This Perfect Lemon Pound Cake is the ultimate no-fail Spring dessert recipe that’s moist and tender and made with fresh lemons!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- zest of 2 large lemons
- 5 eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream (full fat)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a loaf pan with butter and add a piece of parchment paper along the bottom and up two of the sides for easy removal. Grease the parchment paper as well, just to be sure nothing will stick.
- Add the butter to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on high speed until the butter is pale in colour (about 4 minutes).
- Add the sugar and beat on high speed until the mixture is extra light and fluffy (about 7-10 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl every few minutes). The mixture should turn a pale yellow colour and be quite fluffy after 7 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one or two at a time and continue beating on high speed after they’ve all been added to incorporate even more air into the batter.
- Add the sour cream and the vanilla to the bowl and beat for another minute or so, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Add the lemon zest and beat on high speed until combined.
- Add the flour and salt to the mixing bowl and fold it into the wet ingredients by hand using a rubber spatula. Be sure to do this carefully so you don’t deflate the batter as the flour is incorporated. Folding requires that you scrape the bottom of the bowl and use an “up and over” motion. Do not stir, as this will break the air bubbles you’ve created by beating the ingredients up until this point. This cake contains no leavening agent, so the bubbles in the batter are what will keep it from sinking in the middle as it bakes.
- Carefully scrape the batter into the loaf pan you’ve prepared.
- Bake for 65-75 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. After 65 minutes, test the cake by gently inserting a wooden skewer in the centre. If it comes out clean, it’s done! If not, return the cake to the oven for another 5 minutes and test again.
- When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest in the pan for about 10 minutes.
- Remove it from the loaf pan using the parchment paper to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
