This buttery lemon pound cake is drenched in lemon juice, lemon oil, and lemon glaze, so every bite is filled with delicious tartness. The cake is unapologetically simple, with no frills. Just comforting goodness that proudly announces the summer season.
Lemons, for me, are inextricably linked to summer. I savor the way their essence cuts through flavor profiles and makes everything a little bit bright. To celebrate that feeling, I wanted to make a basic cake that kept it as the star.
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More lemon and pound cake recipes
How to make lemon pound cake?
Don’t be fooled by the over-the-top garnishing. That’s just me not being able to resist an extra something. The recipe itself is traditional, making a cake that you want your teeth to sink into with a cup of tea or coffee.
Step 1: Sift all-purpose flour and whisk it with baking powder and salt.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, mix regular vegetable oil with softened butter. Then beat with sugar till it's light and fluffy.
Step 3: Add eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice and beat thoroughly. If you’re like me and love every inch of pound cake to be suffused with lemon flavor, incorporate lemon oil too.
Step 4: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, along with some lemon zest. In case the batter feels too thick, mix lukewarm milk till you have a soft dropping consistency.
Step 5: Pour the pound cake batter into a well-greased pan. I used an 8 by 4-inch one. Bake for 35 minutes.
Step 6: Allow the lemon pound cake to cook for 5 to 10 minutes before turning it over and cooling completely on a wire rack.
Bright tart lemon glaze for pound cake
For me, this cake is a lemon masterpiece. The batter is zested, juiced, and oiled, and the cake drips with a thick glaze. Without the glaze, the cake is mildly sweet. With it, you get the dream balance of sweetness and lemony edge.
To make, mix lemon juice and icing sugar to a nice thick consistency. Pour it on the pound cake. If it drips down the side, let it. It adds to the charm. For a final brushstroke, I topped the cake with a few edible flowers.
By no means is the icing or flowers essential. But if you plan on using them, make sure the cake is completely cool before you drizzle the icing. Also, since the glaze takes barely a minute or two to set, garnish with flowers with speedy hands.
Tasha's tips for a moist lemon pound cake
- Keep all your ingredients at room temperature.
- Don’t use cold milk to loosen the cake batter. It has to be lukewarm, so you aren’t stuck with lumps. It’s also the secret to a moister crumb.
- Don’t have lemon oil? Don’t fret. It’s optional.
- Prefer a citrus punch that knocks you over? Go a step further in the recipe. While the cake is still hot, poke holes and fill them with lemon-flavored sugar syrup so it seeps and soaks into the cake.
Ingredient alternatives for an easy lemon pound cake
Eggless: Replace eggs with flax eggs by mixing 2 tablespoons of flax powder with 6 tablespoons of water.
Sugar: I am a fan of raw sugar for my bakes. But for this recipe, cane or regular white sugar both work wonderfully.
Oil: Most pound cakes use only butter. But experiments have taught me that when combined with oil, the two become unbeatable. Butter lends flavor and a rich creaminess. While oil makes the cake so much softer, even after it’s refrigerated. That said, feel free to use just butter or just oil too.
Don’t underestimate this lemon pound cake
Quintessential #TAFEverydayCake
Uses basic pantry ingredients
With a bright, tart flavor
And a wonderful crust and tight crumb
Superbly moist, just the way you imagine pound cake to be
More summery lemon recipes
Love pound cakes? Try these
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups ( 200 gms) All-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/4 cup (50gms) Oil
- 1/4 cup ( 55 gms) Butter, softened
- 1/2 cup ( 120 gms) Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp Lemon oil Optional
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 cup ( 100gms) Milk, warm
- 1 tbsp Lemon zest
Lemon Glaze
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 cup ( 25 gms) Icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease a loaf pan - 8"X4".
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil, and sugar together till thick and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, lemon oil, and lemon juice.
- Fold in the flour mixture and lemon zest into the egg mixture.
- Whisk in the warm milk. Mix well until the batter is smooth and lump-free.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve as is or pour over the glaze. Decorate with edible flowers and lemon zest. Allow to set, about 5 minutes, before serving. Enjoy!
Lemon Glaze
- Combine the icing sugar and lemon juice till smooth and lump-free. The glaze should have a thick, pourable consistency.
Ni says
Hi can you recommend a good Indian brand for lemon oil?
Natasha Minocha says
Hi, actually I haven't looked around for one locally as I have been getting mine from the US, for many years now. But do try Amazon, they seem to carry everything. 🙂