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 wouldnât 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!
Hey! Can you add blueberries to this recipe?
Sure you could, Annie :) Just fold them into the batter before adding to the loaf pan.
Help!!! I have tried this recipe twice and both times, about 40 minutes into baking, it sunk in the middle?? What am I doing wrong??
Hi Maria and let’s see if we can figure it out :) First, are you baking at altitude? Secondly, did you make any ingredient substitutions? Did you open the door during bakking? If not, the most likely culprit is over-beating. When you cream your butter and sugar, you want to be using medium speed on your mixer (not full out). After that, you should be beating just to mix in ingredients in. Any chance you’ve over-beaten it?
Hi, I am a new baker and I am all set to try this recipe! I have a glass pan and you have already told me to reduce the temp by 25 degrees, but do I still let the loaf bake for the same amount of time?
Hi, there 8×4 that I have is glass. Is this ok?
The 8×4 loaf pan that I have is glass. Is this ok?
It is, just reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees for the glass pan.
Thank you! Will I still need to bake it for the same amount of time?
Yes should be about the same. Watch closely and be sure to test with a skewer for doneness. It should come out clean.
Sounds like a great recipe! I donât have an 8×4, will a 9×5 work just the same?
Hi Lina, A 9×5 will work, but not quite the same. Your loaf will of course, be wider and shorter. The baking time may change somewhat as well. I can’t say for sure by how much. Just watch closely and check often :)
Just brilliant. I’ve already made this and also added poppyseeds and it was just amazing. I also added blueberries to the glaze yummmmm. This recipe is the best…my husband and me are in love with the flavour…its just enough lemon for us….not too much…not too little. Just perfect. Thank you!
So glad to hear! Thanks so much :)
My family loved this lemon loaf. It was so moist, and by far the best recipe I’ve used for lemon loaf. I did make one change to the recipe. I used 1 tbsp of lemon zest (instead of 2), and 2 tbsp of lemon juice ( instead of 1). It still was not lemony enough for me but I LOVE a good strong lemon flavor. I also made one of them into a gluten free loaf just by substituting the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour, and it also turned out perfect. I’m now getting ready to make 20 loaves to give to family and friends.
If it’s black, yes. If it’s just dark-ish, you can split the difference probably.
Glad you enjoyed it, April :) Thanks so much!
If you have a dark coated pan do you still bake at 325?
Great recipe! I didn’t have sour cream so I subbed Greek yogurt and it seemed to work out fine. Cake had a wonderful tender crumb and great taste. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it, Maria. Thanks :)
Hi there! I was just wondering if it’s possible to substitute the sour cream with buttermilk?
Hi Ashley, honestly, I wouldn’t. The sour cream provides a significant portion of the fat in this loaf, which is in turn responsible for moistness and flavour. Buttermilk is 1% butterfat, so it’s not going to provide any of that and will compromise the quality of the finished loaf.
Hi Jenn,
Iâve made this loaf 4x now and each has been pure EXCELLENCE. I plan on making it for motherâs day, but was thinking of jazzing it up a tad by baking in something other than a loaf pan. maybe like a bundt or regular cake â would the recipe still work?
So glad you’re enjoying it! And yes, it would work. You’ll have to do a little math, by comparing the volume of your loaf pan to the volume of your bundt or cake pan, then scaling up the recipe accordingly. Probably 1 1/2 or doubling. Hope that helps :) Thanks Tracy!
Hi!
This looks great!
Would it be possible to substitute sour cream for yogurt?
Also, I only have a 9×5 pan, are there any adjustments I should make?
Thank you so much!
Hi Candy, while it is possible to use yogurt instead, understand that it does come at a cost to the finished quality of the loaf, as yogurt has significantly less butterfat than sour cream. You finished loaf will be less moist and tender. As for the 9×5 loaf, you can use it just fine. Your loaf will be wider and shorter, obviously, and the baking time will likely be a bit less, as it is thinner. Watch it closely and test often :)
Made this last night. Wonderful cake. Followed the directions exactly.đI added some lemon zest to the glaze for a little extra zing. Highly recommend this recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it, Karen :) Thanks so much!
Hello. Could I change the sour cream for Greek yoghurt? Or it will change the moisture? Thanks đ
Hi Andrea, while Greek yoghurt will “work”, you would definitely be sacrificing flavour, texture and moisture. Yoghurt is generally 5% butterfat or less. Sour cream is generally 14% butterfat, which when it comes to baking, is way better :) If you want to enjoy this loaf in it’s full glory, go with the sour cream.
Hi!
Is there any way to substitute sour cream? I donât usually buy or have on hand so was just wondering as it sounds great the recipe!
Hi Connie, To be honest, the higher fat sour cream does contribute to the deliciousness of this loaf. That said, I know some people have substituted full-fat plain yogurt and found it quite nice, as well. I wouldn’t do anything low-fat. Hope that helps.
This is a great and simple loaf cake! Was looking to use up some leftover sour cream and some lemons from my tree, and I stumbled upon this recipe. I had to make a few changes based on what I had on hand. I had a 9×5 loaf pan and that worked fine – 57 min bake time in my oven, using the toothpick test. I also used the zest of two lemons instead of one, about 1/3 cup of zest, but we generally like a much stronger lemon flavor than many – excellent. I didn’t have baking spray to hold down the parchment, so i used some Crisco and it worked fine. I’d like to try an orange (and maybe lime??) variation – seem like it may work well with Minneola tangelos (also have a tree), but may keep the lemon juice for tang – will report back if I try this! Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it, Amy :) Thanks!