A classic pound cake infused with bright lemon flavor and topped with a tangy-sweet lemon glaze. Perfect for tea time or dessert.
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
For the Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional)
Instructions:
Prepare the Cake:
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or a 9×13 inch pan.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate measuring cup, combine the whole milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Alternate Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare the Glaze:
- Combine Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and optional lemon zest until smooth. Add more lemon juice or powdered sugar as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
- Glaze the Cake: Once the cake is completely cooled, drizzle the lemon glaze over the top.
Tips and Variations:
- For a more intense lemon flavor, add a teaspoon of lemon extract to the batter.
- You can use a bundt pan instead of a tube pan.
- If you don’t have whole milk, you can use 2% milk or buttermilk.
- Allow the cake to fully cool, before glazing, this will keep the glaze from melting.
Enjoy your delicious lemon glazed pound cake!