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!
Hi! My loaf never rose in the middle and has a shallow crevice, any tips? It’s fully browned and cooked so not an under baking issue. Thanks!
Hi Justyn, A couple of thoughts … what kind/type of butter did you use? Were your eggs at room temperature? Did you use full-fat sour cream? How did you measure your flour and did you beat the butter/sugar for the full time? There are a number of things that can go wrong with any baking recipe. The trick is to try and figure out which one it is :)
Made this today! It was amazing! Followed the recipe exactly how it is. Definitely would make it again 😊
Glad you enjoyed it, Heather :) Thanks so much!
I made this recipe for a foods 8 cooking class and it was easy and very delicious
Happy to hear that, Ally :) Thanks!
This is an excellent recipe! My entire family said that it was THE best lemon loaf cake they’ve ever had- which is so rare because they all have different tastes and preferences when it comes to dessert. I followed all the instructions and tips, and the result was well worth it. I added poppy seeds at the very end and it turned out great! Just a note to anyone using GLASS – I baked it in a glass 8×4 tray and noticed that I had to leave it in the oven for about 5-7 minutes longer than the posted baking time.
So glad you enjoyed it, Mai! Thanks so much :)
Can you split this into mini loaves?:)
You can, Daniela. I can’t tell you the exact baking time. It will be considerably less. Watch them closely and test often for doneness.
It came out delicious! I used Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream though. Thank you for the recipe.
So glad to hear, Sandra :) Thanks!
Yum! Thanks for the recipe. I didn’t have any powdered sugar so I didn’t glaze it but it’s still delicious.
Glad to hear, Jill! Thanks :)
You can make powdered sugar by running regular white sugar in a blender :)
Hi Vanessa and I don’t really think so. You could get closer with a mortar and pestle and crushing it.
Can I bake in a tube pan??
Hi Jean, I think you could but you would need to increase the recipe to fill it. Depending on the volume of the pan you plan to use, you would either 1 1/2 or 2 times the recipe. And of course, baking time will be different. I have no idea on any timing in that case. You’d have to watch like a hawk and test often.
Can I use low fat sour cream?
Hi Rebecca, I haven’t tested this recipe with low fat sour cream, so I can’t say for sure. Obviously the reduced fat will affect the quality of the finished loaf.
The loaf is in the oven baking as I type and the kitchen smells so good. Took a sneak taste of the batter before it went in the oven and am now even more excited! For the glaze, do I just mix with a whisk? Thank you so much for the recipe!
Glad to hear, Jenny :) For the glaze a spoon should work just fine. Just be sure to get all the lumps out of the icing sugar (I kind of smash it against the side of the bowl with the back of the spoon, until smooth). Enjoy!
My husband is very hard to please. This recipe was definitely a winner…never had a lemon cake so soft and fluffy! Thank you so so much! Xx
So glad to hear, Abi :) Thanks so much!
Is there a substitute for eggs? Can I use flax eggs in this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Vivi and I’m sorry, but I have no idea if flax eggs will work or not, as I’ve never tried it. If you’ve had success with flax eggs in other baking recipes, there is no reason to think they won’t work here, as well. Let me know if you try it :)
I am about to make this! Due to the quarentine/people stock piling supplies our stores are out of regular flour and there is only whole grain flour available. Do you think this would this work in the recipe? I also only have hand whisks and not an electric beater… will this make a difference?
Looking forward to it!
Hi Kathleen, sorry for the delay. Have you made it already? Would say it might be a bit of a challenge with the whole grain flour, unless it is White Whole Wheat. If you use lots of elbow, you should be able to cream the butter by hand. Just whisk a lot :)
Good afternoon, right now in my country is very difficult to find sour sourcream, please I need a substitute, or a home made
Hi Marisol, a full fat plain yogurt would work fine if you can find that :)
I looooove this cake! The first time I’ve made it, it came out perfect. I made it twice after that and the middle part keeps deflating:(
I follow the recipe exactly as it’s written, I wonder what am
I doing wrong. I am using a new butter, could that be it?
Thank you!
Hi Agustina and yes, if you are making it the same way and the only thing that has changed is the butter, then I would say that’s the culprit. Some butters have more water content, for sure. Try with your old butter when you can and see if that’s the case.
I made this cake today, turned out pretty good, I love any lemon 🍋 flavor cakes
So glad to hear, Delmy :) Thanks so much!
Hello, planning on making this today and was wondering about using the mini bread loaf aluminum tins to bake so I can share with neighbors. What do you think?
Sounds lovely, Joy! I’m afraid I can’t offer much advice re baking time, as I haven’t tried it myself. Obviously much less. Just watch like a hawk and test often :)
Have you ever put poppy seeds into this recipe? Love this bread!
Thanks Megan and I haven’t added poppy seeds with this specific loaf, but I do love a lemon poppy seed loaf, too! I think it would be just fine to add some to this one :)