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.
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!
After trying several recipes this one was the winner!! It was so good!
I only have one question what is the trick to making the lemon glaze look like your photo? The glaze hardened clear not white.
Hi Barb and so glad you enjoyed it! As for the glaze, I assume you used powdered icing/confectioners’ sugar? If so, my only thought is that your glaze was too thin or that there may have been some bit of residual warmth in the loaf that caused the glaze to melt.
I used to bake this recipe all the time when I live abroad and it always came out amazing! Now that I moved to Alaska everytime I bake it it deflates/sink. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Vi, if I had to guess, I’d look at what elevation you are baking at now. If you are baking at elevation, you may need to make some alterations to the recipe. If you google, you’ll find all kinds of guidance for that.
Is there a way to make this dairy free?
Hi Karla and there may be a way, but I have no idea what it is, as I don’t bake dairy free, so I have no experience with the necessary substitutions.
Wanted to try this recipe today but wondered what temp you would use if you have a convection oven since you posted, Preheat oven to 325 F. (not convection bake). Thanks
Hi Lisa, generally, you would reduce by 25F, but some ovens do that automatically. When I say “not convection bake”, it is really to indicate that the is the temperature and setting I baked it at. That way no one is wondering and each person can make adjustments as needed from there.
This is my favorite cake recipe, I’ve been making it for years!
The only modification I make is not using a stand mixer, because hand mixing makes it denser, which is our preference for pound cakes.
Great recipe
So glad you are enjoying it, Anthony! Thanks :)
My family ate this up so fast I could hardly believe my eyes. It’s very delicious and moist and a pretty little “cake”! Personally, I would have preferred the dough itself to have more of a “lemony” taste to it.
So glad you all enjoyed it Sofie. You can certainly add more lemon zest to the cake if you like, too. Thanks!
I loveeeee this recipe. It’s very beginner friendly! So delicious
So glad you are enjoying it, Alisha! Thanks so much :)
I made this cake, it was delicious!! I’m a lemon lover. I was wondering, do you think this could be baked in a sheet pan, glazed and cut into thin bars? If so, what size baking sheet do you think I would need to accommodate the batter?
So glad you enjoyed it, Vivian! I have no idea about the sheet pan size. I’m thinking at least 9×13, but maybe bigger if you want thinner.
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I was thinking more like a 10 x 15 cookie sheet, but not sure if there may be too much batter? I wouldn’t want it overflowing in my oven!
Great lemon taste and easy to make. I followed the recipe precisely and it was fabulous. As stated in the notes, it also freezes beautifully.
So glad you enjoyed it, Sally! Thanks so much :)
The most delicious pound cake ever. I’ve used orange zest/juice also, fabulous. Going to try lemon poppy seed next!
So glad you enjoyed it, Louise :) Thanks so much!
Could I use mini Bundt pans for this?
Hi Taylor and you probably could. I have never tried it, so I have no guidance on the timing. Certainly quite a bit less baking time. You would have to watch carefully and test often.
you were not kidding , this recipe is definitely a keeper
just before I’m waiting to spread on the glaze I poke holes in the top , not many 6 or 7 and then add the glaze when it’s time to cut slices you can actually see the run of the glaze in the loaf
oh tried it in my tube pan after I made your I think it’s called 62 street lemon cake 🍰 both wonderful recipes
thank you very much and love your website as well
So glad you enjoyed them both, Elizabeth! I never tire of lemon cakes :) Thanks so much!
Thank you for this recipe. My family loves this cake and they ask me to make it for special occasions. Mom requested it for Easter dinner tomorrow.
Follow the instructions and notes!
So glad you are all enjoying it, Karen :) Happy Easter!