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    Home > Recipes > Cakes & Cupcakes

    Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

    ↓ Jump to Recipe · By: Julia Foerster · Posted: 08/25/17 · Updated: 11/08/18 · This post may contain affiliate links

    219.4K shares
    Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

    This moist Lemon Cake Recipe is fluffy, tangy and so easy to make from scratch! Every bite of this supremely moist pound cake is bursting with fresh lemon flavor and the easy lemon glaze on top will have you hooked after just one bite.

    Two slices of moist lemon cake with lemon glazing lying on a white plate with a fork garnished with two lemon wedges. A wooden cutting board with the rest of the cake is in the background.

    This homemade lemon pound cake tastes even better than the Starbucks Lemon Loaf!

    If you like the Starbucks Lemon Loaf then you’ll love this delicious, moist lemon cake recipe that’s made completely from scratch in less than 10 minutes. It’s one of my favorite afternoon or breakfast treats and it always gets rave reviews, everyone loves it! It’s gone in minutes whenever I make it.

    This batter is made with freshly grated lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. When it the cake comes out of the oven it is infused with a homemade lemon syrup to give it an extra lemon kick, and then after cooling down the pound cake is topped with the most delicious lemon glaze.

    This easy lemon cake is not dry and not fudgy, it’s perfectly moist while still being fluffy and it keeps fresh for a few days! A perfect cake for every occasion. If you like lemon desserts, you have got to give this cake a try!

    A loaf of moist lemon cake on a wooden cutting board, line with parchment paper. Two slices have been cut off and are lying in front of it. Next to it, there\'s half a lemon and two lemon wedges next to it.

    Tips and Tricks for Making This Easy Lemon Cake Recipe

    • You can also make this recipe in a bundt pan. It looks prettier than in a loaf pan but make sure to grease your bundt pan generously so that your cake will come out of the pan.
    • Don’t leave out the lemon zest, that is what gives it the wonderful lemony flavor! I always use organic lemons and my favorite grater that I’ll like below.
    • For the best flavor use freshly squeezed lemon juice! Don’t use the bottled stuff, trust me fresh lemon juice tastes so much better.
    • When you make the lemon glaze for this pound cake don’t add too much liquid. You want the glaze to be nice and thick not runny. Start with 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp milk and add the remaining ½ tbsp as needed.
    • This cake keeps well covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.

    A slice of moist lemon cake with lemon glazing lying on a white plate garnished with two lemon wedges. A fork has taken out a piece of it. There\'s a wooden cutting board and half a lemon in the background.

    Looking for more Lemon Dessert Recipes?

    • Easy Lemon Cream Pie Recipe
    • Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
    • Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
    • Easy Lemon Raspberry Cake
    • Easy Lemon Curd Mousse

    You might have realized by now that I love lemon desserts. My husband even complained that all I do is make lemon desserts … until he tried today’s recipe and demanded more. Bahaha! If you love everything lemon like me check out my whole collection of recipes with lemon there is even a delicious lemon risotto.

    Close-up of a loaf of moist lemon cake on a wooden cutting board, line with parchment paper. Two slices have been cut off and are lying in front of it. Next to it, there are two lemon wedges.

    Tools used for making this Recipe:

    Loaf Pan: I can recommend all the baking pans from this brand! They’re super easy to clean and cakes bake evenly.
    Citrus Zester: This one easily zests the rind without the pith, I really love this tool. It’s perfect for zesting citrus fruits, grating hard cheeses, and ginger.
    Lemon Squeezer: This tool makes it super easy to juice lemons AND limes. It is a 2-in-1 tool that is super sturdy and easy to use. You’ll be amazed at how much juice you’ll get out of a lemon.

    Want to try this Lemon Loaf Recipe?

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    A loaf of moist lemon cake on a wooden cutting board, line with parchment paper. Two slices have been cut off and are lying in front of it. Next to it, there's half a lemon and two white plates.
    Servings: 10

    Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

    This moist Lemon Cake Recipe is fluffy, tangy and so easy to make from scratch! Every bite of this supremely moist pound cake is bursting with lemon flavor. If you like the Starbucks Lemon Loaf then you'll love this homemade lemon pound cake!
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Course: Baking
    Cuisine: American
    Calories: 306kcal
    Author: Julia Foerster
    4.96 from 1276 votes
    Print PIN RECIPE Rate

    Ingredients

    Cups - Metric

    For the lemon pound cake:

    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
    • 1 Tbsp lemon zest
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs, room temperature
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp lemon juice, about ½ lemon
    • ½ cup buttermilk, see below for substitution

    For the lemon syrup:

    • ¼ cup lemon juice, about 1 lemon
    • 3 Tbsp powdered sugar

    For the lemon icing:

    • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
    • 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 Tbsp milk
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9x5-inch (or 8x4-inch) loaf pan (see note).
    • In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using an electric mixer), cream the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4-6 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
    • With the mixer running on low-speed, add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat on medium-high speed until combined.
    • With the mixer on low, add about one-third of the flour mixture and mix until almost combined, then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat with another third of flour mixture and then the last half of the buttermilk, ending with the last third of the flour. Beat until just incorporated.
    • Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly clean with only a couple moist crumbs. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours.
    • Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Stir together the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar for the lemon syrup. Carefully invert the loaf pan, and transfer the cake to a cooling rack, then brush the syrup on the cake while it’s still warm. Allow cake to cool completely.
    • When the cake is cooled, combine all the icing ingredients, start with 1 tbsp lemon juice and milk and add the remaining lemon juice as needed. The icing should be thick and not runny. Pour icing over cake and let dry before serving.

    Notes

    • If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own by combining ½ cup of milk with 1.5 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until it starts to curdle.
    • The longer you beat the sugar and butter, the better the result will be because this process incorporates air into the batter and makes the cake fluffy and tender
    • I recommend using fresh lemon juice but you can also use bottled lemon juice
    • This cake would also taste great with lime juice or orange juice
    • Some readers have commented that their cake stuck to the pan. If you're unsure how well your cake pans perform, line the pan with parchment paper. In my experience, this cake always comes out of the pan easily if it is greased well. I use these OXO cake pans (affiliate link).

    Nutrition Information

    Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 144mg | Potassium: 98mg | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1.1mg
    Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Share it on Instagram and tag @platedcravings or #platedcravings!
    Nutrition Facts
    Moist Lemon Cake Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 306 Calories from Fat 90
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 10g15%
    Saturated Fat 6g30%
    Cholesterol 58mg19%
    Sodium 144mg6%
    Potassium 98mg3%
    Carbohydrates 49g16%
    Sugar 34g38%
    Protein 3g6%
    Vitamin A 350IU7%
    Vitamin C 0.9mg1%
    Calcium 48mg5%
    Iron 1.1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cyndee says

      September 26, 2023 at 3:12 pm

      5 stars
      This cake is light, buttery and just very good. Thanks for sharing

      Reply
    2. MyTien Lazzarotto says

      September 26, 2023 at 1:35 am

      5 stars
      Hi Julia,
      My cake came out delicious, however, half of the top was dense and half at the bottom was moist and spongy. What did I do wrong please? Was it because the beating time of butter and sugar not long enough? I also cut down the amount of sugar to half a cup and it tasted fine.

      Reply
      • Julia Foerster says

        September 26, 2023 at 10:25 am

        Cutting down the sugar by 50% will definitely change the texture of the cake. I’m glad it still tasted delicious.

        Reply
    3. Constance says

      September 15, 2023 at 7:55 pm

      You mention ‘lemon syrup’ and how to make it in the ingredients, but you never say when to incorporated in the recipe. Is your lemon syrup and lemon liquid the same thing?

      Reply
      • Julia Foerster says

        September 26, 2023 at 10:29 am

        The lemon syrup is made and used in step 7.

        Reply
    4. jose says

      September 15, 2023 at 7:37 pm

      5 stars
      heaven!!!

      Reply
    5. Alexander Gross says

      September 12, 2023 at 10:03 am

      5 stars
      Such a tasty treat, people at work Loved it. Do you think it will work in a Bundt cake pan?

      Reply
      • Sharon says

        September 23, 2023 at 12:53 am

        I always make it in a bundt pan and it comes out perfect. It looks pretty too.

        Reply
    6. Lisa says

      September 03, 2023 at 7:19 pm

      Mine was too tart. Next time i’ll either cut back on the lemon zest or the lemon juice. The cake was super light which i loved but just too tart and I usually love lemon desserts.

      Reply
    7. Sharon Prentice says

      September 02, 2023 at 6:04 pm

      5 stars
      I made this today and while it is delicious and so moist, mine did not rise very much. My baking powder is new. Please advise.

      Reply
    8. Briana says

      August 29, 2023 at 10:27 pm

      5 stars
      I’m not usually a lemon lover, but this was perfect for dessert on a very hot day! This recipe is very moist and light/airy. I didn’t have any lemons for zest so I used extra lemon juice, and made buttermilk with lemon juice and coconut milk, so I was worried it would come out funny, but it was perfect. Excited to try this again with the zest and buttermilk to compare!

      Reply
    9. Al says

      August 27, 2023 at 3:36 pm

      5 stars
      First time making a lemon cake. Moist, so light, lemony. Delicious!

      Reply
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    Julia Foerster from Plated Cravings

    Hi, I'm Julia! Born in Germany, I call Canada now my home and love to share my favorite dishes with you! Here you'll find hundreds of recipes, all made from scratch with lots of tips and detailed step-by-step instructions. ➝ Visit my about page and ➝ subscribe to never miss a new recipe!

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