Lemon Pound Cake
This is the cake that makes folks lean in close when you slice it — dense, buttery, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. It's got that perfect golden crust on the outside and a tender, moist crumb inside that practically melts on your tongue. Every good Sunday cook needs a pound cake in their back pocket, and this lemon one is pure sunshine on a plate.
Cooking tutorial
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (from about 2 large lemons)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon extract
Instructions
- 1
Heat your oven to 325°F and grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan real good — get in all those corners so your cake comes out clean.
- 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set it aside.
- 3
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and shortening together until they're light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- 4
Add the sugar to the butter mixture and beat on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until it's pale and real fluffy — this is what gives you that fine crumb.
- 5
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one goes in, making sure each egg is fully mixed in before you add the next.
- 6
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and lemon extract.
- 7
Now alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture to your butter mixture, starting and ending with flour — do it in three additions of flour and two of milk, mixing on low speed just until combined after each addition.
- 8
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- 9
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, until a toothpick or wooden skewer stuck in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- 10
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack to cool completely before slicing.
Pro Tips
- ★Make sure your butter, eggs, and milk are all at room temperature — cold ingredients will make your batter seize up and give you a tough cake instead of a tender one.
- ★Don't skip that 5-minute beating time when you cream the butter and sugar — that's what puts air in your cake and makes it light despite being dense.
- ★If you want to get fancy, poke holes in the warm cake with a skewer and brush it with a simple glaze made from 1/2 cup powdered sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice.