This is an old fashioned lemon pound cake. It’s not only very easy to put together, it is also perfectly delicious and the texture absolutely moist. Everyone in my family loves this pound cake and each time I bake the cake, it finishes on the very same day it is made.
My Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake Baked in a Bowl Shaped Pan
Despite being made from scratch, this old fashioned lemon pound cake uses only 6 ingredients. And these ingredients are pretty basic too (except lemons), which means it can be quickly whipped up anytime.
This cake can be served plain and makes a great snack cake. A light dredging of icing sugar just makes it better and if you like, you can even give it a glaze icing topping.
The cake is also perfect for layering, stacking and carving, so anytime you want to make a lemon-flavored birthday cake or a party cake, this cake will make a good choice. Pair it with cream cheese frosting or lemon buttercream and you will not go wrong.
How to Make Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
There are only 6 ingredients needed for this made from scratch old fashioned lemon pound cake recipe, and these are pretty basic ones too:
- Butter
- Sugar
- Self-raising flour
- Eggs
- Lemon zest
- Buttermilk
Making the Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake
The steps for making this cake is exactly like my old school butter pound cake. Start by cream the butter and sugar together. Add all the remaining ingredients after that.
- Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. For the recipe amount below, a good 2 minutes of beating on medium speed is what you need for the butter and sugar to be well creamed.
- After that, add in the eggs. Add them one at a time. With each addition, beat them well, such that you don’t see any traces of egg in the batter before the next one goes it.
- Once the eggs are all in, the flour goes in next. It is best to fold in the flour. Do this in batches, and alternate with buttermilk between each batch. Start the process with flour and end it with flour as well.
- And finally, stir in the grated lemon zest and mix it well. The lemon rind should be well incorporated into the batter.
- Pour the lemon pound cake batter into the prepared tin and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out with tiny moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake and let it cool completely before dredging icing sugar on the top. Dredge the sugar right before serving this super moist old fashioned lemon pound cake.
Deliciously soft and fluffy, old fashioned lemon pound cake with a delicious dredge of icing sugar on top
Tips for the Best Lemon Pound Cake
Well prepared cake tins
- Make sure your cake tins are all well greased and floured or if you prefer to use parchment, that they are appropriately lined.
- If using bundt pans, take extra care to make sure each nook and corner of the tin is very well greased for easy release of the cake after baking.
Eggs and butter should be at room temperature
- Ideally, the butter and eggs used in the recipe must be at room temperature. If either one of these is cold, your creamed butter and sugar mixture will curdle when the eggs are added in.
- If this happens, you need not discard the batter. Fold in some flour until it is no longer curdled and then proceed to alternate the remaining flour and buttermilk as mentioned in the recipe.
Use fresh unwaxed lemons
- The zest of fresh lemons is so much more flavorful than the not-so-fresh ones. And when you grate the lemons, grate just the thin top layer of the yellow skin and avoid the white part beneath the yellow skin or else your cake will have a bitter after taste.
- If you don’t have a grater, you can use your kitchen knife to slice of the yellow layer of lemon skin and then chop the skin into tiny bits.
- Lemon zest can be prepared in advance when lemons are in season. Simply pack it in small sealed packages and freeze them. That way, you will have the zest available for use at any time of the year.
Buttermilk substitute
- Buttermilk helps with the moist texture of this old fashioned lemon pound cake. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own substitute by adding 1 teaspoon of lemon juice into 6 tablespoons of milk as indicated in the recipe.
- Double this amount accordingly if you double or triple the recipe.
Do not overbake the cake
- Over-baking will result in loss of moisture in the cake. If you are baking in a deep cake pan like a bundt pan, reduce your baking temperature by about 10 to 15 degrees Celsius so that the top and sides of the cake do not get overcooked.
- Overcooking will result in dry cakes. Check for doneness at least 5 to 10 minutes before the baking time is up by inserting a long skewer in the center of the cake. If it comes out without any wet batter sticking to it, the cake is cooked and can be removed from the oven.
- It is best to remove the cake when the skewer comes out with a few soft crumbs sticking to it. If you need further confirmation, press the top of the cake lightly with your finger; if it springs back, the cake is done.
Cutting the cake right after baking will result in a crumbly cake
- Rest the cake for a few hours before cutting for neater slices. Wrap the cake in cling wrap while it is still warm. And place it in the refrigerator if you do not intend to serve the cake immediately. This helps the cake to retain the moisture.
- When ready to use, remove the cake from the fridge. Let it warm up to room temperature before removing the cling wrap to avoid condensation.
Storing the cake
- This old fashioned lemon pound cake lasts at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days, provided it is handled without any contact with moisture. It is best refrigerated if intended to be kept longer.
Decorating the cake
- This cake lasts well and can hold the weight of fondant. So it is definitely a good recipe for decorated cakes.
Moist Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Here is the printable version of my super moist old fashioned lemon pound cake recipe. And while you are at it, don’t miss my recipe notes right below. They contain absolutely useful tips for the best lemon cake ever!
Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 180 g butter
- 180 g castor sugar
- 180 g self raising flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon zest
- 6 tablespoon buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170 °Celsius. Grease and flour your cake tin or line it with parchment paper. For Bundt tins, make sure every nook and corner of the tin is well greased and floured.
- Grate the zest of lemons (about one and a half lemons) and set aside.
- In a clean bowl, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Sift the flour and fold it into the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, starting and ending with flour.
- Finally add in the grated lemon zest and combine well. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake come out clean, with just one or two crumbs stuck to it. Do not over bake the cake.
- Remove the cake from oven and let it rest in the cake tin for a few minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.
- Let the cake cool completely before dredging the top with sifted powdered sugar.
Notes
- This cake can be baked in a 7 inches round cake tin or a 6 inches square cake tin. The cake height is approximately 2 inches.
- Double or triple the recipe as necessary to make a layered lemon cake.
Nutrition
And that's that. My old fashioned lemon pound cake recipe.
Give this cake a try and you will be happy you did!
Super Easy and Super Moist Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake
Here are my other posts you might want to check out:
Old School Butter Pound Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Basic Cake Decorating - Preparing your Cake for Decoration
Happy Baking and Decorating 🙂
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