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    Decorated Treats » Recipes » Cake Recipes

    Moist Sour Cream Lemon Cake (without Buttermilk)

    Published: Dec 24, 2021 · Modified: Jun 17, 2023 by Priya Maha

    Jump to Recipe

    This sour cream lemon cake is a truly delectable, citrus-infused indulgence. With it's vibrant citrusy flavor and a moist and fluffy texture, this cake is definitely not to be missed.

    A loaf of lemon cake on a pink tray. Top of the cake is dredged with icing sugar.
    Moist sour cream lemon cake with simple icing sugar dredge - perfect sweet treat for lemon lovers

    Pound cakes typically do not contain sour cream and most of my pound cake recipes (like this butter pound cake, banana pound cake, pandan pound cake, marble pound cake and matcha pound cake) 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 this buttery pound cake a lovely tender crumb and moist texture. If you want a lemon pound cake without sour cream, check out this lemon pound cake recipe.

    Jump to:
    • ❤️Why you will love this recipe
    • 📋Ingredients
    • 🧾Substitution and Variations
    • 👩‍🍳How to Make
    • 🍽️Serving & storage
    • 💡Expert Tips
    • 💭FAQs
    • ❤️More Recipes You Will Love
    • 📖Recipe

    ❤️Why you will love this recipe

    • It is easy to make, requires only simple and basic ingredients and makes a perfect sweet treat with amazing lemon flavor.
    • The cake has a lovely moist texture and stays moist for days.
    • Baked into a loaf cake, this cake is easy to cut and serve.
    • Can be used to make a birthday cake or celebration cake by baking it in round tins and frosting with icing of your choice.
    • Makes a buttery pound cake with bright lemon flavor, perfect for lemon lovers.
    • Served with a scoop of ice cream, this lemon loaf cake makes a perfect dessert recipe.

    📋Ingredients

    Cake

    • Self-raising flour + baking powder + salt - mix these and sift them into the batter.
    • Granulated sugar (caster sugar) - works best for this recipe. Coarse sugar will leave visible sugar specks on the surface of the cake after baking.
    • Butter - I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add an extra small pinch of salt to the recipe.
    • Eggs - Use large eggs (large sized).
    • Sour Cream - the star ingredient of this recipe and contributes to the moist texture of the cake.
    • Milk - use whole milk for a rich cake.
    • Lemon Zest (grated) - adds flavor to the cake. Use fresh lemons for best results.
    • Fresh lemon Juice - also use juice from fresh lemons, and strain the seeds and pulp away.

    Topping

    • Icing sugar (powdered sugar / confectioners sugar) - sift this onto the cake so that it covers the cake in a light layer and there are no lumps.

    *Refer to the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and exact quantities. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*

    🧾Substitution and Variations

    • Self raising flour can be substituted with all purpose flour and baking powder. For every 225g of all purpose flour, add one and half teaspoons of baking powder. Mix well and sift 3 times before using. To make 180g of self raising flour, use 180g of all purpose flour and add one teaspoon plus another one fifth teaspoon of baking powder.
    • If using unsalted butter, add an extra small pinch of salt in the recipe.
    • Whole milk can be substituted with skimmed milk or you can make your own milk from powdered milk.
    • Lemon juice and zest can be substituted with lemon extract. Use one teaspoon in place of the juice and zest.
    • To make a round cake, double the recipe and bake in two 7 inches round cake pans. Fill and frost with icing or frosting of your choice. The cake will work well with cream cheese frosting and buttercream.
    • To make a lemon sour cream bundt cake or tube cake, double the recipe and bake in a bundt pan or tube pan with a capacity of 6 cups of batter. You may need to adjust the baking time.
    • For the topping, instead of plain powdered sugar dredge, you can add a simple drizzle of lemon curd like in this Earl Grey pound cake recipe, or easy lemon glaze or lemon icing like in this lime pound cake recipe.

    This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!

    👩‍🍳How to Make

    Mixing the ingredients

    • Start by grating the lemon zest and juicing the lemon. Set it aside.
    A poster of 4 images showing how to cream butter and sugar for sour cream lemon cake.
    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

    A poster of 6 images showing how to mix lemon cake batter.
    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 sides of the cake tin. Transfer the lemon pound cake onto a cooling rack or wire 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.
    A loaf cake cut into slices, on a pink tray.
    Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe - Fluffy sour cream lemon cake without buttermilk

    🍽️Serving & storage

    • This sour cream lemon cake can last at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days provided it is handled without moisture. Keep it covered in an airtight container.
    • If you wish to keep it longer, it is best to refrigerate it. Keep covered in an airtight container. 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.
    • Store leftovers in an airtight container.

    💡Expert Tips

    • 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.
    • Tips for a moist cake
      • Do not overbake the cake. Check for doneness at least 5 to 10 minutes before baking time is up by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. If it comes out without any wet batter, it is done.
      • When cooling the cake, keep it covered with a kitchen towel.
      • Once the cake turns warm, wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it cools downs completely. This helps to retain moisture in the cake.
    A slice of cake on a white plate.
    Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake - A moist and delicious sour cream lemon cake with moist crumbs

    💭FAQs

    What is sour cream?

    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.

    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.

    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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    Do you like this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐rating in the recipe card below and consider a review further down this page. I would love to hear from you. Thank you!

    📖Recipe

    A loaf of sour cream lemon cake cut into slices on a pink tray.

    Moist Sour Cream Lemon Cake (without Buttermilk)

    This moist and fluffy sour cream lemon cake is a simple pound cake loaf. It is made from scratch, moist and easy, and simply the best.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Frosting Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
    Yield: 1 Eight inches by four inches loaf cake
    Author: Priya Maha
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Metric - US Customary

    For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.

    Ingredients

    Cake

    • 180 g self-raising flour
    • 180 g granulated sugar
    • 180 g butter at room temperature
    • 3 eggs at room temperature
    • 90 g sour cream
    • 1 tablespoon milk
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoon grated lemon rind (approximately 1 lemon)

    Topping

    • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (icing sugar)
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 165 °Celsius.
    • Grate the lemon zest of one lemon and squeeze the juice.
    • In a medium-sized bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy for about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl halfway through.
    • Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until all traces of the egg are no longer visible. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
    • Add the sour cream and beat it well into the creamed mixture.
    • In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the sifted ingredients into the creamed mixture in three batches. Alternate the first and second batches with lemon juice and the second and third batch with milk.
    • Finally, mix in the grated lemon zest. Pour the sour cream lemon cake batter into a well-greased and floured loaf tin measuring 8 inches by 4 inches and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Test the cake at 50 minutes of baking time by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. The cake is done if the skewer comes out without any wet batter.
    • Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the tin for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Place the cake facing up on the rack while cooling.
    • Once the lemon cake has completely cooled down, dredge the top with icing sugar.

    Notes

    • 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.
    • Tips for a moist cake
      • Do not overbake the cake. Check for doneness at least 5 to 10 minutes before baking time is up by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. If it comes out without any wet batter, it is done.
      • When cooling the cake, keep it covered with a kitchen towel.
      • Once the cake turns warm, wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it cools downs completely. This helps to retain moisture in the cake.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 3049.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 326.1g | Protein: 42.2g | Fat: 179.9g | Saturated Fat: 107.7g | Trans Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 926.3mg | Sodium: 2059.9mg | Potassium: 593.6mg | Fiber: 4.8g | Sugar: 192.9g | Vitamin A: 5803.4IU | Vitamin C: 17.6mg | Calcium: 386.8mg | Iron: 4.5mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @decorated_treats or tag #decoratedtreats!

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