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
*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
- Mix the all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
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Looks yummy
Geraldine,
Thank you!
~Carrie
I am going to make this for a party the following day, should I store it in the refrigerator overnight?
Stephanie,
I store my cake in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese frosting. If you don’t want to have to chill the cake, you can wait to add the frosting until you are ready to serve it.
~Carrie
Would a GF flour such as Arrowroot work with this recipe?
Shayla,
I have never tried it with gluten free flour. When you change the flour, you have to change measurements and ingredients in the recipe. I wish I could be of more help.
~Carrie
This cake looks so good! My only comment is that in the video there are 3 eggs in the bowl and only one is put in. I assume that this is a mistake as the recipe calls for 3 eggs. Just curious.
Paula,
The video is a quick video of the process of making the cake. Not every step is able to be shown. When making the cake you should follow the recipe.
Have a great week!
Carrie
The recipe sounds very good so I decided to print it out to try it. It required 18 pages to print out
whereas the recipe is on only 2 pages. Please if you want people to follow you include a printable version . Thank you.
Susan,
I am sorry that you had to use eighteen pages to print the pages. If you click the print-friendly button under the recipe, and then select no image, it will print the recipe without the images and use less paper. I know it is a bit of a pain, but we are working on getting a better plugin for the printable recipe. Thanks for being patient!
~Carrie
I found this recipe and shared it on my Facebook page. My daughter saw it and requested I make it as a dessert for her birthday dinner. Can’t wait to try it. It looks scrumptious!
Jacqueline,
You are so sweet, thank you so much! I am excited for you to try it. It is delicious!
~Carrie
There looks like there’s a glaze on it before you put the icing on it?
Donna,
Yes, you put a glaze on the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Once the cake cools down you add the frosting to the cake. The recipe for the glaze and frosting is below the cake recipe.
~Carrie
How long would you cook for mini bundt cakes?
Terry,
I have never made this cake in mini bundt pans. I have had some people tell me that they used mini bundt pans and they baked them for about 30 minutes. It really would depend on the size of the bundt pan. Good luck, and let me know how they turn out.
~Carrie
Is there an easy way to print this recipe?
Bonnie,
If you click on the print friendly button, then click on the image and select no image. I hope this helps.
~Carrie
Hi Carrie, can I use this recipe to make a wedding cake with fondant and all the decorations? Will it hold out?
Andrea,
I have never used this recipe for a wedding cake, so I can’t say for sure whether it would hold or not.
~Carrie