Go Back
–+ servings
A loaf of sour cream lemon cake cut into slices on a pink tray.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

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.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Frosting Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 Eight inches by four inches loaf cake
Calories: 3049.3kcal
Author: Priya Maha

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