Christina Hunter Korn

When life gives you lemons, make this lemon pound cake!

This lemon pound cake is dense yet super moist with explosive flavors of lemon and vanilla. The smooth icing adds just the right amount of moisture to prevent the cake from tasting dry! 

Ingredients:

Cake:

1½ cups all-purpose flour 

1½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

¼ cup sour cream, room temperature

1 tsp lemon zest

4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (roughly 1 lemon)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1½ Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, then set aside.
3. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth, then add the sugar and mix until creamy. 
4. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time and continue to mix until completely incorporated. 
5. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract to the mixture and beat until combined. 
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, avoiding over-mixing. Batter should be very thick.

Baking:

1. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake. If you use an 8×4-inch pan, bake for 55-65 minutes and if you use a 9×5-inch loaf pan, bake for 45-60 minutes. Halfway through baking, loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil, leaving room for it to rise, to prevent the top from getting too brown. 

Tip: Baking times vary, so keep an eye on your cake and don’t worry if it takes longer. The cake is finished when a toothpick, inserted in the center of the cake, comes out mostly clean.

Assembly:

1. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on the wire rack for 1 hour, then carefully remove the slightly warm cake from the pan. Let it continue cooling on a wire rack or on a serving plate. You can add the icing while the cake is still warm or wait for it to cool.
2. Icing: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together and pour over the cake. Serve immediately or wait until the cake cools completely.
3. Enjoy!

This article also appears in our print March 2024 edition