My Recipe Confessions

where I confess all my recipe secrets

Italian Lemon Pound Cake

by

Italian Lemon Pound Cake is the only lemon cake recipe you will ever need! The easy to make lemon glaze and lemon cream cheese frosting really add to the rich citrus flavor. 

Italian Lemon Pound Cake is the only lemon cake recipe you will ever need!  You are going to love the super moist texture and the rich citrus flavor.

The Italian Lemon Pound Cake is sure to have you hooked after just one bite. It really is that good! Every time I take this cake to a party it is always a huge hit.

Have you ever bit into a lemon dessert and instantly pucker up because the lemon flavor is so overpowering? You don’t need to worry about that with this recipe.  It has the perfect balance between sweet and tart, so it is pucker free.

If you have a chance, try making the cake the day before you are going to serve it, because It tastes even better the next day!

Serve this Italian Lemon Pound Cake at a baby or wedding shower or enjoy it while sitting on the back porch on a quiet summer evening.

Italian-Lemon-Pound-Cake

Who am I kidding, this cake would be amazing no matter where you are or who you serve it to.

With love from my kitchen to yours,

Carrie

*This post contains affiliate links which means I receive compensation if you purchase something from these links.

Here are some of the items that I recommend for making this cake.

*UPDATE: I added 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger to the cake batter, because I felt like it needed a little bit of kick to the lemon flavor. It’s amazing how much of a difference it makes. Then I omitted the butter from the glaze, because the butter is very temperamental and can curdle. I brush the glaze on the warm cake and once it has cooled down, drizzle the lemon cream cheese frosting over the cake.

Italian Lemon Pound Cake

3 cups all-purpose  flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup of sour cream

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tsp. of fresh ginger, minced

Zest of 2 lemons ( about 2 tbsp.)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, ginger, and lemon zest.

2. Mix half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix in the buttermilk and then add in the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until the flour disappears. Pour the cake batter into a bundt pan that has been generously sprayed with baking spray.

3. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Turn the cake over on a cake platter. Spread  the lemon glaze over the warm cake so that the glaze can soak into the cake. Let the cake cool completely and drizzle the lemon cream cheese frosting over the cake.

Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoon lemon juice, at room temperature

1. Whisk the  powdered sugar and lemon juice together and mix until the glaze is smooth.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz. of cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. of lemon zest

1/4 cup of lemon juice

2 cups of powder sugar

  1. Mix the all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.

Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy.

Elegant Lemon Roll

Elegant Lemon Roll

Lemon Coconut Muffins

Lemon Coconut Muffins

Lemon and Cream Bars

Lemon Cream Bars

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Comments

  1. Best. Cake. Ever. Picky chocolate loving husband lost his mind with this one. We have a lemon tree in the back yard (live in AZ) and I was searching for recipes to use some of them up. Thank you so much for developing it!

    • Anna-Marie,

      I must admit that I am kind of jealous of your lemon tree! I would love to have a lemon tree, but it’s not warm enough here. I am so happy that you loved the cake! It is a family favorite over here too!:)
      You should try the Lemon Cream Bars and Lemon Coconut Muffins. They are yummy too!

      Have a great week!

      Carrie

  2. I used Lime instead of Lemon ( it’s what I had on hand) OM it is delish! That said my cake didn’t rise. And looks undone although the tester came out clean. On the picture the cake is high and light looking. Any suggestions on what may have gone wrong?

    • Sherry,

      The Lime Italian Pound Cake sounds amazing! I might have to give that one a try. As far as the cake not properly rising, it could be a few things. If you didn’t whip the butter and sugar long enough could be one reason. Another reasaon could be if you over mixed the cake batter. Over mixing will cause the cake not to rise properly. Your oven temperature could also be off. However, if you haven’t had any problems with other recipes, it is probably a safe bet that the temperature is fine. I hope this helps! Don’t get discouraged, this kind of stuff happens to me sometimes too.

      Have a great night!

      Carrie

    • Mine also came out doughy and looks uncooked. I cooked it for an extra ten minutes and yes the tester came out clean. The batter was very thick. I am going to look for another recipe with the same ingredients.
      I think I will throwt in the garbage.

