Dense, buttery pound cake will get a lemon elevate on this shiny and cheery citrus model. Iced lemon pound cake is tremendous moist and bursting with the flavors of recent lemon, creamy butter, and candy vanilla. A creamy lemon icing that units on high is the one adorning this small-yet-stunning cake requires.

One reader, Laurie, says: “I’ve by no means made pound cake earlier than however this turned out very properly. It was moist and scrumptious. It took 50 minutes to bake and I’m glad you talked about that a few moist crumbs on a toothpick is okay, in any other case I could have left it within the oven longer and it might have been a bit dry. I used the zest of 1 1/2 lemons as advised as I like lemon. I’m making one other one at this time! ★★★★★“

Right here’s precisely what it’s worthwhile to make when it’s citrus season: grapefruit Greek yogurt cake.

But when grapefruit isn’t your ideally suited selection, iced lemon pound cake is one other residence run. I initially printed this recipe on my web site in 2017 and I make it a minimum of as soon as each winter season. Think about a espresso store lemon loaf, however with a tighter crumb and with supremely recent taste you solely get from do-it-yourself. (Nothing compares!)

Do you get pleasure from pound cake? My favourite is that this cream cheese pound cake, which has an upgraded taste, tight and dense crumb, and stays splendidly buttery and comfortable. Brown butter pound cake has an identical texture and comes with the addition of brown butter taste. Level being—I like including aptitude and taste to pound cake, and lemon is all the time a beautiful selection.

By the way in which, if you happen to’ve tried the lemon loaf recipe in my cookbook Sally’s Baking Habit, you’ll respect at this time’s recipe, too. The cookbook variation is a lighter-crumbed fast bread—comfortable and ethereal like birthday cake, however with large and shiny lemon taste that hits as quickly as you’re taking the primary chew.

The Actual Texture of This Lemon Pound Cake

Right this moment’s recipe has the identical wake-up-your-tastebuds taste as my cookbook variation, however the texture is a bit completely different. It’s:

• Unapologetically moist
• Caramelized across the edges
• Dense and satisfying with out tasting heavy
• Tremendous wealthy and buttery
• Additional easy with a velvety crumb

Finest Elements to Use & Why I Don’t Suggest Substitutions

You want simply 9 components within the lemon pound cake batter. With so few components, it’s finest to stay to the recipe as a result of every has an vital job. I’ve tried my hand at many variations, and hold coming again to this recipe due to its cautious ratio of components. I don’t advocate straying.

Dry Elements: You want all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. The quantity of flour isn’t a misprint. You actually solely want 1.5 cups, or 188g. Someway, it simply works!

Moist Elements: Seize your room-temperature butter and sugar, you then’ll want eggs, bitter cream for moisture (it additionally retains the crumb a bit gentle), vanilla extract, and lemon zest + juice.

Useful Tip: You want lemon zest and juice and it’s best to zest the lemon earlier than juicing it. Right here’s the citrus zester and the citrus juicer I exploit if you happen to want suggestions.

Count on a Thick Lemon Pound Cake Batter

This can be a thick batter. Not like vanilla cake or chocolate cake, there’s no milk to skinny issues out. The one actual liquid is from the lemon juice, and there isn’t an excessive amount of of it. Pound truffles don’t sometimes embody liquid apart from eggs. (When you take into account these liquid!)

You’ll be able to bake this in a 9×5-inch loaf pan, however these days I’ve been utilizing my 1-lb. 8×4-inch loaf pan. It yields a taller loaf, and wishes a bit additional bake time. I embody directions for each pans within the recipe beneath. If all you will have is a 9×5-inch loaf pan, which is what you employ for banana bread and pumpkin bread, you need to use it, however anticipate the bread to be a bit shorter than pictured.

Unfold the batter into the greased loaf pan. There isn’t a lot pouring concerned… extra of a spoon-and-spread scenario right here!

Lemon Icing That Units

I imagine the saying goes… when life palms you lemons, make lemonade glaze. The icing on high of the pound cake provides a complete different stage of lemon taste. It’s thick and units after a pair hours, producing a candy and zingy layer you’ll need to save for final. You want heavy cream (or half-and-half or milk), lemon juice, and confectioners’ sugar.

Be happy so as to add candied lemons on the highest for presentation, like I do with lemon poppy seed bread.

