This isn’t one of those ordinary lemon cakes, this lemon cream cheese pound cakes is one of the most decadent cake recipes you’ll make. It’s also quite likely to become one of your most successful spring and summer recipes.
Once you see how easy it is to make this pound cake, you may want to try some other flavors. Peach pound cake and old fashioned pound cake,
Strawberry pound cake, and chocolate pound cake are magnificent springtime treats brings back nostalgic memories of wrap-around porches covered in fragrant honeysuckle.
Let’s bake this!
What I Love About This Recipe
When I first started baking, I stayed away from pound cakes. I didn’t actually like the pound cakes I had tried. Often they were so dry.
Eventually, I got up the courage (and the desire) to give it a try. I reworked an old family recipe for lemon cream cheese pound cake and… wow. I mean WOW! This stuff is good. Here are some of the things I loooove about this cake:
- Dense buttery flavor
- Sweet lemony glaze
- Moist deliciousness
How To Make Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe
Making this is a cinch! Simply combine ingredients according to directions and pour into a bundt pan. Bake your cake and cool on a wire rack. Whip up your sweet dreamy lemon glaze and pour over cooled cake. BAM! – Done!
Lemon Cake Recipe Notes
Room Temperature: Making this scrumptious lemon buttermilk cake isn’t difficult but I find that it helps to start with room temperature ingredients. The butter and cream cheese should be soft and spreadable but not melted. Even eggs and lemon should be brought up to room temp before getting started.
Adding eggs: Also, be sure to add the eggs one at a time so the batter doesn’t curdle.
Measuring: Accuracy is incredibly important in a good pound cake. Extra sugar might cause the cake to fall. Adding extra flour might make it dry. (Tip: to ensure that you don’t add extra flour, use the “fluff and spoon” method rather than just scooping it up. Fluff up the flour with a fork, then use a spoon to put it in your measure cup. Level off with a knife. This will make sure the flour isn’t so densely packed and you don’t add extra.)
Mixing: Make sure to beat your sugar, butter, eggs, and cream cheese together until the mixture is light and fluffy. It should be noticeably lighter in color. However, you also don’t want to overbeat the eggs. Overbeating may cause the batter to overflow from the sides of the pan when baked.
Adding Baking Powder: Some folks recommend adding baking powder to the batter. I don’t really think it’s necessary, but it doesn’t hurt anything to add it. Use your own discretion. I personally leave it out of this recipe.
Greasing Bundt Pan: There are a few different methods to effectively grease your Bundt pan. Butter is a great way that will really contribute to the overall flavor of the cake.
Some recipes will have you use flour in combination with the butter. A simple spray-on cooking spray will also work. The best one I’ve found is Pam baking spray with butter (not a paid endorsement).
Batter: Once the batter has been poured into the Bundt pan, tap the pan onto the counter a few times to help the batter settle and remove any air pockets.
Testing Cake Doneness: Ensuring that the center of your pound cake gets cooked thoroughly is important. Because the cake is dense, it can be tempting to pull out the cake too early. But you need to make sure that the center is good and cooked.
To check it, just use the old toothpick trick. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cooked pound cake, it if comes clean then the cake is ready to come out.
Lemon Pound Cake Ingredient Notes
When making this delicious Lemon Pound Cake it helps to use name-brand ingredients. I know this sounds a little finicky but there is a method to my madness.
For instance, generic brands of sugar are often ground finer resulting in more sugar per cup which could make your cake fall. Generic butter often has more liquid fat which can make your pound cake very heavy.
Part of the reason this recipe is so delicious is that it uses three different lemon flavoring components: lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract.
These three lemon components in combination really intensify the flavor of the pound cake—using lemon juice alone just can’t compare.
Storing +Freezing + Make-Ahead
The key to storing this beautiful cake is to protect it from the air. Keep it in a cake saver on the counter or slide it in the fridge to buy a few more days. Once it’s sliced, you’ll want to cover the open end tightly with cling wrap so your cake doesn’t dry out.
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This dreamy cake will stay moist and delicious for up to a week when stored properly in the fridge. The trick is keeping it adequately protected from the air and other food smells in the fridge.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes!! Simply double wrap your cake in aluminum foil or cling wrap before sliding it into a resealable freezer bag. It helps to wait until serving time to add the sweet lemon glaze, unless you’re freezing individual slices.
- Just thaw on the counter for an hour or put your cake in the fridge overnight. You may still want to give it a little counter time to lose excess moisture.
- Make Ahead Tips: Your cake will stay fresh and yummy for 3-4 days on the counter so it’s the perfect make-ahead cake. You can also go the freezer route and then add the glaze at serving time. Either way, this homemade pound cake is sooo much better than anything you can buy in the store!
More Wonderful Pound Cakes
- Brown Sugar Pound Cake
- Blueberry Pound Cake
- Banana Pound Cake
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- Coconut Pound Cake
- Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake
- Orange Pound Cake
- Million Dollar Pound Cake
- Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
- Pineapple Pound Cake
Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened
- 1 (8-ounce) box cream cheese softened
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12 cup bundt pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, using an electric hand-held mixer beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Add sugar slowly, beating on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs to the batter, one at a time, beating just until yolk disappears.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and salt; add to butter mixture, alternating with lemon juice, beginning and ending with flour. Beat batter on low, after each addition, until blended. Add lemon zest, lemon extract, and vanilla extract and stir until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake come out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 10-15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the Glaze:
- Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoon lemon juice in a medium bowl. Using a hand held electric mixer, mix until smooth. Add more lemon juice, a teaspoon or so at a time, as needed to reach a thick but pourable consistency. Pour the glaze over cake. Let the cakes sit out until the glaze has dried well.
