My go-to lemon loaf recipe for years! This delicious Glazed Lemon Pound Cake Loaf is always perfectly moist and lemony!
I have been making this same lemon loaf for years. It’s my “go to” when only lemon loaf will do. The fact that I’ve never posted it to this point is simply my belief that maybe the internet didn’t really need another lemon loaf recipe. But what the heck. It’s good, it’s tried and tested (many, many times!) and for anyone who has yet to find their “go to” lemon loaf, it’s definitely worthy of consideration.
I suppose lemon loaf is somewhat subjective. What makes this loaf a winner for me is the lovely texture (not too light, not too dense), the perfect level of moistness (not too oily, never dry) and just the right amount of lemon. With this one, the hit of lemon actually comes more from the glaze than the cake, though there is obviously some lemon in the cake. But it’s in the lemon glaze that the the perfect balance is struck, so definitely don’t skip that.
The final point I love about this loaf, is that it needs only 1 large lemon and pretty much typical pantry and fridge items to make it. That means I’m always stocked to make this one, which has come in handy many times when I needed a little something special to share or gift.
Featured Review: I made this lemon pound loaf today and it tastes incredible! I was worried that it wouldn’t have much lemon taste because of the small amount of lemon juice that goes into the batter. There was no need to worry though, the lemon taste is the star of this loaf. This recipe is pure perfection! – Krista
Cook’s Notes
When it comes to baking loaves like this one, there is really just one secret to success. Follow the instructions :) Take it from someone who has (in the past :) skipped certain instructions like “at room temperature”, “whisk together well in a separate bowl” and “add alternately” … yet had what I considered (at the time) to be a reasonably fine result.
It was only when I started following those instructions that I discovered the reason they were there. There’s fine and then there’s great. I learned I prefer the great, so I am willing to be a bit more organized and patient. It’s a small price to pay for great lemon loaf :)
So the moral of that story … be sure to take your eggs, butter and sour cream out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start baking. Be sure to combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a separate large bowl and whisk it together well. You will be rewarded!
This lemon loaf freezes beautifully. Freeze it whole in a freezer bag, or slice it first and freeze it. Slicing first means you can grab a slice when you feel the need, instead of trying to cut/thaw a slice from a frozen whole loaf. To thaw a slice, simply set a frozen slice on the counter on a piece of paper towel and it will be ready to enjoy in 20-30 minutes. To thaw a whole loaf, set on the counter inside the sealed freezer bag until thawed.
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Get the Recipe: Glazed Lemon Pound Cake Loaf
Ingredients
Loaf:
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter, salted, or unsalted, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) white sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest, from about 1 large lemon
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups (185 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup (75 ml) sour cream, removed from fridge 15 minutes before using
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup (65 g) icing/confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus more, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. (not convection bake). Spray an 8x4-inch loaf pan with baking spray and line with a piece of parchment paper that covers the bottom and long sides, with an inch or so extending past the top of the pan (these will be the "handles" to lift the loaf out of the pan).
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar at medium speed (about "4 or 5" on a KitchenAid mixer) until light coloured and fluffy. (Don't skimp on this process. It should cream about 3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time and beat in well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together well the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. With mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream, starting with 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the sour cream, 1/3 of the flour, last of the sour cream, then finally the last of the flour.
- Scrape into prepared 8x4-inch loaf pan and level batter. Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife along the short ends and use the parchment paper edges to lift and remove from pan. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.
- While loaf is still a little warm, prepare the glaze by stirring together all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl, adding enough lemon juice to make a pourable glaze. Place a baking tray under the cooling rack to catch any drips and spoon glaze slowly over top of loaf, allowing it to drip down the sides a bit. Cool completely, then slice and enjoy.
Notes
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
A family favourite and frequently requested when choice of treat is offered.
So glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks :)
I’m planning on making this recipe this week!
I realized I have a 9×5 loaf pan but not 8×4.
How would I adjust temperature and time for this?
Hi Tara, I have not tested this loaf in a 9×5 pan, but the general advice in this situation would be to increase the temperature by 25F and decrease the baking time by about one-quarter. Again, I have not tested this, so watch the loaf carefully and test when it seems near done. You can lay a sheet of aluminum foil loosely overtop if the loaf seems at risk of over-browning but doesn’t test done.
I made this using gluten free and lactose free ingredients and it turned out great!! All my colleagues could not believe it was gluten free! Easy recipe to follow and yes make sure the ingredients are at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.
Wow! Could you share the recipe you used?
I just want to add… IM ADDICTED TO THIS LEMON LOAF!!!!! It really is perfection and when i revisited the icing which i think i added too soon the first time, i loved it when it was drizzled over a room temp cake. I am hoping to make mini loaves to share this morning and use the recipe to make an almond flavor loaf cake. This recipe and instructions are easy to follow and the results are wonderful!! Thank you! Any advice for this self taught baker for making mini loaves? Thank you again, just perfection! YUM!!!
Thanks Laura. For mini loaves, since the size of the mini loaf pan varies, try to stick to filling them no more than 2/3 full, filling as many as you can with that guidance. Of course, baking time will be greatly reduced. Just watch closely and test when they look like they are approaching done.
Perfection – great texture. The icing was too tart for me, i prefer the loaf without. I will try this recipe with almond extract next ! Thank you
So glad you enjoyed it, Laura and yes, it’s lovely without the icing, too :) Thanks!
The only recipe for a Lemon Loaf Cake you ever need. Because I love lemon I added an extra teaspoon of lemon juice to the loaf and a little extra to the glaze. It was so moist and delicious.
So glad you are enjoying it, Evelyn! Thanks so much :)
This is the best recipe I’ve found for lemon pound cake. The only thing I adjusted was making the glaze with less lemon and a little milk and vanilla to balance the lemon and sweetness. The cake turns out moist and delicious everytime.
So glad you are enjoying it, Janet! Thanks so much :)
Could you make this into a Bundt pan instead (I’m assuming you’d have to double the recipe as well)
Hi Karen! It should work, but it might not be quite double. The loaf pan volume is 6 cups and most bundt pans are 10 cups. If yours is a 10 cup bundt pan, you can double the batter but you may need to hold some back.
Does this recipe double ok?
Hi Fran, I haven’t doubled it myself, but other bakers have reported that it doubled fine.