Glazed Lemon Pound Cake Loaf

By Rachel // March 30, 2020 // 14 comments // Share

Moist homemade lemon pound cake loaf with a tart lemon glaze. This simple treat is bursting with flavor! A fun addition to any breakfast, brunch or dessert!

I hope everyone is doing their best to find a new normal in this unusual and scary time. It’s an adjustment for everyone. I’m doing my best to keep my own family and children on a regular schedule of activities and things to expect, even as simple as the kids still having chores and writing what we’re having for dinner on our refrigerator white board. If you haven’t been one to meal plan, I highly recommend starting now. Based on what you have on hand, figure out meals for a week or two. Stretch things as far as you can, so you don’t have to go out as much. I would always do rough plans prior to grocery shopping. Now, it’s even more important to really think about what’s on hand and what you can make with it all. Instead of a list of options, I’ve added dinner plans to my calendar, which is still flexible and can be shifted around… but it’s super helpful. I realize this will work for some and not for others, and that’s totally okay! Find what works for you and your family.

A fun thing we decided to do as a family is watch movie series. It started out with us planning to watch the entire Marvel series, because we had just enough nights before our first tentative date to return to school. That’s been pushed back now, as I’m sure it has for everyone else as well. We’ve come up with a range of other possibilities… Harry Potter, Back to the Future, Fast and the Furious, Fantastic Beasts… just to name a few. If you have younger kids, you could do a whole Disney related movie series. Mine are a bit older so we’ve ruled that out, but I’m sure the live version of Aladdin will make an appearance in the coming weeks. It became a fast favorite here.

What are you doing to keep things normal and/or fun?

Being in the kitchen and making food is always comforting. Even as children, most of us have memories of soup and other comfort food in times of sickness or sadness. Add to that… baking. How many of us have memories of baking cookies, whether from scratch or slice and bake, straight from a tube. We like to be in the kitchen and making food for ourselves and our loved ones at special times…good and bad.

I fully understand that some items are hard to find for many right now. If this recipe doesn’t fit what you have or can find right now, that’s okay! Save this for when you do have ingredients. It’s 100% worth the wait. And is an absolute must make! Of course, if you happen to have access to all of the ingredients right now, make this right now. Drop what you’re doing, gather the ingredients together and get to baking. You’ll be so glad you did!

If you’ve ever tried Starbucks lemon loaf and fell in love… now you can have it at home! PS… it’s also SO much cheaper to make yourself vs buying a single slice. And just think… an entire loaf to yourself! Okay… or to share with family. They’ll be fighting you for a slice when they realize how amazing it is.

This lemon pound cake loaf recipe is not only easy, but the end result is amazing! Perfectly moist and packed full of tart lemon flavor. Don’t skip the glaze! It has the most amazing pop of flavor. I always save this part for last. Savor the best part. A little bit of lemon loaf, and extra glaze. So good. And seriously irresistible!

Be sure to add this moist lemon pound cake loaf to your baking plans asap! It’s perfect for breakfast or dessert!

Tips tricks and questions answered…

Can I make cream cheese frosting instead?
Absolutely! Follow the directions for this lemon cream cheese frosting recipe. You will have extra frosting if using for a single loaf.

Can I make this into a cake instead?
This recipe was written specifically for a loaf pan and has not been tested in other pans. I have recipes for lemon cake, cupcakes and muffins. Each of those would be better suited if you don’t want to make a loaf.

Can I use a different flour?
If you don’t have access to all purpose flour, you can typically substitute whole wheat white flour 1:1 with all purpose. The same applies with certain gluten free flours which state substitutions of a 1:1. Any other variety may need some adjustments with the flour amount used.

Can I use bottled lemon juice?
Yes! Fresh is best but if you don’t have access to it, bottled lemon juice will absolutely work.

Can I make substitutions to the ingredients?
Yes and no. Baking is a science. This recipe works with the exact measurements listed. Altering one or several of those can cause the recipe to fail. If you’re familiar with baking substitutions, go for it! Outside of any alterations I’ve already mentioned, for specific substitution questions, ask in the comments below.

How many will this serve?
This recipe will serve 8-12 depending on how thick you slice it. If you want to stretch it even further, you can cut each slice in half, serving up to 16-24.

How should this be stored?
Store at room temperature for up to several days in an airtight container. It may also be stored in the refrigerator and eaten chilled or brought to room temperature prior to serving.

What size pan should I use?
A 1lb loaf pan or roughly 9×5.

Can I skip the glaze?
Absolutely. While the glaze adds a nice pop of tart lemon flavor, it can be skipped if you prefer.

Print Recipe

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake Loaf

Moist homemade lemon pound cake loaf with a tart lemon glaze. This simple treat is bursting with flavor! A fun addition to any breakfast, brunch or dessert!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cake, Lemon

Servings: 8

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3/4 C unsalted butter softened
• 1 1/4 C granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract optional
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 C all purpose flour
• 1/4 C lemon juice freshly squeezed, roughly 1 lemon
• 1/4 C sour cream

Glaze:

• 1 C powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 1lb loaf pan (9x5-inches) with baking spray (*see notes) or butter and coat lightly with flour. Line prepared pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides. Set aside.
• In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in one egg at a time, scraping bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla, optional lemon extract, lemon zest, baking powder and salt. Alternate additions of flour, lemon juice and sour cream until fully combined and no streaks remain.
• Carefully pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Use an offset spatula to level off the top.
• Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake for an additional 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
• Cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Using parchment overhang, carefully pull up and outwards. Transfer loaf to a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, remove loaf from parchment paper. Allow loaf to rest on a wire rack placed on top of a large baking sheet. This will catch any glaze that drips.
• Prepare glaze. In a medium bowl, beat together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Slowly pour or spoon glaze over the top of the loaf cake. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the glaze and spread evenly. Allow loaf cake to rest until glaze has set completely.
• Slice and store remaining slices in an airtight container for up to several days.

Notes

Recipe yields 1 9x5-inch loaf, serving 8-12.

*Use spray meant for baking. This will include flour. Do not use cooking spray or olive oil.

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

More recipes perfect for spring:

• Carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
• Lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting
• Lemon curd blondie bars
• Carrot cake cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting
• Lemon crumb muffins with lemon glaze
• Soft and chewy lemon sugar cookies
• Applesauce carrot cake muffins
• Lemon meringue cupcakes with lemon curd filling
• Raspberry lemon sticky buns with lemon glaze

Items used in this recipe:

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