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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Was very disappointed with this recipe turned out to be a total flop, could tell from the batter something wasnt right. It was very heavy, under cooked, and not enough lemon flavor for my tastes. After reading posts on here I decided to give it a second try. This time I used cake flour, didnt use the electric mixer for adding the flour, used lemon extract instead of vanilla, and turned up oven to 325. We havent cut it yet its still cooling on my counter but i snuck a lil taste out of the center (Its for my family they wont care…smiles). WOW…What a difference! I cant wait to eat a full piece with the icing..ALL of our mouths are watering waiting…Glad I gave it a second go around.
Annamerie,
I am sorry you had trouble with the recipe the first go round. If the batter is over mixed it will be heavy. Sometimes recipes need to be adjusted for higher or lower altitude and ovens temperatures can vary as well. I am glad you were able to get it figured out!
~Carrie
Thanks it was very delicious! Made it again today for Fathers Day Family cook out…Cant wait to share!
Annamerie,
I am so glad you are enjoying the cake recipe! It is one of my favorites too.
Have a great week!
Carrie
Have you ever used oranges instead of lemons???
Jane,
I haven’t yet. I have been wanting to make different versions of this cake for a long time. I think it would be amazing and all you really would have to do is swap out the lemon zest and juice for orange zest and juice.
~Carrie
I am getting ready to make this recipe, I do not have a bundt cake pan, can I use the 2 piece angel food pan? would the baking time be the same? thanks for any info
Doni,
I have never made this cake in an angel food cake pan. So I really can’t tell you if you need to change the baking time and temperature. Angel food cake pans usually hold more batter than a bundt cake. Your cake might not be as tall if this is the case. Just watch it closely. Let me know how it turns out.
Good luck!
Carrie
could I make these into cupcakes? If so do I change anything in the recipe? How long would I bake?
Peggy,
I have never made cupcakes with this recipe. I can’t really give you any advice as far as changing the oven temperature and baking time. Some other readers have had success with baking the cake in mini bundt pans. But you will never know until you try it.
~Carrie
I made this cake and followed the recipe to a tea and it came out dry and not as yellow as the picture. It tasted okay but I was really hoping it would be much more moist since is uses sour cream and buttermilk.
Cathy,
I am sorry that the cake didn’t turn out! To get a darker yellow color you can use free range eggs. The yolk is darker so as a result the cake will be a darker yellow color. If you don’t want to go that route you can add a few drops of yellow food coloring.
If you would like a stronger lemon flavor, add a little more lemon zest and lemon juice.
As far as the dry cake, if the cake is overmixed or cooked too long it will result in a dryer cake. I mix the cake batter just until the flour disappears. I hope this helps!
~Carrie
try 1/2 tsp of baking soda also.
Holy Moly – this cake is UBELIEVABLY delicious!!!!!! It is one of the best cakes I have ever eaten and everyone LOVED it!! Hardly a crumb left!!!! I baked it at 325 for 60 minutes and it was perfection! This will be one of my favorites for sure, and that hasn’t happened in a very long time!!! Thank-you for this recipe – can’t wait to make it again….and again….and again!
Kim,
I wish I could reach through the computer and give you a big hug! You are so sweet! I am so happy that you enjoyed the cake. It’s one of the most popular recipes on my site. Thanks for the feedback!
Happy Baking!
Carrie
SO I love to bake and was anxious to try this recipe. Based on the comments, maybe I need to try it again with the higher temp. Mine also was very pale and looked uncooked even though the tester came out clean. Because I make pound cake alot, I knew not to leave it in past the time. When it cooled, it was doughy on the bottom and not very lemony tasting to me. But the glaze was delicious. Im going to give it another try with the higher temp.
Myka,
You might need to turn the heat up 25 degrees next time. If you want a more pronounced lemon flavor you can add more lemon zest and juice. I hope this helps.
~Carrie
I made this for my Mom for Mothers Day yesterday. My first ever bundt cake… (actually, my first ever cake that wasn’t Betty Crocker) It came out PERFECT!!! The whole family loved it! It took 90 minutes at 325ish, but I have an old funky oven. I also added a few drops of yellow food coloring just because. It was just perfect, Thank you!
Rich,
Yay!!!! You just made my night! I am so happy that you enjoyed it. Thanks for the feedback.
Happy Baking!
Carrie