Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Tons of bright fresh lemon flavor! The perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
Texture: Unapologetically buttery and moist with a thick, luscious glaze on top.
Ease: The batter comes together in minutes.
Pros: The most perfect spring treat.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Absolutely. Any lemon lovers will go crazy over each slice of this recipe.
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Dare I say it: this Iced Lemon Pound Cake Loaf tastes even BETTER than the Starbucks Lemon Loaf recipe.
(And it’s certainly much cheaper!)
Right behind chocolate, lemon is one of my favorite flavors. Both in sweet or savory dishes!
Now that spring is upon us, I was craving something bright and sweet but still rich and satisfying.
I knew I wanted to tackle perfecting the lemon loaf. I envisioned something ultra moist and buttery and bursting with lemon flavor.
Many lemon recipes seem to lose the intensity of lemon flavor after baking, so I had to find a way to pack a strong lemon punch without using difficult to source ingredients into this lemon loaf cake!
The resulting lemon loaf recipe just below was heavily inspired by both Baked and Cooks Illustrated recipes. I tested batch after batch, tweaking and experimenting until I was obsessed with the final result! This Starbucks Copycat Lemon Loaf recipe turned out better than I could have imagined.
How to Make Lemon Pound Cake Loaf
What is Pound Cake?
Pound cake is traditionally made with a pound of each of the four main ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Despite the fact that this makes a traditional pound cake recipe easy to remember, it doesn’t always produce the best results. You’ll see my recipe below still uses a lot of butter and sugar, but the ratios vary slightly.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Moist Lemon Pound Cake:
- All-purpose flour
- Cake flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Lemons – TONS of zest and 1 tbsp lemon juice, for maximum flavor
- Eggs
- Butter – the butter is melted instead of creamed!
- Sour Cream (or full-fat plain unsweetened yogurt)
Do I Have to Use Cake Flour?
This recipe uses half all-purpose flour and half cake flour for the best of both worlds. When using only all-purpose flour, the loaf has more of a muffin texture. When using only cake flour, the loaf is too delicate and crumbly.
While you can use only all-purpose flour, I’d highly recommend using real cake flour for the best results. Learn more about the science of cake flour (and why I don’t use DIY substitutes) here.
Why Does This Loaf Recipe Require a Blender or Food Processor?
Like all pound cakes, this is a high-ratio cake – meaning there’s as much or more sugar as there is flour. This provides a beautifully moist tight-crumbed texture without needing to cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
Instead, a blender or food processor not only assists in making quick and easy work of making this batter, but it also helps emulsify all the rich ingredients together into a smooth batter.
The last ingredient is the melted butter, which must be drizzled in a steady stream as the blender or food processor goes to perfectly emulsify.
Can I Use a Different Sized Pan?
This recipe uses a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan for best results.
To Bake in a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch Pan
Add about 5 minutes to the baking time. This is the pan I use for smaller loaves. Loaves baked in this slightly smaller pan will rise higher and look taller, more like what you’d see in a bakery case.
If you use an even smaller pan, you may run the risk of the loaf overflowing, or collapsing slightly in the center – especially if you live at higher altitudes.
To Bake in a Bundt Cake Pan
Double all ingredients and bake in a well-greased 10 to 12 cup bundt pan and bake for about 50 to 60 minutes. OR, use my Lemon Bundt Cake recipe which is more light and cakey than this pound cake recipe.
To Bake in Glass or a Ceramic Pan
I tested this recipe in a metal pan because it conducts heat quickly and efficiently. Glass and ceramic are slower conductors of heat, so if you use this style pan you’ll need to decrease your baking temperature to 325°F and increase your baking time by about 10 minutes. Check out my article on Glass vs. Metal Pans.
The Trick to Bright Lemon Flavor in Pound Cake (even after baking)
Lemon flavor can dull during the baking process. That’s why this recipe calls for two whole tablespoons (not teaspoons!) of both lemon zest and juice. Then there’s a tablespoon of fresh juice in the glaze, which helps give a fresh punch of lemon flavor. You’ll need about 3 large lemons in total!
How to Make Lemon Glaze for Pound Cake
You’ll just need 3 ingredients for the lemon glaze: powdered sugar, a lemon, and milk or cream. Whisk together the glaze ingredients until thick but pourable. The consistency of your glaze will depend entirely on the brand of powdered sugar you’re using and how humid it is in your kitchen.
- To Make the Lemon Glaze Thinner: Add more lemon juice or milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
- To Make the Lemon Glaze Thicker: Add more powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time.
How to Store Lemon Pound Cake Loaf
The glazed loaf can be covered in foil or plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Can I Freeze Lemon Pound Cake Loaf?
Yes! Wrap the unglazed loaf tightly in plastic wrap and store for 1 month. Your loaf will likely develop a moist or tacky surface on top, but the glaze should disguise it nicely.
