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Ingredients
Pound Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (227g)
1¼ cup granulated sugar (250g)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
½ cup whole milk room temperature (120mL)
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar (120g)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons whole milk
Instructions
For the Pound Cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the lemon juice and zest. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well combined before adding the next one. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed.
4. With the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture alternating with the milk. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
5. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
For the glaze:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk until smooth.
Drizzle over cooled pound cake before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
Tent the cake with foil for the final 15 minutes if the lemon pound cake is browning too quickly. The foil will shield the top of the cake from direct heat in the oven and prevent it from burning.
If you’re a fan of lemon poppyseed muffins, you can add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds to the batter!
What is the secret to strong lemon flavour?
Using lemon zest packs intense lemon flavour into this pound cake. The peel of lemons contains natural lemon essential oils, which are highly concentrated in lemon flavour, so including the zest gives the cake lots of flavour.
The juice also adds lemon flavour to the cake and glaze, but is much more subtle. This is why using fresh lemons is a must for the best flavour!
Pro tips for the best lemon cake
I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour. It is the most accurate way to ensure you have just the right amount.
However, if you don’t have a scale, be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before levelling it off with a knife.
This method is the best way to measure flour without over-packing the measuring cup. Too much flour will lead to a dense and dry pound cake.
If you forgot to set out your eggs, quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
Room temperature eggs mix much more effortlessly into the batter and will keep the butter from clumping up.
It’s easier to zest a lemon before juicing. I use a microplane or the small holes of a box grater to remove the yellow part of the peel.
If your lemon has been in the fridge, bring it to room temperature and roll it on the counter to loosen the juices.
This way, you get more juice out of the lemon.
Avoid over-mixing the pound cake batter. If you beat it for too long after the flour has been added, you can overdevelop the gluten, and it will lead to a tough and rubbery cake.
Stop mixing when you see all the dry streaks of flour disappear.
If needed, you can scrape down the bowl and mix for a few seconds more. — preppykitchen
