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.
Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy.
Hi Carrie – this looks wonderful. I’ve got everything I need to bake the cake except for the pan. We relocated and my Bundt pan is still packed until our house is finished! Could I use a loaf pan?
Rhonda,
It wouldn’t all fit in one loaf pan. You might have to use two, but even then I don’t think it would turn out the same. For the best results, I would stick to the recipe and use a bundt pan.
~Carrie
I made this cake today and notice that it was not yellow like the picture. I followed the recipe exactly as written. What happened?
Patrice,
What kind of lemons did you use? I must have used Meyer lemons without even realizing it. Meyer lemons peel and juice is darker than regular lemons. They are usually in season from December to May, so now is the perfect time to find them. Try using the Meyer’s and see if that makes a difference.
~Carrie
The colour of the cake depends on the colour of the egg yolks
SR,
Interesting. I did not know that. That is good to know for future reference.
Thanks!
Carrie
You can always add a drop or two of yellow food dyi. It does not change the flavor only the color.Just make sure you do not use the lemon flavoring there two different items. This was you can make the cake as dark or light as u like. Comes in all colors. Works great have been in are family since before I was born. It was used when my mom was a child. She is 92. Works great!
Michelle,
That is a great suggestion!
Thank you!
Carrie
Is “baking spray” the same as nonstick cooking spray?
Theresa,
No, there is a difference between baking spray and non-stick cooking spray. Baking spray has flour in it and is specifically for baking. The flour prevents baked goods from sticking to the pan. Non-stick cooking spray is for cooking. It is used to prevent sticking in skillets or other pans you might be cooking food in. In a pinch I have used cooking spray in place of baking spray and it wasn’t as effective as the baking spray is.
I recommend always using baking spray when baking and cooking spray when cooking.
I hope this helps!
Carrie
Baking Tip: Homemade Miracle Pan Release for Cakes
* GREASE A CAKE PAN WITH NO CRUMB LEFT BEHIND
“Grease and flour the pan.” Almost every cake recipe includes this phrase. Yet when that cake has cooled and you are ready to take it out of the pan 9 out of 10 times there are more than a few crumbs left behind in that pan. What if I told you there was a paste that made the cake just fall out of the pan. Serious cake bakers would say it was a miracle. Well guess what, there is and I have the recipe right here.
This is the easiest recipe you will find on any blog. Three equal parts and no refrigeration needed. Just whip together flour, vegetable or canola oil and shortening. Store the pan release paste in an air-tight container (such as a mason jar) for as long as you like.
I use to hate when just the edge of a cake would stick to the inside of the pan and I would have to take extra care to cover up that piece of the cake with frosting. Now all the edges are smooth, which makes my frosting job a lot easier. I slather this paste on the inside of the pans, pour in the cake batter, bake, cool and voila! These layers are ready to frost and eat.
Homemade Miracle Pan Release for Cakes
Ingredients*
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
Directions
Whisk ingredients thoroughly until well combined
Dip pastry brush in mixture and coat baking pan with a thin layer.
Use for any recipe that calls for greasing and flouring your pans. Store in an air tight container.
*You can make the batch as small or large as you wish, just make sure the ingredients are equal parts!
Tom,
Thanks for the recipe! I think a lot of readers will find it very helpful. It is the worst when the edge of the cake sticks to the pan!
Have a great weekend!
Carrie
Made this tonight and it was SO GOOD!! Thank you so much for this keeper. We are a lemon cake loving family and have been looking for a go-to recipe 🙂 I thought it might be good to turn your frosting in to a glaze so I used the exact same ingredients you called for but boiled them for a bit on the stove and then when cool, poured it over the cake. SO yummy. Thanks again!
Kristine,
Yay!!! I love that you tweaked the frosting recipe. I will have to try it that way. I am going to be experimenting with different flavors with the cake. Stay tuned for the recipes.:)
Have a great weekend!
Carrie
Hi, can the amount of sugar be reduced?
Katena,
No, I would not reduce the sugar. The cake does not have an overly sweet taste. Also cutting back on the sugar will affect the texture and how moist the cake is. I hope this helps!
~Carrie
I’m wondering since I always seem to have plain Greek yogurt around could I substitute that for the sour cream?
Staci,
I wouldn’t recommend it. It will affect the flavor and the texture of the cake. There are some recipes that you can get away with swapping it out. With this cake I would stick with the sour cream.
I would also recommend sticking with regular and not the light or fat free sour cream. I hope this helps.
~Carrie
Oops, I have mine in the oven and I used Greek yogurt because that’s all I had! Oh well. The batter was sure tasty 😉
Okay this cake came out wonderful but it was not yellow like in the picture. Everyone love the taste of the cake I added about 1 tablespoon and half of cream cheese to the butter mixture made it very moist. but the icing you see in the picture didn’t come out that way o the cake. when I took it out hot out of the over I brushed on the glaze to let it soak in like suggested. However, once it cooled and I tried to add the balance it was not as creamy to pour at that point. But, overall it was a great cake and something new!!
JLF3,
I am glad that you liked the cake. I love how moist and flavorful it is. The cream cheese may have contributed to the lighter color. If the lemons were not as ripe that could affect it as well. The frosting can set up over time. If it is too thick to spread I will either pipe it on the cake or thin it down with a little milk. I hope this helps.
Have a great week!
Carrie
My glaze didn’t turn out either. It looked like something had clabberred but tasted fine. Not sure what went wrong
Deanna,
I’m sorry that your glaze didn’t turn out. Were you ingredients at room temperature? If not your glaze can separate.
~Carrie
Just put this cake in the oven! Tasted the beater and OMG! I can’t wait until it’s done!
Nikole,
Oh I am jealous! It sounds so good right now. I hope you enjoyed it!
Have a great week!
Carrie
This looks really good – have you ever tried this recipe as a layer cake?
Lisa,
I have never tried the Italian Lemon Pound Cake as a layer cake. That sounds delicious! If you give it a try let me know. I would love to know how it turns out!
Have a great night!
Carrie
Thanks for the response. I gave it a try as a layer cake and it tasted really good but wasn’t as light and moist as it looks in the picture. I didn’t use the glaze though as I covered the cake with fondant for a birthday party. I am looking forward to trying it as written.
Lisa,
Thanks for the feedback! I love to tweak recipes too. They don’t always turn out the way I want them to, but you never know until you try.
Have a great day!
~Carrie