This lemon sour cream pound cake is moist, buttery and has a tender crumb. Made with fresh lemon zest, and lemon juice it’s packed with lemon flavor. After baking in a bundt pan, this cake gets drizzled with an easy lemon glaze.
I’m a tad obsessed around here with pound cakes. Like my sour cream pound cake and blueberry pound cake. Or the very first pound cake on the blog, this triple citrus pound cake.
There’s something so wonderfully simple and comforting about a pound cake. I also love that a pound cake can be baked in a bundt cake so no fussy cake layers or frosting to contend with.
For this lemon pound cake recipe, I wanted it to have lots of lemon flavor so I used both lemon zest and lemon juice in the cake. You will need about two lemons for this cake, but not all lemons are equal so I always grab three in case one of them isn’t all that juicy! You will use the zest of about two lemons in the cake, and then the juice of the two lemons in the cake and in the glaze. That way there’s no wasted lemon in the making of this cake.
What is the secret to a moist lemon pound cake?
I think the secret to this old fashioned lemon pound cake being moist is the addition of sour cream. Sour cream adds wonderful richness and creates a moist, tender crumb that can’t be beat. Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products you can use so the extra fat content is going to make for a wonderfully rich, moist cake.
Be sure to use full-fat sour cream for the best texture. I don’t recommend using a fat-free sour cream in this cake as it won’t provide that extra fat content.
Why You Will Love This Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Perfect any time dessert – I love a bundt cake for any occasion! I love serving it for afternoon tea, brunch, or (my favorite) during the summer!
- Bake in bundt pan or loaf pan – I love baking this lemon sour cream pound cake recipe in my bundt pan but you can also bake this in two loaf pans.
- Great make ahead dessert – You can make this lemon pound cake recipe day before, ready to be served when guests arrive. Or freeze for later for when you need a great last minute dessert!
Ingredients Needed
- Flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sour cream – I recommend using full-fat sour cream for maximum richness and fat content. If you don’t have sour cream, a full-fat Greek yogurt would be a good substitution.
- Vanilla extract
- Lemons (both lemon juice and zest) – I used two lemons for this cake but not all lemons provide the same amount of juice. I use the lemon juice in both the cake and the glaze. And the zest of both lemons (about 2 Tablespoons) is used in the cake.
- Unsalted butter – I always prefer baking with unsalted butter vs. salted butter as different brands have varying amounts of salt. If you only have salted butter then I would reduce the amount of salt.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Confectioners sugar (for the glaze)
How To Make This Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the salt. Set aside.
Heather’s From Scratch Baking Tip
You want to make sure to not over-measure your flour. Stir your flour first in the bag then spoon into your measuring cup. Do NOT pack it down into the cup or you will end up with way too much flour causing your cake to be dry and dense. For best accuracy, I recommend weighing your flour and using a kitchen scale.
In a second small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes on medium high speed.
Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the mixing bowl well after each addition and mix until blended.
Heather’s From Scratch Baking Tip
You want room temperature eggs going into the bowl or it could cause your butter mixture to seize up and curdle. I place my eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using them. If you mixture does still break, it will smooth back out once the flour mixture has been added.
Add the flour mixture and sour cream mixture alternately to butter-sugar-egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture until uniformly incorporated- do not overmix.
Why Do You Need To Alternate The Ingredients?
Alternating the ingredients an adding the flour and sour cream in gradually can help with not overmixing. Over-mixing will result in too much gluten being formed (the structure-building protein in the flour) that can result in a tough, chewy cake instead of a soft, tender one.
Grease and flour one 12-cup capacity bundt cake pan Pour batter into pan.
Greasing Your Bundt Pan
I wait until the end to grease my bundt pan because it can slip down the sides if you grease it too early. I prefer to use either shortening and then dust with a coating of flour. Or I prefer using a cooking spray with flour in it, like Baker’s Joy. It’s my go to spray for bundt cakes! I do NOT recommend using butter as it can actually make your cake stick MORE. Oil-based sprays or vegetable shortening is best!
Bake in a preheated 350°F degrees oven for approximately 50-60 minutes, until top is golden brown and when the cake is done when a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert on to a cooling rack. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.
Glaze For Lemon Pound Cake
To give this lemon pound cake more lemon flavor I love making a simple lemon glaze. It’s made with just three ingredients – powdered sugar, lemon juice, and a little vanilla extract.
I like the lemon glaze to be thick but still “drizzable” (not a word…but it should!) be. If your lemon glaze is too thick, you can a little more lemon juice. And if it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes you can. Instead of baking in a bundt pan, divide the batter between two loaf pans and bake for about 40-45 minutes.