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Conclusion
Lemon cream cheese pound cake is not only an ideal Easter dessert but it’s also great warm-weather treat. This pound cake is moist and delicious with a sweet creamy glaze that adds tangy lemon undertones to every refreshing bite.
It’s one of my family’s favorites and I just know you’re gonna’ love it too!
I’ve made this cake a few times, but it’s usually for family gatherings. How could I make this in a smaller serving using a leaf pan?
Hi Erica. I haven’t made this into a loaf pan, sorry.
I thought this cake had a good flavor but is was somewhat dry. Wondering what I might have done to cause that. I didn’t bake it longer than the recipe called for.
Hi DW. Honestly, if this cake was dry it was over-baked. Remember with ANY baking recipe, baking times are a suggestion. Every oven runs differently. Some run hot and some run cooler. I’m so sorry this cake was dry for you because it’s honestly really wonderful!
We love lemon anything. The worst part of loving lemon is that it is difficult to find recipes that have a true lemon flavor. This cake does not disappoint. Excellent lemon flavor – simple to prepare if ingredients are set out in advance. The cake isn’t dry at all. This is a definite keeper for my family.
So happy you enjoyed, Belle!
My family and friends love this cake. It has a great lemon flavor and is very moist.
Thank you so much for your positive feedback! I’m glad you like this cake 🙂
Fair warning: grease AND flour pan; otherwise, you risk the cake not unmolding completely.
Also, I recommend reducing the lemon extract amount and increasing the vanilla extract, in the cake mixture; plus, add lemon zest and vanilla to the glaze.
Made the cake but was a little disappointed the cake was very heavy. I followed the recipe as directed what went wrong. Thank you
HI Cindy. Well, it is a pound cake which tends to have a heavier texture than say a chiffon type cake. I’m not sure you did anything wrong. It just may not be you style of cake???
To improve the end-result of the cake not being too dense/heavy, it is possible you can add in a tsp of baking powder and a 1/4 tsp of baking soda to help the cake and give it more of a lift since it has so many wet ingredients… Then, also, I believe the butter and sugar must be creamed for at least 8-10 minutes (with a stand mixer with K-paddle attachment or with your electric hand mixer) whipped on medium speed, making sure that the butter and sugar is creamed very well, light and fluffy in appearance. Usually, beating the butter mixture until you don’t hear or feel any of the granules of sugar in the batter.
Can you use cake flour instead of all purpose
Hi, Edith. I think that’ll work. Joy of Baking recommends: “To substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour.”
Hey Edith I tried the cake flour instead of all purpose and to me it had more of a bread texture and was not as moist as with the all purpose flour.
This is by far the best pound cake ever. My aunt passed in August and I found this recipe at her home. She was the family pound cake maker. So I decided to learn how to bake in her honor and this cake has become the families favorite.
Thank you so much, Roz! We love this pound cake too!! I’m sure your aunt would be proud her tradition is being carried on <3
Delicious! Came out perfect. I did not have lemon extract, so just added some additional lemon juice – and it was still amazing!
Hi! That’s genius! Thank you for sharing your feedback and we’re happy you liked this cake! 🙂
Delicious. Real ripe Meyer lemons
Hi, Glopco! Thank you for sharing your feedback, we’re glad you like this cake 🙂
This cake is the best cake I have made so far. It’s moist, lemony, and DELICIOUS. I give this cakec**********. I’m the baker in my family so , I decided to make something different and trust me I was nor my family was disappointed. Thank you
Thank you, Charmaine. I’m so happy it was a hit for you!!
I, too, have made this several times and it’s my absolute favorite! I make it exactly as the recipe calls for and it comes out perfect every time!!
Lea Ann, I’m so happy you love this cake! So glad to hear from you! <3
What type of grater did you use to grate the lemons getting such nice long strips and thank you.
Georgie
Hi Georgia. I used an OXO Good Grips Citrus Zester With Channel Knife.
Amazing! Never even got to freeze it!! Thank you for this receipe!!!
Mary Lynn
Thank you so much, Mary Lynn! Glad you like this cake 🙂
I’m going to make this today ( can’t wait to taste it). Can I freeze this cake? If so, with the frosting or not?
Thank you so much.
Mary Lynn
[email protected]
Hi, Mary Lynn. Yes!! Simply double wrap your cake in aluminum foil or cling wrap before sliding it into a resealable freezer bag. It helps to wait until serving time to add the sweet lemon glaze unless you’re freezing individual slices. Just thaw on the counter for an hour or put your cake in the fridge overnight. You may still want to give it a little counter time to lose excess moisture.
Enjoy baking! 🙂
Can I use this recipe for cupcakes? If so, what would I reduce the cooking time to?
Hi, Pat. I haven’t tried converting this into a cupcake. There’s a great suggestion from The Kitchn
It says cupcakes usually bake for 20 minutes. They suggest that you should have a test cupcake. Bake it first for 15 minutes and check for doneness. Then bake the rest of the cupcakes.
Hope this helps and let us know how it turns out!
I have made this Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake several times. Following the recipe to the letter, the moist, flavorful cake is superb in both taste and quality of fine desserts. The glaze serves to enhance the lemon flavor. In my circle of friends, I am known as the one who knows how to bake a pound cake. Thanks to you!
Pat you absolutely made my day! I love that you’re famous for your cake! I’m crazy about pound cake so I bake them often! I’ve been working on lots of new cake recipes so I hope you check back and try some! Happy baking!
So rich, I’ll never use anything but this recipe for lemon Bundt cake❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much, Janet! 🙂
This cake is absolutely to die for! It’s my most requested cake among family and friends!
That’s great news, Rhonda! I’m glad you all loved this cake. Thank you! 🙂