Print

Iced Lemon Pound Cake

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  Writer: Sally
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  Prep Time: quarter-hour
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  Prepare dinner Time: 55 minutes
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  Complete Time: 3 hours, quarter-hour
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  Yield: serves 8-10
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  Class: Cake
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  Methodology: Baking
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  Delicacies: American

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Description

Dense, buttery pound cake will get a lemon elevate on this shiny and cheery citrus model. Iced lemon pound cake is tremendous moist and bursting with the flavors of recent lemon, creamy butter, and candy vanilla. A creamy lemon icing that units on high is the one adorning this small-yet-stunning cake requires.

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Directions

1. Decrease the oven rack to the lower-third place and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan (like this one or this one) with nonstick spray. Or you need to use a 9×5-inch loaf pan for a shorter loaf.
2. Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt collectively in a big bowl. Put aside.
3. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on excessive pace in a big bowl till easy and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat on excessive pace for two minutes till creamed. Scrape down the perimeters and up the underside of the bowl as wanted. With the mixer operating on low pace, add the eggs separately. As soon as the final egg is totally combined in, cease the mixer. Add the bitter cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, then beat on medium pace till mixed. Scrape down the perimeters and up the underside of the bowl as wanted. The combination could look curdled because of the various textures combining. That is regular and the batter will come collectively while you add the dry components within the subsequent step.
4. With the mixer operating on low pace, slowly add the dry components simply till mixed. If wanted, run a whisk by way of the batter a couple of instances to rid any giant lumps. Keep away from over-mixing. Batter may be very thick.
5. Spoon/unfold the batter into ready loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes if you happen to used an 8×4-inch pan and 45-60 minutes if you happen to used a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Tent the cake with aluminum foil midway by way of baking to forestall the highest from over-browning. Pound truffles are dense and take awhile to bake within the oven. Baking instances differ, so keep watch over yours and don’t be alarmed if yours is taking longer. The cake is finished when a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out *largely* clear. A pair moist crumbs are OK.
6. Take away the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. Permit cake to chill within the pan on the wire rack for 1 hour, then rigorously take away the marginally heat cake from the pan. Let it proceed cooling on a wire rack or on a serving plate/platter. You’ll be able to add the icing whereas the cake continues to be heat or anticipate it to chill.
7. Make the icing: Whisk the entire icing components collectively and pour over cake. Serve instantly or wait till the cake cools utterly, which guarantees neater slices.
8. Cowl and retailer leftover cake for as much as 3 days at room temperature or as much as 1 week within the fridge.

Notes

1. Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You can also make the pound cake forward of time by freezing it. (I counsel icing it proper earlier than serving, so freeze it with out the icing.) Bake it, cool it, then wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap after which a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze the loaf for as much as 3 months. Permit the cake to thaw in a single day within the fridge, then convey to room temperature earlier than topping with icing and serving.
2. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): 8×4-inch Loaf Pan (like this one or this one) or 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester
3. Bitter Cream: When you don’t have bitter cream, you need to use plain yogurt or dairy/nondairy milk as a substitute. If utilizing milk, your pound cake gained’t have a brilliant tight crumb that’s signature to pound truffles. As an alternative, the cake can have a lighter and cakier texture. For finest outcomes, I like to recommend full-fat bitter cream.
4. Bundt Pan: Listed here are 2 choices for making a lemon Bundt pound cake in a Bundt pan. (1) Double this recipe, however use 3/4 cup (180g) of bitter cream. When you had been doubling the recipe, you’ll use 1/2 cup however be sure you enhance to three/4 cup for added moisture. The remainder of the components are merely doubled. Spoon/unfold right into a generously greased 10–12-cup Bundt pan. Comply with the baking time and temperature from my cream cheese pound cake. (2) Use my lemon poppy seed Bundt cake recipe. Be happy to go away out the poppy seeds. That cake has a lighter texture and isn’t fairly as heavy as pound cake.
5. Can I Add Blueberries? Sure, completely. You’ll be able to fold 1 cup (about 140g) of recent blueberries into the batter after it comes collectively. I strongly advocate recent blueberries, as frozen blueberries can flip the batter and completed cake a grayish blue. Conserving that in thoughts, you need to use them if you happen to’d like. I’ve higher luck with recent.

Key phrases: lemon pound cake