You can store this lemon sour cream pound cake at room temperature for up to 3 days, wrapped in either plastic wrap or tinfoil. Make sure it’s completely cool before you store it.
Yes this cakes freezes very well. Wrap the cake up in plastic wrap, then a layer of tinfoil and freeze for up to 3 months. Simply thaw at room temperature.
This is probably due to under-baking. Be sure to test the cake with a toothpick or skewer. You should not see any raw batter on it but just a few moist crumbs. I also like to press the top of the cake and it should bounce back. If it stays indented, then it’s not done and needs more time.
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Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 1/2 cups (300 g) all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (227 g) sour cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g) unsalted butter r softened
- 2 1/4 cups (450 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
For the lemon glaze
- 1 1/2 cups (170 g) confectioners sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep oven. Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350°F/177°C.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the salt. Set aside.
- Combine sour cream, lemon and vanilla. In a second small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes on medium high speed.
- Add eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the mixing bowl well after each addition and mix until blended.
- Alternate dry mixture and sour cream. Add the flour mixture and sour cream mixture alternately to butter-sugar-egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture until uniformly incorporated- do not overmix.
- Bake. Grease and flour one 12-cup capacity bundt cake pan. (I like to use either shortening and flour or a cooking spray that includes flour). Pour batter into pan. Bake in a preheated 350°F degrees oven for approximately 50-55 minutes, until top is golden brown and when the cake is done when a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert on to a cooling rack (You may need to loosen around the edges of the cake before inverting).
- Make glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients. Adjust consistency if needed. Pour over cooled cake before serving.
Notes
- Pan size: Instead of baking in a bundt pan, divide the batter between two 9×5 loaf pans and bake for about 40-45 minutes.
- Storage: You can store this cake at room temperature for up to 3 days, wrapped in either plastic wrap or tinfoil. Make sure it’s completely cool before you store it.
- Freezing: Wrap the cake up in plastic wrap, then a layer of tinfoil and freeze for up to 3 months. Simply thaw at room temperature.
- Sour cream – I recommend using full-fat sour cream for maximum richness and fat content. If you don’t have sour cream, a full-fat Greek yogurt would be a good substitution.
- Lemons (both lemon juice and zest) – I used two lemons for this cake but not all lemons provide the same amount of juice so you may need an extra lemon.
- Unsalted butter – I always prefer baking with unsalted butter vs. salted butter as different brands have varying amounts of salt. If you only have salted butter then I would reduce the amount of salt
Sabrina says
Is it possible to use lemon extract instead of lemon zest?
Heather says
Hi Sabrina, I haven’t tried with lemon extract but it can be very strong so I would use sparingly.
mobasir hassan says
Everything is so nicely described that really helped me lots.
Heather says
you’re welcome 🙂
Susan Alfonso says
Can I add fresh blueberries to this recipe? If so how would I adjust the baking time for the two loaf pans?
Heather says
Hi Susan – yes you can add blueberries. I made a Blueberry Pound Cake version you can try. And yes you divide between two loaf pans and bake for about 40-45 minutes.
Natalie says
I love lemon desserts! Me and my kids had a great afternoon making your beautiful pound cake, thank you!
Chenée says
Yum! I love lemon cakes and this one looks absolutely amazing! Adding it to my list — can’t wait!
Marie says
This lemon sour cream pound cake has the perfect texture! It’s so tender and moist, it’s irresistible, and the lemon flavor really comes through. This is a timeless recipe I’ll be making again and again!
Heather says
Thanks Marie! Glad you love it 🙂
Tristin says
I love love love all desserts that are made with lemon! Can’t wait to make this bundt cake!
Tammy says
Nothing beats a slice of lemon cake. This looks absolutely heavenly..so moist and rich! Save me a slice ;D
Leslie says
I am partial to pound cakes as well. This recipe is perfect and has the right amount of lemon flavor! LOVE!
Heather says
Thanks Leslie glad you love it!
veenaazmanov says
Citrus flavors are my favorite. Perfect cake for Tea Time. Love the Sour cream frosting too.
Sean says
The sour cream is everything in the pound cake. It kept the cake nice and moist and still left a great crumb!
Tracy says
The crumb on this cake is so perfect! It’s absolutely delicious. Thank you for such a great recipe and great instructions!
Raksha Kamat says
I made this lemon sour cream pound cake today and followed the same recipe. It turned moist and buttery. The fresh flavours of lemon with fresh lemon zest, and lemon juice were amazing.
Heather says
thank you Raksha glad you loved it 🙂