      • Nora,

        I am sorry it didn’t turn out. Next time you might want to turn you oven temperature up 25 degrees or cook it a little longer.

        ~Carrie

  3. Hi, the ingredients list says buttermilk but it’s not in the instructions anywhere. Do I need it for the cake?

    • Alexis,

      If you use the 2 lemons that you need for the zest it should equal 4 tablespoons. If it isn’t quite 4 tablespoons I add a little bit of the store bought lemon juice. I hope this helps!

      Have a great weekend!

      Carrie

    • Loren,

      Yes I mean Unsalted butter. Sorry for the mixup. I fixed in the recipe. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

      Have a great day!
      Carrie

      • Not to belabor the point, but since you are trying to make sure your wonderful recipe is understood by your readers, I’d just like to point out that unsalted butter has always been called sweet butter by both bakers and the butter industry for many, many years!
        This cake is delicious – wonderfully soft and moist. It’s perfect as we jump ahead into spring and leave behind the richer and heavier desserts we so loved in winter.

    • Whoops! Thanks for bringing the typo to my attention. It is suppose to say unsweetened butter. I just changed it on the recipe.
      ~Carrie

  7. 300 degrees? I baked this today and after the maximum suggested baking time of 70 minutes, the cake was still very under-cooked. Several other recipes I searched suggest 325 degrees. I hope my cake can be salvaged!

    • Michelle,

      I sorry your cake didn’t turn out. Ovens temps. can vary from oven to the next. Try baking it at 325 next time and see if that helps.

      ~Carrie

      • I cooked my cake for 85 minutes at 300 degrees before it was clear when i took the knife out clean. I think that it could have even used another 5 minutes. I think that the next time that I make it, I will bake it at 325 for the time limits and see how it comes out.

        Other than that, the cake was unbelievably delicious.

        • Michael,

          Some ovens vary as far as the temp. and baking time goes. I’m glad you were able to figure it out.

          Happy baking!

          Carrie

    • Same trouble here…After 70 minutes @ 300*, I still had raw batter all the way through. I am trying to salvage mine for a dinner party. Wish me luck. :{

      • Kim,

        I am sorry your cake took so long to bake. Next time try bumping the temperature up to 325. I hope this helps!

        ~Carrie

      • How can you salvage an undercooked cake??? The same thing happened to me. I was wondering why it wasn’t deep. My toothpick came out clean after 70 minutes, so I assumed it was done. Glazed it and everything…….when I cut it, I saw batter, I’m heartbroken, anything I can do???…….HELP!!!!!!

        • Carol,

          I am so sorry you had problems with your cake. You could have put the cake back into the pan and baked it a little longer. The problem is that you had already put the glaze on top so that would most likely form a hard crust on the cake. I would suggest using a wooden skewer next time to check the cake for doneness. If the toothpick is not inserted all the way into the center, you won’t know that the center is still uncooked. By using a wooden skewer you can insert it all the way through the cake and get a better idea of where the cake is at. Again, I am so sorry about that you had trouble with the cake!

          I hope this helps!

          ~Carrie

    • Anna,

      It doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It might make the outer layer a little sticky, but it won’t affect the taste. When you are ready to serve it, just make sure that it you let it warm up to room temp. Enjoy!

      ~Carrie

  9. Carrie,
    This cake is amazing! My family are chocolate lovers but devoured this. My husband said it was perfect! I’ve been asked be a friend,who had a slice, to make it for Super Bowl. Thank you for sharing!

    • Sharlan,

      You are a sweetheart! This recipe is my most shared recipe on my site. So glad you and your family are enjoying it! I hope you have a fabulous Super Bowl weekend!

      ~Carrie

  10. Tomok this cake to a dinner party !! Fantastic
    Wish I had taken it out a little sooner, the top
    wasn’t browning, my fault, my old oven , plu
    baking at 300 degrees was new to me. Can
    hardly wait to try it again. Follow the recipe
    to the ” T”

    • Marsha,

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake. It’s a family favorite. Hope you have a great day!

      ~Carrie

      • Could I add poppy seeds to this cake or do you have a poppy seed cake recipe that you can share? I am looking for a moist poppy seed cake that is not too dense but also not too airy. Thanks!! ~ Trudi

        • Trudi,

          Yes, you could add poppy seeds to this recipe. I think it would be really good. I do not have any lemon poppy seed cake recipes on my site right now.

