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.like our super popular peach pound cake, old fashioned pound cake, strawberry pound cake, and chocolate pound cake. They’re all magnificent springtime treats, bringing back nostalgic memories of Grandma, 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
- Make the cake: beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and mix, then add eggs one at a time.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add it to the butter mixture, alternating with lemon juice.
- Beat the batter.
- Add the rest of the cake ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the bundt pan. Bake.
- Make the glaze: mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice.
- Pour the glaze over the cake.
***See the full instructions below.
Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake Ingredients
- Butter: I like to use Challenge unsalted butter (no endorsement!). At room temperature.
- Cream Cheese: Use regular, full-fat cream cheese. At room temperature.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar.
- Eggs: Large eggs, at room temperature.
- Flour: I use Gold Medal.
- Salt: Tables salt.
- Lemon: Let’s Talk Lemon! 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.
- Vanilla Extract: I use pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake Tips
- Room Temperature: 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 measuring 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 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.
- Name-Brand: When making this lemon pound cake with cream cheese 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.
- Testing Cake Doneness: 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 baked.
- Tip for doneness, just use the old bamboo skewer, aka toothpick, trick. Insert into the center of the baked pound cake and when it comes out with a few moist crumbs, it’s done. Now, that doesn’t mean batter on the skewer. there should only be a FEW moist crumbs.
Storing +Freezing + Make-Ahead
The key to storing this beautiful lemon pound cake with glaze 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!
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
More Lemon Desserts
More Wonderful Pound Cakes
- Blueberry Pound Cake
- Brown Sugar Pound Cake
- Banana Pound Cake
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake
- Million Dollar Pound Cake
- Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
- Pineapple Pound Cake
- Apple Bundt Cake
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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 325ºF (163ºC). Grease a 12-cup bundt pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, using an electric hand-held mixer beat butter (1 1/2 cups) and cream cheese (8-onuce) together until smooth and creamy. Add sugar (3 cups) slowly, beating on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs (6) to the batter, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour (3 cups) and salt (1/2 teaspoon); add to the butter mixture, alternating with lemon juice (1/4 cup), beginning and ending with flour. Beat batter on low, after each addition, until blended. Add lemon zest (1/3 cup), lemon extract (1 tablespoon), and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) and stir until incorporated. Pour the batter into the 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 comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the Glaze:
- Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar (2 cups) and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a medium bowl. Using a handheld 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 the cake. Let the cakes sit out until the glaze has dried well.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Room Temperature: 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 measuring 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 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.
- Name-Brand: When making this 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.
- Testing Cake Doneness: 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 baked.
- Tip for doneness, just use the old bamboo skewer, aka toothpick, trick. Insert into the center of the baked pound cake and when it comes out with a few moist crumbs, it's done. Now, that doesn't mean batter on the skewer. there should only be a FEW moist crumbs.
Nutrition
Kevyn Moody says
i am planning on making this on Mother’s Day and i have a question about the pan. i have a ten inch aluminum tube pan (the kind with the two parts) that my grandmother bought in the 50s. she always said you bake bundt cakes in bundt pans and pound cakes in tube pans. should i be concerned that my pan does not have a dark or gray coating?
Kathleen says
Hi, Kevyn! No, that’s alright. 🙂 Just grease the pan thoroughly to prevent the cake from sticking. Hope this helps and enjoy baking!
LINDA BARBOA says
I have never rated a recipe before but the cream cheese pound cake is so delicious I had to share. I have been looking for a lemon pound cake my grandkids would like. This is it. They love it.
Kathleen says
Hi, Linda!! Wow, thank you so much, you made my day! I’m so happy you and your grandkids love this! ❤️❤️
Bridgette Dawkins says
This cake was absolutely Amazing! It was moist, lemony, sweet, tangy and down right delicios..I put th glaze on the side n also ate a slice warmed with vanilla ice cream! It’s incredible!!!
