Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe

This lemon sour cream pound cake is a riff on a family favorite recipe. Here I incorporate lemon zest and juice for some extra pizzazz, a hint of cardamom to play off the lemon flavor and give the cake some added dimension, and then top it with a lemon glaze for an extra burst of citrus.

What I think sets this recipe apart from others is the addition of ground cardamom to the batter. It adds a wonderful fragrance and a citrusy flavor of its own to complement the lemon nicely. If you don’t have any in your pantry, then feel free to either omit it from the recipe or add another baking spice of your choosing, like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cloves.

I like to use parchment paper for lining the loaf pan for super easy removal. But if you don’t have any in your kitchen for whatever reason (although I find it invaluable and think you should always have some in stock), then you can butter and flour the pan as well. To do so, simply rub butter all over the inside of the pan to coat it in a thin layer, put some flour in the pan, move it around so that flour comes in contact with all of the butter, and then dump out any excess.

Look at this beauty! This cake is wonderful naked if you want to go without the added sugar, but I like topping it with a simple lemon glaze for even more citrus flavor. Who can say no to that?

Quick note about pan sizes: The first time I made this cake was in an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan, which was slightly too small. Thankfully there were no issues since the added height from the parchment paper lining kept the batter in place as the cake rose in the oven, but a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan is definitely the way to go.

More Cake Recipes:

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake
Pumpkin Cake
Coconut Cake
Orange Bundt Cake

Yield: One 9-inch loaf

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

This recipe yields a deliciously moist pound cake that you are sure to love. The lemon adds a nice burst of brightness to balance the sweetness of the cake.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper; set aside. (Alternatively, you could butter and flour the pan if you don't have parchment paper.)
2. Beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest in a stand mixer (or with an electric mixer) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.
3. Turn down the speed of the mixer to low. Add in the eggs 1 at a time until fully incorporated. Then add the vanilla extract.
4. Sift together the flour, cardamom, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Still on low speed, add in half of the dry ingredients to the egg-butter mixture, then the sour cream and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix until just about fully incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to finish mixing by hand to avoid over-mixing and ensure there aren’t any hidden clumps of flour. (FYI—The batter will be fairly thick.)
5. Pour in the cake batter in the prepared pan and bake for until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes in the pan before glazing.
6. For the glaze, mix the powdered sugar with 4 teaspoons lemon juice. Remove the cake from the pan and drizzle with glaze; let finish cooling completely before serving.

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  9-by-5-inch loaf pan