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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The recipe looks delicious, and I’m ready to try it. However, I live at 7600 feet so probably have to adjust the recipe. Any suggestions?
Debbie,
I found this article on allrecipe.com that I think will be helpful. Let me know how it turns out! http://dish.allrecipes.com/high-altitude-cake-baking/
~Carrie
I made this and added 1 Tablespoon Lemon zest in the cake batter and then another Tablespoon to the icing and then sprinkled some on top after it was done. So yummy!
Dear Carrie
Look forward to testing this one
Carrie
Carrie,
I love your name! You are going to love the cake. Can’t wait for you to try it!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Carrie
Carrie, can this recipe be divided into three mini bundt pans and baked at the same time and temp as in this recipe?
Beth,
I have never baked this cake in mini bundt pans, so I can’t say for sure. You will not be able to cook it for the same amount of time. In a smaller bundt pans the cakes will cook faster. Be careful not to overfill the bundt pans and watch them carefully so they don’t burn.
I love anything with lemon. So, needless to say, when I came across this recipe for lemon pound cake, I just had to make it. This cake came out super moist and the lemon flavor was spot on. The color was a bit dull, I wish it had that bright spring color of yellow but the flavor made up for lack of color. I will definitely make this again. ?
Angela,
I am so happy you liked the cake! I have had a few people mention that their cake isn’t as dark as mine in the picture. I was told by a reader that the yolk will affect the color of the cake. So I contacted a local chicken farm and I was told that if you want your cake to be a darker color you need to use cage-free egg. You can buy them at any grocery store, just look for the cage-free label. You can also try organic egg, but their yolk is not as dark as the cage free eggs. I hope this helps!
Happy Baking!
Carrie
The recipe says 1/2 cups buttermilk. Is that 1-1/2 cups buttermilk or 1/2 cup buttermilk?
Marie,
It is a 1/2 cup or buttermilk, not 1 1/2 cups. It was just a typo. I fixed the recipe so that it doesn’t confuse anybody else. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Have a great weekend!
Carrie
I will try this cake over the weekend, but am hesitant with the temperature of the oven. Are you sure 325 works? It sounds delicious but from all the comments I would imagine that the oven temp is too low.
Debbie,
I recommend cooking it at the temperature in the recipe. Check it after 30 to 40 minutes of baking. If it seems to be baking slower than it should bump the temperature up 25 degrees. It is better to bake it at a lower temperature at first and maybe have to bake it a little longer than having a over baked cake in the end.
Happy Baking!
Carrie
Hello Miss Carrie!
I just stopped by to let you know that I am a dessert recipe fanatic! Your Italian lemon poundcake looks divine! I have jot down the recipe and I will get back with you asap to clue you in on my results! Stay tuned!:-)
J. Bernard,
I look forward to your feedback! Thanks for stopping by.
Have a great weekend!
Carrie
This cake was the first thing I made in my new stand mixer (early Mother’s Day present). It turned out perfectly and was one of the best cakes I’ve ever had! I’ll keep this one bookmarked because my husband’s eyes rolled back in his head when he tasted it!!
Hope,
You totally made my day! I am so happy that you are enjoying the recipe. It is a favorite at our house as well.
Have a great weekend!
Carrie
Just took my cake out of the oven and put the glaze on it. It was done after about 73 minutes. I turned the temp up to 325 for the last 7 minutes.
Judy,
I glad your cake turned out for you. Some people don’t have any problems with the temperature and others have to turn it up at the end. You were wise to wait until the end to turn up the heat. It is better to cook it a little longer than have an over baked cake.
Have a great weekend!
Carrie
Can I ask a couple of questions as I am quite new to baking. Firstly I am assuming that the flour is plain and not self raising ? I only have sandwich tins, can I divide the mixture between two and sandwich them together or should I just use the one deep round tin that I have instead? Also, I thought that with cakes you can use butter to grease the tin as I have never heard of baking spray before, is this ok to do with your cake?
thank you 🙂
Samantha,
Yes, the flour is all-purpose flour. I would not recommend using bread pans to bake the cake. The pan you should use with this recipe is a bundt pan. Using a different pan than what is specified can cause your cake to overflow. If you are going to use butter to grease your pan make sure to butter it very well, and get it all over the inside of the pan. Then sprinkle some flour in the buttered pan and shake it around so that it coats the butter all over the pan. I like to use the baking spray because it is easier to use. You can find baking spray in your baking section next to the oil at your local grocery store. I hope this helps!
~Carrie
I also was wondering about the baking spray. I use organic ingredients and baking spray is not organic so I thought I would use butter and flour on the pan. Not sure when I will make it. I am a lemon lover too!
Susan,
Butter and flour will work just fine. Just make sure to coat the butter really well. I can’t wait for you to try the cake. If you are a lemon lover, you are going to love this cake!
Have a great weekend!
Carrie
Samantha, if you don’t have a bundt pan just ask about borrowing one. Most people have a bundt pan from years ago when they were so popular and would love for you to borrow theirs. Also you could offer them some slices of your cake for the use of the pan.
Sharon,
That is a great idea! Who can refuse a slice of cake?
Have a great weekend!
Carrie