Sour Cream Lemon Pound Cake
Light, moist, and citrusy sour cream lemon pound cake, drizzled with a refreshingly delicious lemon glaze. A no-fail sweet treat for summer and all year round!
Pound cake is a Southern classic with lots of variations. You can top it with fresh berries, whipped cream, or a scoop of ice cream. And, depending on the flavor, homemade chocolate syrup.
However, this lemon sour cream pound cake doesn’t need anything. Trust me! It’s sooo moist and melt-in-your-mouth that every time I make it, I always take a minute or two to moan in delight. You’ll get some oohs and aahs for sure!
What Sour Cream Does for Pound Cake
Sour cream provides tang and fat for a moist cake. Plus, the acidity activates the baking soda for a good rise and delays browning for an even golden color on the outside and a perfectly baked interior. All of that together delivers a moist crumb, decadent mouth feel, and the perfect balance between sweet and tart.
How to Make Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Cream butter and sugar, add sour cream, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Gently stir in the flour, baking powder, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the cake batter into a greased bundt pan and bake.
Recipe Notes
- Thoroughly oil your bundt pan. Also, let the pound cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, but try not to leave it too long because it might get sticky.
- Add more glaze if your cake didn’t come out as pretty as you’d like.
- To turn your bundt cake into loaves, divide the batter (10-12 cups) between two 8 “x4” loaf pans.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
Any pound cake is the perfect make-ahead dessert. It lasts 2-3 days at room temperature, up to a week in the fridge, and 3-4 months in the freezer. I love freezing individually wrapped slices for the unexpected guest. Thaw it gently in the microwave while the coffee brews, and you’re good to go.
What Goes With Lemon Pound Cake
Whether pairing it with a cup of coffee or lemongrass tea, this cake is even better with homemade whipped cream. Of course, pineapple ice cream is also fabulous.
More Decadent Pound Cake Recipes to Try
- Sweet Potato Pound Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
- Buttermilk Pound Cake
- Strawberry Pound Cake
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in July 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Sour Cream Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
Pound Cake
- 8 ounces (225g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (170g) sour cream at room temperature
- 5 large eggs
- 2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt (optional)
- 2 teaspoons (10g) baking powder
- 1 medium lemon, juiced and zested (about 3 tablespoons of juice and 1 tablespoon of zest)
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla or almond extract
Lemon Glaze
- 1¾ cups (200g) powdered sugar
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3 tablespoons (45ml) of juice and 1 tablespoon (6g) zest)
- ½ teaspoon (2-3ml) almond extract
- 1-2 teaspoons (5-10g) salted butter
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) water (adjust to desired thickness)
Instructions
Pound Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 10-inch tube pan generously with cooking spray—set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixer until fluffy and looking white (about 5 minutes). Add sour cream and mix for another minute.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition. Sift the flour and baking powder into the batter, then add lime zest and juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Stir well until everything is fully combined, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Pour the cake batter into the greased pan. Tap it on the work surface to eliminate large air bubbles.
- Bake at 325℉ (162℃) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55–60 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool completely before glazing.
Lemon Glaze
- In a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest, almond extract, and melted butter. Adjust the thickness with water if needed for the desired consistency. Gently whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Adjust the glaze's consistency as desired. It should be thick but pourable.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake with a spoon, letting it run down the sides.
Tips & Notes:
- Bring your ingredients to room temperature before starting for easier mixing and better texture.
- Avoid overmixing for the best cake.
- Be sure to cream the butter and sugar until they look white and fluffy before adding the eggs one at a time to create volume in the batter, which usually takes about 5 minutes.
- This cake is somewhat fragile when hot, so take extra care when removing it from the oven and releasing it from the pan. Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, so it has time to firm up before proceeding. Then, let it cool completely before glazing.
- I use a nonstick spray coating to grease the pan. If using a bundt pan, thoroughly grease the indentations because they’re notorious for sticking and making it harder to release your cake.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
I have mistakenly made pound cakes with butter and they came out dry time after time. This recipe is excellent. Thanks, for sharing!
Fantastic! So glad this recipe worked out for you, Julie!
This was good, I assumed you meant lemon zest not lime zest? when making batter, I always put the extract and any other flavoring before folding in the flour in my bakery.
Hi Elizabeth,
Yes it’s lemon zest . Your approach of adding extract and flavoring before folding in the flour is a great technique, as it ensures that the flavors are evenly distributed throughout the batter. Thanks for sharing your baking tip!
Mama’s lemon pound cake
It tastes so nice!
It made the sheriff wanna put down his gun
And cut him a slice
I love this recipe, I was looking to make a cake where I have all the ingredients and this was it. I followed the instructions as is, it came out perfectly. Thank you imma.
I really love this recipe so much so moist I could cook it everyday.
Many thanks.
I followed the recipe and notes and folks now think I’m an expert baker. Thanks Imma. My family, friends, neighbors and Co workers all loved this cake.
Wow! Nice! You are welcome Mbole! 🙂
I used spray oil in my Bundt pan. The cake released with no effort at all.
Thanks for sharing, Janet!