Glazed Lemon Pound Cake is one of those go-to recipes that’s been baked, shared, and loved countless times. I’ve fine-tuned it to be soft, tender, and bursting with bright lemon flavor, all finished with a sweet, citrusy glaze. It’s a recipe you can count on to turn out just right every time. If you love dependable, from-scratch treats that impress every time, this cake delivers.
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This post was originally posted on 7/12/2020 and updated on 5/29/2025.
Why We Love This Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
- Bright Lemon Flavor: Fresh lemon flavor shines in every bite, making it a refreshing twist on classic pound cake.
- Simple Ingredients: No fancy or hard-to-find items, just classic pantry staples that come together beautifully.
- Perfect Texture: Rich, buttery, and tender with a light crumb that’s ideal for slicing and serving.
- Sweet Lemon Glaze: Adds the perfect finishing touch with just the right balance of tart and sweet.
- Crowd-Pleaser: Ideal for potlucks, brunches, holidays, or as an everyday treat to share with family and friends.
- Great for Gifting: A beautiful loaf that wraps up well and makes a thoughtful homemade gift. Bring along some macerated strawberries to take it over the top.
Glazed Lemon Pound Cake Recipe Ingredients
- Salted Butter
- White Sugar
- Large Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Lemons
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- Powdered Sugar
- Strawberries (optional)
Substitution Suggestions
- Salted Butter: Feel free to use unsalted butter but I suggest adding an additional ½ teaspoon of salt to the cake batter.
- Sour Cream: Plain Greek yogurt is a great substitute. I use it more than I do sour cream because I always have some in my fridge.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Pure extracts give the best flavor. Use them when at all possible. The imitation extracts can leave an unwanted after taste in your baked goods.
- All Purpose Flour: I like this recipe best with all purpose flour. White whole wheat flour didn't change the texture much but it was a little denser. Whole wheat flour gives the cake a darker color and makes the cake too dense.
How to Make Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
- First, preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 9x5 loaf pan. You can either butter it, spray with non-stick spray or use parchment paper. I prefer parchment paper so the cake is extremely easy to remove from the pan. Leave an inch overhang on the long sides so it is easy to lift right out of the pan.
- Next, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a large mixing bowl and hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This will take 2-3 minutes.
- Then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Now add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat well.
- Add the lemon zest and juice and mix in well. The batter may look a little curdled but it's normal so don't worry.
- Then add the dry ingredients: baking powder, salt and all purpose flour. Mix on low speed until everything is incorporated and smooth. Please be careful not to over mix!
- Lastly, spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. If the cake is starting to get too brown on the top, quickly cover it with a piece of foil and continue baking.
- Let cake cool in pan for 15-20 minutes then run a pairing knife along the short sides. Using the parchment paper, pull the cake out of the pan and place on cooling rack.
- Cool completely on wire rack before glazing.
How to Make Glaze for Lemon Pound Cake
- Simply whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and tiny pinch of salt until smooth.
- Pour all over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides. Use an offset spatula to spread it out evenly if needed.
- Let the cake sit until the glaze has set.
- Slice and serve, or add macerated strawberries and then serve!
How to Make Macerated Strawberries
- First, wash and hull the strawberries, then slice.
- Then add them to a small bowl and add the granulated sugar. Mix them together and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Pour the strawberries and syrup over a slice of cake and enjoy!
Pro Tip: Did you know you can use an egg slicer to slice strawberries? Or that there is an actual strawberry slicer? You better believe it! They both work like a charm and create even sliced strawberries! You can thank me later.
Serving Iced Lemon Pound Cake
This cake is so delicious served as dessert or a late afternoon treat. It's fabulous on it's own but you can amp it up with some of these ala mode ideas:
- Macerated Strawberries (My Favorite!)
- Fresh Berries and Whipped Cream or Yogurt
- Vanilla Ice Cream or Strawberry Ice Cream.
- Whipped Cream and Toasted Coconut Flakes
- Sliced Almonds and Whipped Cream or Yogurt
- Pair the cake with a cup of hot tea, coffee or cappuccino.
If pound cake is your jam don't miss this warm and cozy recipe for Pumpkin Pound Cake! It has the most glorious texture and flavor!
Storing Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
Storing: Store the pound cake tightly covered at room temperature. Use a layer of plastic wrap and aluminum foil or place in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for 4-5 days. It can also be stored in the fridge to help it last a few extra days.
Freezing: Yes this cake can be frozen with or without the icing! Wrap entire loaf or individual slices of cake in a double layer of plastic wrap. Then place in a freezer safe air tight container or zip top freezer bag. Label and date, then store in freezer up to 4 months.
Thawing: Simply thaw the cake at room temperature for a few hours. If thawing with the icing on, thaw the cake in the fridge to help the icing stay set.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- My KitchenAid Stand Mixer is my favorite kitchen item. It's the best tool ever for making breads, muffins, cookies and so many other things.
- I love these nestled mixing bowls for prepping ingredients.
- Long ago, I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and I still prefer their baking tools and pans to any others. Find yourself a consultant, host a party and treat yourself to a set.
- This loaf pan from KitchenAid is a good one too!
- An offset spatula is my favorite tool to use for evenly spreading the batter into the baking dish.
- Parchment paper is a life saver and makes clean up so much easier.
Tips for Iced Lemon Pound Cake
- Gather all the ingredients before you start preparing the recipe. It is so much easier to bake when all the ingredients are ready.
- Read the recipe from start to finish before you start. I am speaking from experience.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It helps the batter come together better, and also helps with even baking.
- Always fluff your flour and then spoon and level it to measure. Doing this will prevent too much flour being added and ultimately making the cake too dry. To fluff your flour, just scoop it and dump it a few times and then measure it out, or give it a fluff using a whisk.
- Do NOT over mix the batter, the cake will be tough instead of tender. Mix just until the flour is evenly incorporated.
- This recipe is easily doubled! Double it and bake 2 cakes.
FAQs
Add the glaze to a pound cake once it has completely cooled and is room temperature. If you add the glaze to a warm cake it will just soak into the cake and it won't set on top.
First, fluff your flour before measuring it. Flour can become compacted after sitting for awhile which will add more flour into your recipe. Next, find a recipe that calls for sour cream, yogurt or milk. It will add moisture to your cake keeping the crumb light and tender. Lastly, don't overbake it. If you overbake, the cake will have a dry and crumbly texture.
More Cake Recipes:
- German Chocolate Sheet Cake
- American Flag Cake
- Almond Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Easy Carrot Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Homemade Carrot Cake
- Chocolate Peppermint Sheet Cake
- Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Did you make this recipe? Rate it!
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Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Pound Cake
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 large lemon, zest and juice
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
Glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- tiny pinch salt
Macerated Strawberries
- ½ cup sliced strawberries
- 1 tablespoon sugar, heaping
Instructions
Lemon Pound Cake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. About 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg and scraping sides of bowl as needed.
- Mix in sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Add the zest and juice from 1 large lemon and mix in. The batter may looked curdled but it's normal.
- Add the baking powder, salt and all purpose flour and mix in on low speed until incorporated and smooth being careful not to over mix.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. and
- Bake in preheated oven on center rack for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. If the top of cake is starting to get too dark, quickly cover with foil and continue baking.
- Cool completely before glazing.
Lemon Glaze
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and tiny pinch salt until smooth.
- Pour and spread glaze evenly on top of cake and let some of it fall down the sides of the cake.
- Let cake rest until glaze has set.
Macerated Strawberries
- Combine strawberries and sugar in bowl.
- Let sit for about 10 minutes before using. Spoon over slice of cake and eat!
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