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.
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
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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
- Mix the all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
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My cake was dry do you think I over mixed the cake
Felicia,
Yes, it sounds like the cake was over mixed. When you mix the flour into the batter, only mix until the flour disappears. I hope this helps!
~Carrie
She could add 1/2 cup of oil or olive oil to the batter for cake moisture.
Use 1/2 cup mayo and it will be moust everytime.
I will try this for my new Christmas dessert. I love lemon anything. It sounds wonderful, I am drooling already. I know I will like it since it is Lemmon.
Mary,
I can’t wait for you to try this cake. It is amazing! I hope you have a very merry Christmas!
~Carrie
Can this cake be made ahead of time and frozen (freezing it w/o the icing?) Thank you.
Mary,
I have never frozen the cake. I can’t tell you how it will hold up in the freezer.
~Carrie
Is this gluten free?
Denise,
No, this cake is not gluten free.
~Carrie
Hi Carrie.
Thank you so much for this lovely recipe. Just a quick question, can I use ground ginger instead of fresh ? What are your thoughts ?
Thanks again.
Abdulla,
I would not recommend using ground ginger. The fresh ginger is what really boosts the lemon flavor. Ground ginger will not have the same flavor and will not come close to doing the fresh ginger justice. You can buy fresh minced ginger in a jar at your local grocery store. They are usually located by the minced garlic in the produce section. I hope this helps.
Happy Baking!
Carrie
When I made this the cake was very dense, a bit dry, and did not look as fluffy as the photo. Could this be caused by baking longer than needed? Or maybe I over-mixed the batter?
RR,
Yes, it sounds like you could have over mixed the cake batter. When mixing in the flour, make sure to only mix until the flour disappears. I hope this helps.
~Carrie
Making this today for the third time in a month. It’s incredible. In my opinion it’s best without the cream cheese frosting, but I’m a tart/sweet lemon lover and the frosting just makes it too sweet for me. Everyone who has had this cake absolutely loves it. Thank you for the great recipe!
Amy,
Thank you so much for the feedback. You made my day! I am so glad that you are enjoying the recipe!
~Carrie
You could make a tart/sweet glaze to drizzle over it!
Have you ever made without the zest? I have everything but that. Let me know would love to make this week-end
Mary,
No, this cake without the zest will not have as strong of a lemon flavor as it needs. The lemon zest is what really makes the cake flavor pop.
~Carrie
Can’t wait to try this. Love the pictures.
Cynthia,
You are so sweet, thank you! I am excited for you to make the cake.
~Carrie
Hi there looks like a great cake. But in the glaze part it’s says cream the butter but it does not show butter in the glaze ingredients list. Is that a mistake? Please let me know I want to make this on Saturday .. Thanks Deb
Debbie,
The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of butter. I took it out of the recipe because it can be very temperamental, and curdle. I brush the glaze over the cake while it is hot and then I make the lemon cream cheese frosting and drizzle it over the top. I have that the results are more consistent without the butter in the glaze. I hope this helps!
~Carrie
Debbie,
I am sorry, I edited the recipe and omitted the butter from the glaze, but forgot to take it out of the instructions. The butter is very temperamental and has to be at the right temperature or it will curdle. So I have fixed the recipe online. Sorry for the mix-up.
~Carrie