Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

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.

See Also:

• Layered with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream this vanilla sponge cake is a beautiful cake to make any time of year!
• If you’re looking for a showstopping cake, this Milk Bar cake is the perfect dessert to make for a birthday!
• Calling all peanut butter lovers with this super easy peanut butter cream cheese frosting to use on all your favorite cake recipes!
• This easy vanilla cupcake recipe uses melted butter so it comes together in minutes and no mixer is needed!
• When it’s summertime then you have to make these S’mores cupcakes with toasted meringue frosting and graham cracker bottom!

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.

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.

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.

Grease and flour one 12-cup capacity bundt cake pan Pour batter into pan.

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

More Recipes To Try

• Lemon Cookie Recipe
• Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake
• Strawberry Pound Cake
• Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake
• Blueberry Pound Cake
• Lemon Curd Cake