The Homemade Lemon Pound Cake You're Going to Want to Make All the Time

Name: The Homemade Lemon Pound Cake You're Going to Want to Make All the Time
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 12 - 16
Ingredients: 3 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for pan; 1 tsp. baking soda; 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt; 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature plus more for pan; 2 3/4 c. granulated sugar; 3 Tbsp (packed) grated lemon zest plus ¼ cup lemon juice; 6 large eggs, at room temperature; 1 tbsp. vanilla; 1 c. sour cream, at room temperature; 1 1/3 c. confectioners’ sugar; 2 to 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice; Lemon zest strips, for sprinkling

It’s even better with a generous drizzle of sweet-tart lemon glaze.

By Samantha MacAvoy and Kristina KurekPublished: May 14, 2025

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,Mike Garten

Yields:

12 - 16

Total Time:

5 hrs

Jump to recipe

Loaded with heaps of fragrant lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, this decadent lemon pound cake is for true lemon dessert lovers or anyone looking for a bright, sunny sweet. Be sure to get an extra lemon for the topping, because the cake is amazing on its own, but it’s even better with a generous drizzle of sweet-tart lemon glaze.

Baked in a Bundt pan, the cake comes out looking naturally Insta-worthy, with plenty of peaks and valleys to catch all of that delicious glaze.

How to make Lemon Pound Cake

Start by prepping your pan: Very generously butter and flour a 15-cup Bundt pan. This helps ensure that the cake won’t stick to the pan.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Then, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, then reduce the mixer speed and add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon juice.

Next, you’ll combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, adding the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with sour cream. Sour cream brings irresistible richness to this recipe, and even more tang!

Spoon the batter into the Bundt pan and bake for about 1 hour. Once the cake has cooled, spoon the icing all over the top, allowing it to drip naturally down the sides. Cut the cake into generous, thick slices and enjoy!

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Ingredients

For cake

3 cups
all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 tsp.
baking soda
1 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
3
sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature plus more for pan
2 3/4 cups
granulated sugar
3
Tbsp (packed) grated lemon zest plus ¼ cup lemon juice
6
large eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp.
vanilla
1 cup
sour cream, at room temperature

For icing

1 1/3 cups
confectioners’ sugar
2 to 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Lemon zest strips, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Step 1Heat oven to 350℉. Very generously butter and flour a large (15-cup) Bundt pan, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Step 2In large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated before adding the next and scraping down bowl as necessary. Mix in vanilla and lemon juice.
3. Step 3Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with sour cream and beating just until incorporated (do not overmix).
4. Step 4Spoon large spoonfuls of batter into prepared pan, tapping pan on counter every so often, then smooth top. Bake on middle rack for 35 minutes. Tent with foil, rotate pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted comes out with loose crumbs attached, 20 to 30 minutes more.
5. Step 5Let cake cool in pan 5 minutes, then invert onto wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet or waxed paper and remove pan. Let cool completely.
6. Step 6Once cake has cooled, prepare icing. In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, adding more lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time to make a thick but pourable icing. Spoon icing in circular motion over top of cake, allowing to drip naturally down sides. Let set for 30 minutes, then sprinkle with lemon zest strips, if desired.