Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake is a classic pound cake recipe with the addition of fresh lemon! Buttermilk gives this Lemon Pound Cake a wonderful texture and everyone loves the bright flavor of the lemon glaze. It’s the perfect buttermilk pound cake recipe!
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Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake is one of the most incredible lemon cakes I have ever tried! I served it with sliced sweetened strawberries on top and everyone raved – even my husband who doesn’t quite share my fondness for lemon desserts. It is gorgeous too, especially if you make it in a bundt pan as shown in the pictures.
How to make our Buttermilk Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
I used to really struggle with making bundt cakes, until I learned a few tricks! Now they’re one of my favorite types of cakes to make because not only are they really easy, but they’re so pretty. Here’s what I do:
- Use a high quality bundt cake pan. Not all bundt cake pans are the same! You want a heavy one and I prefer a classic shape, as opposed to the super fancy pans. They’re just easier as you don’t have to worry about heavily greasing a million facets. I love my “Original Nordic Ware Pro 12 Cup Bundt Cake Pan.”
- Grease the bundt cake pan well. You can spray with non-stick spray and then flour the pan, you can grease it by hand with shortening or butter. Or you can take a short cut and use the non-stick spray specifically for baking– it’s the BEST! Since I’ve started using this on my bundt cake pan I haven’t had a single issue with sticking. You can find it on the baking aisle of nearly every major grocery store. I know that Wilton also makes a “Cake Release” product but I haven’t tried it. I imagine it works well too!
- Fully cook and then fully cool your bundt cake. Releasing the cake from the bundt cake pan is more difficult if you’ve undercooked your cake AND if you’re trying to get the cake out of the pan before cooling it enough. If you’re not sure if you cake is fully cooked, you can always test the internal temperature. It should read 210 degrees F. Once it’s perfectly baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes. I prefer a cooling rack over cooling cakes on hot pads because cooling racks allow air to circulate better around the entire cake, so it cools faster. You cake shouldn’t be cold, but it should be cool enough to handle. Place a plate on top of the cake, facing down, then overturn the entire cake. The cake should release on to the plate.
- Bake pound cakes a day in advance! Pound cakes really taste better a day or two after they’re baked, so if you have time, bake them, release them from the pan and then cover them in an airtight container and let the flavors develop. Then, prior to serving, drizzle with glaze or frost as you’d like and serve.
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Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake ingredients
Here’s what you need to make our Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake:
–2 1/2 cups white sugar
–1 1/2 cups butter, softened
–4 eggs
–3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
–1/2 teaspoon salt
–1/2 teaspoon baking soda
–1 cup buttermilk
–2 TBSP lemon juice
–1 TBSP lemon zest
To make the Lemon Glaze:
–2 cups powdered sugar
–2 TBSP softened butter
–2 TBSP lemon juice
–2 tsp lemon zest + more for garnish on top (about 1 TBSP total)
–1 TBSP milk
How to make Lemon Pound Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. (I’ve also made pound cake in a bread pan and it turned out beautifully! It needs to be a large one like this Norpro 12″ Bread pan though.)
- Beat white sugar and 1 1/2 cups butter together in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, thoroughly beating each egg into the butter mixture before adding the next.
- Combine flour, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture; mix well. Pour in 1/2 the buttermilk and beat until combined. Repeat adding the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, beating well after each addition, and ending with the flour mixture. Stir lemon juice and zest into batter. Batter should be very smooth and have a silky texture- almost as if it was whipped. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for 70-75 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cake platter or plate.
- To make glaze, beat powdered sugar, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons butter and lemon zest together in a bowl until glaze is smooth. Once cake has fully cooled, pour the glaze over the cake, letting some drizzle down the sides and into the center. Top with additional lemon zest, if desired.
If you enjoyed this Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake, you’ll love these other popular cake recipes:
- Mandarin Orange Cake with Pineapple Frosting
- Raspberry Cream Cake
- Easy Homemade Vanilla Cake
- Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake
- Buttermilk Banana Cake
LEMON BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups butter softened
- 4 eggs
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 TBSP lemon juice
- 1 TBSP lemon zest
Lemon Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 TBSP softened butter
- 2 TBSP lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest + more for garnish on top about 1 TBSP total
- 1 TBSP milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan.
- Beat white sugar and 1 1/2 cups butter together in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, thoroughly beating each egg into the butter mixture before adding the next.
