Moist Sour Cream Lemon Cake (without Buttermilk) - Homemade From Scratch

This sour cream lemon cake is the second of my pound cakes made using sour cream.

Pound cakes typically do not contain sour cream and most of my pound cake recipes on my blog are without sour cream.

This lemon pound cake recipe is a slight variation from the typical version in that I have included sour cream in it. The difference lies solely in the use of sour cream as an additional ingredient in this recipe and it gives the pound cake a lovely tender crumb and moist texture to this buttery pound cake.

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Sour Cream - What Is It Actually?

Sour cream is the name given to heavy cream that has been fermented. It has a creamy texture and resembles yogurt to a large extent. The only difference between yogurt and sour cream is that yogurt is fermented milk while sour cream is fermented heavy cream. While they may look similar, sour cream is creamier than yogurt.

Sour cream is a common ingredient in many baked goods, especially cheesecakes. It helps with the creamy texture of the cheesecakes and adds depth to the flavor too. In normal cakes, the addition of sour cream helps produce an excellent moist texture to the cakes. What is more, the sourish taste of the fermented cream also helps in adding a wonderfully rich flavor to these baked goods.

You can purchase sour cream from the milk and dairy section in most stores. It does not typically have a very long shelf life, hence keep it refrigerated at all times.

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How to Make

Ingredients

Cake

• Self-raising flour + baking powder + salt
• Granulated sugar
• Butter
• Eggs
• Sour Cream
• Milk
• Vanilla Essence
• Lemon Zest (grated)
• Fresh lemon Juice

Topping

• Icing sugar (powdered sugar / confectioners sugar)

Mixing the ingredients

Start by grating the lemon zest and juicing the lemon. Set it aside.

1. In a large bowl, add the sugar and softened butter.
2. Cream both until they turn light and fluffy on medium speed. This should take approximately 2 minutes on a electric mixer (with a paddle attachment if using stand mixer). Scrape the sides of the bowl at one minute interval.
3. Add in the eggs into the creamed sugar and butter mixture. Do this one at a time. Each time, beat until the traces of the egg are no longer visible.
4. Next, add the sour cream and beat again until it is well incorporated into the creamed mixture.

Mixing the flour and baking the cake

1. In a separate bowl, sift together the self-raising flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold in these sifted dry ingredients (flour mixture) into the creamed mixture in 3 batches.
2. Alternate the first and second batch of dry ingredients with lemon juice. Alternate the second and third batch of the dry ingredients with milk. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
3. Finally, add the grated lemon rind and mix it well.
4. Pour batter into a well-greased and floured 8 inches by 4 inches loaf tin. Level the top and bake at 165 degrees Celsius for 50 to 55 minutes. Test the sour cream lemon cake at 50 minutes by inserting a skewer or cake tester in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready and can be removed from the oven. You can also test by pressing the top of the cake lightly with your finger. If the cake springs back when you release the pressure, it is baked.
5. Let the cake rest in the tin for about 5 minutes. Use a jam knife to loosen the sides of the baked lemon cake against the cake tin. Transfer the lemon pound cake onto a cooling rack (with the top facing up) and let the cake cool completely.
6. Once the cake is completely cool, dredge the top with icing sugar. To do this, place the icing sugar is a sifter and sift it all over the top of the lemon cake.

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Notes

Can you omit the sour cream from this moist lemon pound cake recipe?

• Technically you can. However, you will no longer able to call it a sour cream lemon cake. It would be just a lemon pound cake.
• I have another recipe of a lemon pound cake recipe that you can use to bake a lemon pound cake without sour cream, and you can check it out here.

Grate the lemon zest before juicing the lemon

• This sour cream lemon cake recipe requires both lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. It is best to use fresh lemons.
• The best way to handle lemons when you need to grate the zest and juice the fruit is by grating it first. A full plump lemon will be much easier to hold and grate as compared to one that is no longer plump after juicing.
• Therefore, when grating the lemon zest, it is always easier to do it before juicing the fruit.

How long can this lemon cake last?

• This sour cream lemon cake can last at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days provided it is handled without moisture.
• If you wish to keep it longer, it is best to refrigerate it. Consume with one week.
• If you do not intend to serve the lemon cake on the day is it baked, wrap it in cling wrap (plastic wrap) while is it still warm and refrigerate. Bring the lemon cake to room temperature (with the wrap still on, to avoid condensation) and dredge the top with icing sugar before cutting and serving.

Can this cake be baked in a round tin?

• Yes, it can. For the recipe amount below (in the recipe card) use a 7 inches round tin. Reduce the baking time to 45 minutes. Check the cake for doneness by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake at 40 minutes interval. If the skewer comes out without any wet batter sticking to it, it is ready. Otherwise, continue to bake further. The cake will bake to an approximate height of 2 inches.
• You can also use this sour cream lemon cake to make a birthday cake or celebration cake. Double the recipe and bake it in two 7-inches round cake tins. Sandwich the layers with the frosting of your choice and decorate as you wish. The cake will go well with cream cheese frosting, or simple buttercream frosting.

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Like this easy lemon cake recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out

• Super Moist Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake (the Best Ever!)
• Butter Pound Cake Recipe with Buttercream Frosting
• Classic New York Cheesecake - An Old Fashioned Cheesecake
• Banana Pound Cake
• Matcha Pound Cake
• Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake
• Lemon Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of my sour cream lemon cake recipe.

And that's pretty much my sour cream lemon cake recipe for you.

Happy Baking 🙂