Description
Homemade lemon pound cake makes a bright, lemony twist on classic sour cream pound cake! Each slice is plush and buttery with a moist crumb thanks to rich sour cream. Drizzle with lemon glaze and top with lemon slices for the ultimate dessert for lemon lovers!
Ingredients
Pound Cake
- 1 cup (224 g) chilled unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 large eggs (200 g)
- 2 large egg yolks (36 g)
- 1 tsp (4 g) pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp (1 g) pure almond extract
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
- 3 Tbsp (9 g) fresh lemon zest
- 2 1/3 cups (467 g) granulated sugar
- 3 cups (345 g) cake flour, sifted
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream, at room temperature
Lemon Glaze
- 1 Tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter, melted
- pinch of salt
- 2 tsp (2 g) fresh lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp (15 g) fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp (15 g) milk
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Bring ingredients to cool room temperature: Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, until butter reaches 60°F. Combine eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract in a large glass measuring cup and whisk with a fork to combine. Let stand at room temperature until ready to use. Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Make pound cake: Beat butter, salt, and lemon zest at medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and gradually pour in sugar. Once sugar is added, increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Reduce speed to medium and gradually add egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. Once egg mixture is fully combined (after about 1 minute), scrape down the bowl and then beat mixture on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add cake flour in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream (begin and end with flour mixture), just until combined.
- Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth top with an offset spatula. Tap pan sharply once or twice to settle batter.
- Bake pound cake for 65 minutes, until cake is golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cake is done baking when the internal temperature reaches 210°F. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes; carefully invert onto rack and cool completely.
- Make glaze: Whisk together melted butter, salt, lemon zest and juice, milk, and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over pound cake and let set before serving.
- Store leftover cake at room temperature overnight (tightly covered) or in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Optional lemon syrup: In the last five minutes of baking, combine 3 Tbsp (45 g) fresh lemon juice and 3 Tbsp (38 g) granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and syrup thickens, about 4 minutes. Remove cake from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Prick holes over the top of the cake with a fork or skewer and brush generously with lemon syrup. Cool in pan on a wire rack for another 15 minutes; carefully remove cake from pan and cool completely.
Bundt pan: Use a bundt pan with 12 cup capacity (or a tube pan without removable bottom). Do not use a tube pan with a removable bottom; the batter will leak out.
Prepare pan: Use an even coating of baking spray with flour or generously butter and flour the pan. The flour gives the batter something to cling to so it rises evenly. Do not use regular nonstick spray here, the cake won’t rise as much.
Make ahead: Once the cake is completely cool, wrap well with plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight. Add lemon glaze before serving.
Freeze cake: Let the cake cool completely, then wrap it tightly (unglazed) in a layer of plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. For best flavor and texture, freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator (still wrapped to prevent condensation from forming on the surface) and bring to room temperature before adding the glaze.