Lemon Pound Cake
4.5
(162)
An easy dessert or afternoon snack, this lemon pound cake recipe gets its pillowy crumb from cake flour and six whole eggs. Don’t swap in all-purpose flour here; its higher protein content produces more gluten that would result in a cake noticeably denser and less fluffy. You can, however, make a decent cake flour substitute by combining cornstarch, all-purpose flour, and ingenuity.
You can take a few other liberties too: Add an extra tablespoon of lemon zest to really amplify the lemon flavor, or a ½ tsp. of vanilla extract to bring in a rounding warmth. No sour cream? Use the same amount of full-fat Greek yogurt, or whisk a splash of buttermilk (or a few extra tablespoons lemon juice) into room-temperature cream cheese until it has a sour-cream-like consistency. The recipe calls for a tube pan, but if you have a 16-cup Bundt pan, that works too—or use two 5x9" loaf pans. Just be sure to cover every inch of whatever pan you choose with nonstick spray and flour (or swap in our favorite nonstick spray for baking). The cake is delicious as is, but serve it up with a topping of freshly whipped cream and berries or a drizzle of powdered sugar icing made with lemon juice to give it a company-worthy finishing touch.
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours plus cooling
Yield
12–16 servings
Ingredients
Special equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Place rack in lower-third of oven; preheat oven to 325°. Spray 16-cup tube pan with nonstick cooking spray, then dust inside of pan with cake flour; tap out excess flour.
Step 2
Sift 3 cups (375 g) cake flour, ½ tsp. baking soda, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. plus ⅛ tsp. Morton kosher salt into a medium bowl. Beat 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, with an electric mixer (either a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer) at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar and beat 5 minutes. Add 6 large eggs, room temperature, 1 egg at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in 1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest and ¼ cup fresh lemon juice. Using a rubber spatula, mix in half the flour mixture until almost incorporated. Mix in 1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream in the same manner, followed by remaining dry ingredients. Transfer cake batter to prepared pan, smoothing out the top, then gently bang pan on counter once or twice to release any trapped air bubbles.
Step 3
Bake cake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 90 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pan to loosen cake and invert onto a plate. Carefully turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely. If desired, dust cake with powdered sugar.
Do ahead: Cake can be baked 2 days ahead; wrap in foil and store at room temperature.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in July 1993 as ‘Sour Cream and Lemon Pound Cake.’ Head this way for more of our best lemon desserts →
Recipe notes
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