Kathleen says
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake, Bridgette! It sounds wonderful with vanilla ice cream <3
Lynnette Cheatom says
Hi. Kathleen, I will be trying your recipe for the Holidays. I make all my cakes from scratch. I was always taught. Anything good is worth waiting for. Homemade cakes require more time to bake. If you don’t want to wait for an hour and a half. Then maybe cake mix is better for the impatient person. Keep up the good work sending the better recipes. I will let you know how I liked the cake. Lynnette
Kathleen says
Awesome, Lynette! Can’t wait to see how it turns for you! 😀
MaryJo says
The cake is delicious! After taking it out of the pan, I poked a lot of holes and poured Limoncello liquor over it. I added some of the Limoncello to the glaze and 1tsp. of lemon oil to the glaze and 1 1/2 tsp. of lemon oil to the cake. It just gives it a little more lemon flavor. Such an excellent recipe! Thank you.
Kathleen says
You’re very welcome, Mary! So happy to hear you liked it! Loving your tweaks too ?
Fran Rad says
I just finished baking this wonderful cake for my sister’s birthday. It looks fabulous. Someone mentioned pouring rum over the cake. Is it best to pour when it is swarm or wait until it cools. Can’t wait to share with family.
Harmony says
What a gorgeous cake!
Kathleen says
Thanks, Harmony!
Andrew says
I want to make and eat them all myself!
Kathleen says
Go for it, Andrew! 😀 Hope you enjoy them!
Janice says
This cake is so delicious! I poured some rum over it after it baked. This is one of my favorites! Fantastic recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!
Kathleen says
You’re welcome, Janice! 😀
Cheri says
Can I make this without the lemon zest?
Kathleen says
Hi Cheri! Yes, you can, however, the lemon zest is where most of the flavor comes from. I would not omit it. <3
David Griffin says
I made this lemon cream cheese pound cake it was very easy to make my co workers from fire/ EMS they all love this cake I didn’t have enough so I. Made another cake i just want to say thank you
Kathleen says
You’re welcome, David! So HAPPY to hear your coworkers liked it! ❤️
Karen says
What do you consider to be a dark bundt pan? All of the pans I’ve ever used where some form of gray.
Kathleen says
Hi Karen,
Yes most pans are some form of gray and they range in shades from light to charcoal. The darker your pan, the quicker your cake will bake. The darker pans absorb and distribute heat quicker. Knowing that is most important and it will help you discern whether you should adjust your cook time/temp or at least start checking your cake a bit earlier. Hope this helps!
Black_Bird11 says
I’m making it now. I’m totally scarred it want rise without the baking powder but it’s my 1st time. I’m hoping it comes out great! Taking it to a big family dinner. Thank you for the recipe.
Kathleen says
Hi there!
I was scared at first too but this recipe works! If you follow the directions it should rise just fine without the baking powder but it is up to your discretion. It won’t hurt anything if you want to add some. I know the first time can be a little nerve wracking but take your time and it will be fine. Let me know how it comes out!
Anna says
Ok, I answered my own question about baking cupcakes. I used all the batter in a 24 cup cupcake pan & they came out perfect-didn’t spill over-at about 30 minutes at 325. Haven’t tasted the finished product but the batter was amazing! I added a little bit more lemon extract because I didn’t have enough zest. It was so fluffy!
Kathy says
Does this recipe freeze well?
Kathleen says
Hey Kathy. It sure does! 🙂
Brenda says
Hello, I’m baking this cake now. I can’t wait to take it out of the oven. It smells so good.
Brenda says
Ok , I just finish making this cake. I really LOVE the R eceipe. I enjoyed making it. It’s in the oven baking now. I smells so so good. I’m making it to give to my best friend. I have not been in the mood to bake since the holidays 2014. I am a CHF patient snake then I baked at least 20 cakes . This R eceipe has got me going again. Thank you so much.
Kathleen says
Hi Brenda! I’m so happy to hear this cake inspired you to start baking again! I hope you best friend enjoys <3
Alesia says
First attempt to make a lemon pound cake. It is amazing, Loved it.
Kathleen says
So glad you thought this was amazing, Alesia <3
Anna says
If I make cupcakes, how long should I bake?
Dariann Gatison says
This a very delirious and moist.
Sherri says
The cake was great but 1 1/2 hours is too long to cook.