- Combine flour, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture; mix well. Pour in 1/2 the buttermilk and beat until combined. Repeat adding the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, beating well after each addition, and ending with the flour mixture. Stir lemon juice and zest into batter. Batter should be very smooth and have a silky texture- almost as if it was whipped. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for 70-75 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cake platter or plate.
How to make Lemon Glaze:
- Whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons soft butter, lemon and lemon zest together in a bowl until glaze is smooth. Once cake has fully cooled, pour the glaze over the cake, letting some drizzle down the sides and into the center. Top with additional lemon zest, if desired.
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Carla N West says
Lemon buttermilk pound cake is delicious. I used only one cup of sugar and one and a half cup of Trivia. It turned out perfect!
Jessica says
So glad you liked it Carla!
Sharon says
Did you mean Truvia?
Veleyne Amsterdam says
I will make this tomorrow for the office staff.
Jessica says
I hope everyone likes it!
Matina says
So no vanilla or lemon extract
Alison says
Nope!
Doris Jackson says
Best cake I ever baked, thanks for the recipe. The cake was very moist with a great texture. My whole family love it , it only lasted one day in my house. So thanks again for a fantastic recipe.
Rosa says
Hello this is Rosa, I have a question do your lemon cake batter suppose to taste lemon
Manila Spoon says
I love citrus cakes, I’m such a huge fan so this lemony cake is totally right up my alley! Looks luscious!
Liz says
Such wonderful tips! I am a huge fan of pound cakes and this lemon version is fabulous!!!
Celeste says
Delicious and easy. Definitely a cake I’ll make again.
Jessica says
I’m so glad you liked it Celeste!
Barbara Kidwell says
THANK U FOR OFFERYTHR RECIPES
BARBARA KIDWELL
Jessica says
You’re most welcome Barbara!
Donna Easter says
I have made this about 4 times already and it was awesome!
The last time I made it I added Blueberries and it was wonderful! Got many raves !
Making another one as we speak…
Jessica says
Such a great idea to add blueberries Donna! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
Sharon Warren says
I have baked as long as I can remember and you can count on one hand the failures I have had, this Lemon pound cake was a complete failure for it did not get done in 75 minutes, it had raw spots inside.
Of course I did not know this til it was frosted and I cute into it.
Oh my goodness what a disappointment and a huge waste of ingredients.
I would be afraid to try it again.
Jessica says
Not sure what happened Sharon- I’ve made this multiple times over the years and I’ve gotten comments from others that it worked out well. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. What type of bundt pan did you use? For bundt cakes to cook evenly you’ll need a heavy bundt pan- so that the heat distributes evenly.
marcia lewis says
great recipe
Kathleen says
I made this lemon buttermilk poundcake. Wow it turned out so good. My friend I made it for said it was so moist and very tasty.
Alison says
What a lucky friend you have! Thank you for sharing!
Linda says
Does the cake need to be refrigerated once it is glazed? I have two in the oven now
Jessica says
No need to refrigerate Linda! Hope you like it!
Lorena says
I live in Mexico, it’s difficult to me to found buttermilk, Can I use another ingredient?
Alison says
Lorena, You can use regular milk and lemon juice or vinegar! For every cup of buttermilk needed use one tablespoon of either white vinegar or lemon juice and then fill the rest of the cup up with regular milk! Good luck!
Elizabeth Hopkins says
Made the Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake recipe…twice! Once WITH lemon and once WITHOUT. Glazed the lemon version and it was absolutely delicious! The plain one was also just as delicious! Loved the texture and oh! so moist! I must confess that I added 1-1/2 TB each of Vanilla & Creme Bouquet to both cakes. I always “tweak” recipes, to make them more mine!
Alison says
Elizabeth, I love a good recipe tweak! Thanks for sharing!
kristie says
Gorgeous looking cake! pinned.
Alison says
Kristie, Thank you! It’s one of my favorites, hope you enjoy it!
JoJo says
Absolutely delicious! I’m sooo mad I forgot to take a picture of my finished cake!
Patricia Dean-Robertson says
Loved this Lemon Buttermilk Pound. Definitely will be trying this cake again
Alison says
Thanks so much Patricia! Enjoy!
Amy says
I’d like to try this with smaller bundts. Do u have a suggested cooking time for this recipe using small 6 inch bundts?
Jessica says
There are several types of smaller bundt pans- I’d recommend cooking for 15 minutes then checking the cakes in 5 minute intervals after that.