time to reach the desired consistency. Whisk to combine.
• Whisk well until the glaze is smooth and no sugar clumps are visible. Drizzle onto your cake with the whisk or a spoon.

Nutrition

Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 652IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg