Name: Lemon Pound Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 180 g butter; 180 g castor sugar; 180 g self raising flour; 3 eggs; 1 ½ tbsp lemon zest; 6 tbsp buttermilk; ½ tsp baking powder; ⅛ tsp salt

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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 I make it.

A bowl shaped cake with powdered sugar topping. — **My Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake Baked in a Bowl Shaped Pan - Perfect for Lemon Lovers**

Despite being made from scratch, this old fashioned lemon pound cake uses pretty basic ingredients (except lemons), which means you can make this cake anytime you want with ingredients that are readily available in your pantry.

This cake can be served plain as individual slices 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 great when served with fresh berries on the side.

You can also bake this cake in a round or square cake tin. You can also make a lemon loaf cake by baking the cake in a loaf pan. Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post below for can tin measurement.

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. This delicious lemon cake pairs well with cream cheese frosting or lemon buttercream too.

How to Make
- Ingredients
- Making the cake
Notes
Like this easy pound cake recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out

How to Make

Ingredients

Butter
Granulated sugar (castor sugar)
Self-raising flour + baking powder + salt
Eggs
Lemon zest
Buttermilk

Making the cake

Grate the lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.
Measure the butter and sugar into a large bowl of a stand mixer and cream them (with a paddle attachment) 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. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl half way through.
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 in.
Once the eggs are all in, the flour, baking powder and salt go in next. Sift these dry ingredients before adding to the wet ingredients. And it is best to fold them in into the creamed mixture. Do this in batches, and alternate with buttermilk between each batch. Start and end the process with the flour mixture.
And finally, stir in the grated lemon zest and mix it well. The lemon zest (rind) should be well incorporated into the batter.
Pour the lemon pound cake batter into the prepared tin (well greased and floured) and bake until a skewer or cake tester inserted in the center comes out without any wet cake batter.
Remove the cake and let it cool completely on a wire rack (cooling rack) before dredging icing sugar on the top. Dredge the sugar right before serving this super moist old fashioned lemon pound cake.

Top view of a bowl shaped old fashioned lemon pound cake with powdered sugar topping. A slice of the cake is cut out. — **Easy recipe for the best lemon pound cake**

Notes

Well prepared cake tins

If you are baking this cake in a bowl shaped tin or a bundt cake tin, make sure your cake tins are all well greased and floured since lining with parchment paper is not possible. If you are baking this cake in a round or square or loaf pan, you can also choose to line it with parchment paper.
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

For best results, use room temperature eggs and butter. 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 gives so much more bright lemon flavor to this moist pound cake 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 (pith) beneath the yellow skin.
If you don’t have a grater, you can use your kitchen knife to slice of the yellow layer of the 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 classic pound cake. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own substitute by adding 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice into 6 tablespoons of whole milk.
Double this amount accordingly if you double or triple the recipe.

Tips for a moist 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.
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 you can remove it 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.
Another tip for a moist lemon pound cake is to wrap it in plastic wrap (cling wrap) while it is still warm and place it in the refrigerator to cool completely. You can also leave it in the fridge like that for a few days if not using or serving immediately. Wrapping the refrigerating the cake this way helps seal the moisture in the cake and keeps it wonderfully soft and moist. Bring the cake to room temperature before removing the plastic wrap to avoid condensation on the cake.

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 (plastic 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 (plastic wrap) to avoid condensation.

Storing the cake

This lemon pound cake lasts at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days, provided you handle it without any contact with moisture. Refrigerate the cake (in an airtight container) if you intend to keep it 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.

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

Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of my super moist lemon pound cake recipe.

A bowl shaped cake with powdered sugar topping with a slice cut out.

Lemon Pound Cake

This lemon pound cake recipe makes an easy, make-from-scratch lemon cake that is so perfectly moist and delicious. A must try for all lemon lovers.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 1 Seven inches round cake

Author: Priya Maha

Metric - US Customary