Citrus Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe

This sour cream pound cake recipe gets even better with citrus zest and a lemon glaze poured over it. It’s super moist and is the only pound cake recipe I use.

Believe it or not but this citrus sour cream pound cake was the first recipe I ever shared on this blog. And get this, I didn’t add a photo. Yup a food blog with no photos. I know, clearly I had no idea what I was doing. So it’s been years since this post was shared. I added in some terrible photos to it, years ago.

But this cake it’s just too fabulous to no have amazing photos to represent it. Because it might be one of my favorite recipes on this blog. It has spawned many pound cake variations on the blog – from the classic Old Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake version to a Blueberry Pound Cake with a fresh lemon glaze, or the every popular Strawberry Pound Cake with a strawberry cream cheese glaze. Or maybe my new favorite this sock it to me cake recipe!

And over the years, I’ve just fallen in love with all things lemon. Whether it’s my easy Easy Lemon Bars (+Video!) or sneaking some into a quick bread like this Lemon Zucchini Bread. I can’t get enough. And maybe that love really started with this cake…

So now it’s time to share this recipe in all it’s glory. With great photos, step by step photos and all the tips and tricks. So let’s do this. Let’s make my favorite pound cake recipe. 

Why Is It Called A Pound Cake?

You might think it’s because it makes you put on a pound or two. And sure that could be true. But it’s actually because the original pound cake recipe was made with a pound of 4 ingredients- a pound of butter, pound of eggs, pound of flour, and a pound of sugar. 

What’s The Difference Between A Sponge Cake and Pound Cake?

The two major types of cake are shortened or butter cakes, like a pound cake, and and foam or sponge cakes. Sponge or foam cakes rely on air being whipped into the eggs to help the cake rise once its in the oven.  In a sponge cake, the whole egg is whisked with sugar over a double boiler and then whipped on high speed in  your mixer to incorporate the air.

With a pound cake, like this recipe the butter and sugar are creamed together and the sifted dry ingredients together. 

Tips For Making This Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe

• Careful when zesting. When zesting the citrus, make sure to go only down to the white pith layer. The white pith layer is bitter so you want to make sure to not zest this layer, just the outer layer.
• Soften Your Butter. You want properly softened butter so that you can cream mixture properly. The sugar punches holes into the butter creating air pockets, which helps to aerate and help the cake to rise. Here are 3 quick ways to soften your butter. 
• Bring your eggs to room temperature.  You don’t want cold eggs being added to your creamed butter mixture. It will seize up the butter. So place your eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using them. 

How To Make This Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe

You want to start by sifting your dry ingredients together. Sifting, I know, can be a pain. But it does help to evenly mix your dry ingredients and help aerate the mixture creating a light fluffy cake. So stop whining, grab the sifter and get to sifting.

In a small bowl, you want to zest an orange, lemon, and lime. And stir in the sour cream and vanilla extract.  

Then you want to cream together your butter and sugar. Then add in your eggs one at a time until they are thoroughly mixed in. 

Then alternate the sour cream mixture and your dry ingredients. You want to start with the dry ingredients and end with the dry ingredients. I add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, and the sour cream mixture in 2 batches.

Then go ahead and spray your bundt cake pan. You want to wait and do this at the end. The non stick cooking spray can slip down the sides of the bundt pan if its done too early. And then go ahead and spoon the batter into the pan and bake for about 50 minutes in a preheated oven. 

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe FAQ’s

Do I have to use the different types of zest?

You definitely don’t. I have made just a lemon pound cake version and I’ve made a lemon raspberry bread, a strawberry pound cake version. It’s up to you!

Why is my pound cake not done in the middle? 

This can happen if it cooks too fast, creating a crust on the outside leaving the middle uncooked. This could mean your oven temperature is too high. Do yourself a favor and get an oven thermometer to double check the accuracy of your oven. 

Why does my pound cake sink in the middle? 

This usually means the cake is not done. Again, do yourself a favor and check that oven temperature. And be sure to not peek during the baking process! Keep that oven door closed.

How do I keep my bundt cake from sticking?

All those beautiful edges can be a real nightmare for getting your cake out. A few tips:

1. Grease and flour your pan right before filling. The longer the coating sits the more it has a tendency to slide down the sides. 
2. Grease and flour it properly and thoroughly. I like to place plastic wrap over the pan and shake the flour around. You can read about how to grease your bundt pan here. 
3. Use cake release. It’s magical stuff and easy to make it yourself. Your cake will just slide right out. 

How can I tell when my pound cake is finished baking? 

To test when my pound cake is done, I like to use a long wooden skewer to insert into the cake and see if there are moist crumbs that cling to it. My biggest worry is overbaking it. So making sure my oven temperature is running correctly, I can then set my timer and check it with the skewer to ensure it’s done properly and not overbaked.

More Cake Recipes

• Chocolate Coconut Cake
• Fresh Strawberry Pound Cake (with strawberry glaze!)
• The BEST carrot layer cake
• Grapefruit Pound Cake
• Momofuku Milk Bar Cake

Follow Boston Girl Bakes:

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

If you want to become a better baker then be sure to check out my Ultimate Baking Bootcamp online class!