More Scrumptious Lemon Desserts to Try:
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Glazed Lemon Cookies
- Lemon Bundt Cake
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Soft Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
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Lemon Loaf Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (85 grams) cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
Instructions
Make the loaf:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Pulse a few times to evenly distribute the zest. Add the lemon juice, eggs, and sour cream and pulse until combined. On low speed, gradually drizzle in the melted butter in a slow steady stream until well combined.
- Make a well in the dry ingredient mixture. Pour in the wet ingredients. Mix gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Batter will be slightly thin.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes if using a metal pan, or once an internal temperature of 200-205°F is reached. If using a glass or ceramic pan, decrease your baking temperature to 325°F and increase your baking time by about 10 minutes.
- Cool in pan for 15 to 20 minutes then run a thin flexible knife around the edges before inverting onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Make the glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients until thick but pourable. Add more juice or milk to thin out or more sugar to thicken until your desired consistency. Spoon over the loaf, letting it drip down the sides if desired. Let set for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Recipe Notes
June 2021 Baking Challenge
This recipe was the June 2021 pick for our monthly baking challenge! Every month you can join the challenge by baking the recipe and snapping a photo for a chance to win prizes! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here. Check out everyone’s loaves:
I have a super-human tolerance for and love of lemons, so much so that I always want to use much more lemon juice (but not more lemon zest, as that is a different flavor) to any recipe.
However, my understanding is that too much acid, like lemon juice, interrupts gluten development and can result in a dense, gummy crumb. I have definitely experienced this before. (Still ate it!)
Your recipes are sooooo well tested that I am sure this does not call for too much lemon juice. My question is, is there any way I can put extra lemon juice in without a dense, gummy result? Is there room for more? Or, is there something that I can do to facilitate the gluten development so I can get away with more lemon juice in the cake?
This loaf has a STRONG lemon flavor that should hopefully satisfy for your lemon flavor desire! My recommendation would be to add more lemon juice to the glaze on top. You can use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (omit the milk) and the same amount of powdered sugar. Let me know if that helps!
This loaf is already a huge hit in my house!! I made it on a whim yesterday and now my fiancé says it’s his favourite thing I’ve baked!! Thank you for sharing another delicious recipe 🙂
Woohoo! This is amazing to hear!
I just made this tonight and it was so so good. Definitely better than Starbucks! I had a major lemon cake fail with the last recipe I used, so I’m so glad that Tessa shared this! It’s a keeper!
This is so great to hear!
Absolutely wonderful. So lemony and tender!
I am a real lemon lover. This cake hit all the right spots for me. It’s lemony and refreshing. Perfect for spring! Thanks Tessa!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Sure, I will try to make this delicious cake for my mother on the occasion of Mother’s Day.
That’s a great idea! Hope this loaf is enjoyed.
Absolutely divine!! So moist and the perfect lemon cake. I’ve never tried Starbucks version, but I’ve had a few amazing lemon cake and this tops it!! I didn’t need the glaze on top, but it does add a nice sweetness to the cake. Whole family loved this and even though they are skeptic about lemons, after smelling it and taking a bite, they kept asking for more. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
I’m so thrilled to hear you loved this lemon loaf pound cake! Yay!
I saw when Tessa posted hints about this recipe on Instagram and I was checking in every day for the recipe. Luckily, I had found cake flour at a store so I had all the ingredients.
I followed the instructions exactly and it turned out amazing. I appreciated the weight in grams for the flour as I am always concerned that I am over packing my flour. I now use my scale when I can to measure ingredients to ensure that my product turns out as well as the recipe! My loaf rose nicely and the crumb is perfect. I’ve made other loaf recipes before that were a tad too tart. This loaf has a nicely balanced flavour and it is a beauty when cut.
I am definitely making this again.
I am so thrilled you tried this recipe out – and so quickly! YAY!
I made this today and I have to admit….it’s much better than the one from Starbucks! thank you so much for sharing the recipe with us!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this lemon loaf! Yay!
This cake is ridiculously easy to make and absolutely delicious, I would definitely make it again. Everyone enjoyed it and it has me counting down the days to summer!
Woohoo! So glad to hear this.
Hello dear Tessa
I would like to know if I can add poppyseeds in the batter without “damaging “ the quality of this wonderful recipe?
Thank you very much for your help and the amazing work you make.
Caroline (Paris, France )
Hi Caroline! I haven’t tried that myself, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! A small amount of poppy seeds, like 2 tablespoons, shouldn’t affect the loaf too much. Good luck!
Woah this lemon pound cake is dangerous! Easy to make and fun to play with the blender.. Incredibly delicious! My husband said it was f-ing spectacular.
So glad this loaf was a hit!