My Recipe Confessions

where I confess all my recipe secrets

Italian Lemon Pound Cake

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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. This is my 10th time making this cake and am freezing one. I’ll let you know how it holds up.

    • Anna-Marie Mars,

      I would love to hear how it holds up in the freezer. I am so happy you are enjoying the recipe!

      ~Carrie

  2. Hi Carrie, I live in Australia where we use metric, is 300 degrees Fahrenheit? I can convert to Metric if it is.
    Thank you Mandy

    • Mandy,

      Wow, Australia. I heard it is beautiful there. Yes, it is 300 degrees Fahrenheit. I can’t wait for you to try it!

      ~Carrie

  3. My mom made this cake and it didn’t rise and it was extremely dense. We realized that our baking powder was expired so I remade it with new powder. It did raise more this time, but it was extremely dense and on the dry side. I followed the recipe to a T. The flavor was alright, but not great. We had to throw it out. The best part was the cream cheese frosting I added.

    • Angela,

      I am sorry that it didn’t turn out for you. If you overmix the batter it can dense and dry.

      Have a great weekend!

      Carrie

      • No problem Carrie, thanks for the response. Definitely didn’t over mix it, I’m a seasoned baker and mixed it until it came together. Probably a fluke.

        Thanks!

  4. Followed the recipe. Generously sprayed the pan. Baked at 325 not quiet done at 60 minutes so bake another 10. It looked perfect, turned it over on to my cake plate and disaster! It fell apart! What went wrong???

    • Rosie,

      I am so sorry! Was it not cooked all the way through? Did you let it cool down a little before turning it over?

      ~Carrie

  5. I just put mine in the oven and cannot wait til it is done , very easy to make. I am serving it for Easter.

    • Betty,

      I think it is the perfect cake for Easter! You are going to love it! I can’t wait for you to taste it.

      Have a fabulous Easter!

      ~Carrie

  7. Uh oh. I have my cake in the oven, but only oiled the pan, no flour. I hope it comes out okay. Fingers crossed!
    Batter & icing tasted wonderful, though.
    Might have to make another tomorrow for Easter, if it doesn’t come out of the pan!

    • Well……just put cake #2 in the oven. Remember to use a baking spray like Baker’s Joy. Hopefully this time it will just slip out of that pan! Good thing I still had all of the ingredients for it!

      • Tina,

        So sorry it didn’t turn out the first time. I know you are going to love it!

        Have a great Easter!

        ~Carrie

    • Tina,

      I am keeping me fingers crossed that it comes out okay for you. I know you will love it!

      Have a great Easter!

      Carrie

  8. What makes this Italian? I was looking for Limoncello as one of your ingredients but it not an ingredient.

    • Glenda,

      I don’t think it is an authentic Italian cake, but it is dang good! I didn’t name the cake so I can’t tell you exactly where it originated from.

      Have a great Easter!

      Carrie

    • Nadia,

      I love that you enjoyed the recipe. It is one of my favorites!

      Have a great Easter!

      ~Carrie

  10. I made this cake all went well til the glaze. It looked like the butter curdled and was very runny. I followed the recipe. I ended up looking up another recipe for lemon glaze. Have not tasted the cake yet. I hope it’s as good as it looks.

    • Deanna,

      If your butter and lemon juice are not at room temperature then the glaze can curdle. That is the case with any frosting or glaze. I am sorry that the glaze didn’t work out for you. I hope you were still able to enjoy the cake! Thanks for the feedback!

      Have a great Easter weekend!

      Carrie

    • Could you convert a cup measuring to gram.?especially flours you used..thanks.