          Happy Baking!

          Carrie

        • Buy the Solo poppy seed filling. It’s in a can in the Bake goods isle. Peel the label off and you will find THE best poppy seed cake recipe! It has been baking in this family for 3 generations!!!

          • Thanks – I’ve been looking for a poopy seed recipe too. XO- Barbara

          • Barbara,

            I don’t have a cake poppy seed recipe, but I have a recipe for Lemon Blueberry Cookies with a lemon poppy seed glaze. They are amazing! You can find the recipe by typing the name in the search box on my site.

            ~Carrie

      • I wonder how this would taste if you used Lemoncello for a true Italian flavor? Just a thought. Thanks for sharing the recipes!

        • Karen,

          I few other readers have mentioned the same thing. You never know until you try it. Let me know how it turns out.

          ~Carrie

      • If you use a 15 cup bundt pan, can you increase the recipe. If so, by how much and how long should you bake it?

      • This recipe looks delicious! I’d like to make it as individual small bundt cakes for a “ladies luncheon”. Is that possible? What about time and temp?? If it’s not doable, I’ll stick with your recipe but I’m dying to do the personal cakes!!

        Please keep this deliciousness coming!!

        • Nicole,

          I have never made the cake in smaller bundt pans, but another reader tried it and said they turned out great. They will not need to cook as long as a regular bundt cake would. I can’t give you a specific time and temperature. I just recommend that you watch them carefully so they don’t burn.

          ~Carrie

          • I did this in two different mini bundt pan sizes. I left the 300 degree temp. Just shorten time and check with toothpick.

          • Cindy,

            Thank you for the feedback! I am going to have to try the mini bundt pans. They would make great gifts!

            Happy Baking!

            Carrie

      • You think I can switch the lemon with orange in the same quantities and make it an orange pound cake instead?

        • Macaia,

          You shouldn’t have any problems with switching the lemon out for orange. I have been meaning to try it with orange, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. If you try it, I would love to hear what you think.

          Happy Baking!

          Carrie

    • Rochelle,

      Hey, you are welcome! Thank you for the feedback! I am glad you are enjoying the cake.

      ~Carrie

    • I have it in the oven right now. It is not browning on top at all and not done yet. I was beginning to think the 300 degrees was a misprint. That is what I have oven set on, following recipe. It has been in 70 minutes so after reading this I guess I will take it out and hope for the best! Looks delicious!!

      • Beth,

        Some ovens cook slower or faster than others. Some people have had to bump the temperature up 25 degrees, but a lot of people have not had any problems with the temperature at 300. It really depends on where you live and the oven you are using. I hope this helps!

        ~Carrie

    • I have it in the oven right now. It is not browning on top at all and not done yet. I was beginning to think the 300 degrees was a misprint. That is what I have oven set on, following recipe. It has been in 70 minutes so after reading this I guess I will take it out and hope for the best! Looks delicious!! Took it out! It is done! Just does not brown on top like a regular pound cake. I left in oven the full 70 minutes at 300. Smells delicious! Can’t wait to try!!

        • I made the Italian lemon cake, but the cake came out heavy. Followed the recipe. What could have gone wrong?

          • Stephanie,

            If the cake is overmixed it will be heavy. Make sure when you cream the butter and sugar together that they are both at room temperature. When you cream the butter and sugar together set your mixer on medium speed. Expect to cream for at least five minutes. It should be a very pale almost white color. Once you add the dry ingredients mix just until the flour disappears. If it is overmixed the batter will deflate, resulting in a heavy cake.

            I hope this helps!

            Carrie

    • My cake turned out perfectly, didn’t realize until afterwards I had baked it on 350, and it took the same time, browned beautifully. This is one of my best turning out cake ever ! Great texture, and taste. With the exception of the oven temp, I followed each instruction, ( each ingredient to the “T , with a delicious result. Will most definitely be making this cake over & over again.

      • Sharon,

        I am so glad that you enjoyed the cake! If 350 worked in your oven, just stick with it.

        Happy Baking!

        Carrie