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!
I baked this, and it is absolutely delicious! I love the texture, which is tender, but somewhat dense. It is just the right balance and very flavorful. I followed the recipe except, added one tsp of lemon extract and used 1/3rd cup of plain yogurt for the batter instead of sour cream. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Glad to hear! Thanks :)
Just made this today! I am not the best baker but this came out great and is absolutely delicious!!! Will definitely be making it again. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks Denise :) So glad you enjoyed it!
Jennifer thank you so much for sharing this very special recipe it is just perfect. This is going to become a regular go to in my home. I made it with gluten free flour the Orgran brand if anyone is reading this from Australia. The loaf is so moist with such a lovely texture and perfect crumb. I will be passing this recipe onto others to enjoy. Warm wishes from Australia. x
So glad to hear, Jennie :) And good to know you had success with GF flour. Thanks!
Hey, the flavor of this lemon loaf cake is absolutely amazing. The only issue I’m having is that my cake is dry. It didn’t turn out moist like i thought it would. What could I have done wrong that made it dry? I baked it for 60 mins instead of 55 because it wasn’t done. When I tested it, my baking stick didn’t come out clean. Thank you! I’ll definitely be trying it again.
Hi Mandie, You are right, it shouldn’t be dry. While it is a pound cake, the crumb will be somewhat dense, but still moist. Generally a dry result is from over-baking, over-creaming the butter/sugar mixture or using a lower-fat substitute for the full-fat sour cream.
Would this work ok if I were to bake it as muffins? And do you know how I would alter the time?
Hi Seana, I honestly don’t know as I’ve never tried it. They would be quite soft, I think, for muffins. As for baking time, muffins are generally 15-25 minutes, depending on size.
This was absolutely delicious! So easy. The texture and flavor are spot on. I’ll be making this again and again. Thank you!
So glad to hear, Gina :) Thanks so much!
Hi can you tell me the difference between this cake and a lemon drizzle please . Christine
Hi Christine, this loaf uses a glaze, that sits on top of the loaf. A lemon drizzle cake uses a syrup, that will soak into the loaf, rather than sitting on top. That would be the main difference.
Hi! The lemon cake is so delicious! Thank you for the recipe. May I know if it’s normal for the loaf to crack at the top? Should I lower the temperature of the oven and bake longer if I want to prevent the cracks? Thank you! :)
Hi Geraldine, it could be that your oven runs hot or that you need to lower your oven rack one notch. Cracks generally happen because the top crust seals too early, then as the loaf cooks and rises, it cracks the top. I would experiment with one at a time, so you can see what works and what doesn’t :)
Jennifer, this recipe is delicious! I’ve made it 5 times in the past month. Thank you for sharing. I posted a picture of my loaf on Facebook, linking your recipe and giving you all the credit! I hope to bake more of your recipes soon! Thank you again!
Thanks so much, Kara! So glad you are enjoying it :)
Hi Jennifer
I decided to jump on the baking bandwagon with all the free time I have and decided on a Lemon Loaf for starters. It happens to be my favourite dessert and your recipe certainly hit the mark! It came out very moist, lemony and oh so delicious! Thanks!
So glad to hear Dana and yes, baking is a great (and delicious :) way to fill the day! Thanks.
Hi there! Does this only make one loaf?
Yes, it does.
Hello, sounds like a wonderful recipe! I was wondering would the time and temperature differ if I were to bake it in a Le Creuset square pan to make a sheet cake instead? Thank you!
Hi Jenni, I would reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees (F), to account for the glass(ish) pan. As for baking time, a sheet cake is generally in the 35-40 minute range, but watch closely after 25 minutes of baking and start testing when it looks puffy and is pulling away from the sides of the pan. Enjoy!
My cake was so delicious. I substituted the sour cream with plain low fat yogurt and it was still very moist and perfect.
Glad to hear, Teressa :) Thanks so much!
I loved this recipe! I’m making it right now for the second time, but I’m using orange instead of lemon. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad to hear, Jocelyn :) Orange sounds delicious, too. Thanks so much!
I LOVE this recipe! I’ve made it several times now, and it couldn’t be easier. One little tweak I’ve made is I also add 2 teaspoons of almond extract to the batter, and I add thin slivered almonds on top of the freshly drizzled glaze. Gives it an almost lemon/marzipan quality.
Glad you are enjoying it! Thanks :)