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:
You will not find a better tasting, and best texture lemon loaf. I have made this recipe many times. It is truly the best lemon loaf recipe you will ever make!!!
El mejor panque de limón que he hecho y probado en toda mi vida.
Vale la pena ensuciar el procesador.
Lo hice en un Pyrex cuadrado y salió muy bien con la disminución de temperatura que sugiere la receta.
I would like to make this in 4 mini loaf tins, if possible how much batter, oven temp and for how long
Hi Sue! I’m sorry, but as we haven’t tried that, we can’t say for sure! I would just recommend following Tessa’s instructions (“Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached, or once an internal temperature of 200-205°F is reached”). I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
straightforward instructions, delicious result; great job!
I made this and it turned out quite scrumptious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Hi Jessica! Yay, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this lemon loaf so much!!
Hi Tessa, thank you for sharing. Lemon Pound Cake looks delicious. The recipe is asking for four eggs. I was wondering if it will work with 3?
Thank you.
Olga.
Hi Olga! We haven’t tested the recipe with only three eggs, so I can’t say for sure! You will definitely lose some of the structure, moistness and tenderization that the extra egg will bring, so I don’t recommend skipping the last egg. I hope that helps!
Would I be able to make this in a bundt tin? And would I need to double the recipe? Looks delish!
Hi Abby! We actually have a lemon bundt cake recipe on our site (linked here)! It’s very similar to this pound cake, but the directions and tips are bundt-specific! Be sure to read all of Tessa’s great tips in the pink box above the recipe 🙂 Happy baking!
Oh great! I’ll give that a go. Thank you!
It looks delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
We hope you give this recipe a try, Baishakhi! You’ll love it!
Honestly the best lemon cake recipe ever! Intense lemon perfection. Moist, not too dense, and the zest in the icing is a game changer. I used all purpose flour, and only had a smaller loaf pan. So I made a mini ramekin with the batter that didn’t fit in the small pan. Came out great! And I got to sample the ramekin while the loaf cooked. Highly recommend!
Yay – so excited to hear that you loved this pound cake, Becca!! I love the idea of a “chef’s sample” with your side ramekin while the loaf finished baking!! 🙂
Hi Tessa,
Can the eggs be swapped to flax? Looking for an eggless recipe 🙂
We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure. Let us know how it goes if you experiment!
Has anyone had any luck making this into individual sized cakes? Like maybe in muffin pans?
Love this recipe. Made it 4 times in one month. The glaze is spot on as well. The only issue I seem to have is this dark brown hard crust along the top edges of the loaf. It gets disguised by the glaze of course and I don’t mind it, but I’m afraid people will think it is overdone when I serve it. Is it part of the charm of the recipe or am I doing something wrong? I bake in a dark metal loaf pan.
Hi Daphne! We recommend using a light colored metal loaf pan for that very reason! Here is Tessa’s favorite loaf pan. Let us know how it goes the next time you make this recipe!
Looks and smells amazing, but it is getting very overdone looking on top and it still has 20 minutes to go! I’m baking in a glass pan, center rack, 325, I just lowered the temp to 300….fingers crossed!
Anyone else baking in a new Samsung? Well, the top was a bit burnt, toothpick came out clean in 2 spots, then the middle fell out when I removed it from the pan and placed it on the cooling rack 20 minutes after pulling from the oven. It must be my oven? It’s a fairly new Samsung. I shaved off the top corners and poured the batter back in the under-belly of the loaf before placing back in the oven. The corners were lemony delicious! Can’t wait to see how the rest of round 2 turns out. I’ve never had so much trouble with a quick bread/loaf cake,
Hi Elizabeth! Oh no, I’m sorry your cake didn’t turn out as it should! If the middle was runny enough to pour, something definitely went wrong here! It could be your oven – do you have an oven thermometer to check that it’s definitely at the temperature it says it is? Check out Tessa’s article here about ovens, full of tips!! If you don’t have an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is at the temperature it says it is, invest in one now! They are inexpensive and really help your baking so much! This oven thermometer is one of Tessa’s favorites.
I also wonder what type of pan you’re using to bake? Glass vs metal pans can make a big difference on the baked result, as Tessa shows in this article here.
How do you measure your ingredients? By volume (using cups), or by weight (using a digital kitchen scale)? When measuring by volume, it’s so easy to mis-measure flour/sugar/etc and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe. Tessa talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time, in this article here!
I also want to mention your leavening agent. If your baking/soda powder are not fresh, they won’t do their jobs and your baked goods can not rise properly, fall after baking, and much more. Tessa talks about the science behind leavening agents, and how to test for leavener freshness, in this article here!
Hopefully something here helped! Feel free to reach back out to us with any further questions – we are always happy to help!! 🙂