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.
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!
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 1/2 tbsp as needed.
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This cake keeps well covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
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.
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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Moist Lemon Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the lemon pound cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice, about 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, see below for substitution
For the lemon syrup:
- 1/4 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
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9x5-inch (or 8x4-inch) loaf pan.
- 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 1/2 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 incorporated air into the batter and make the cake fluffy and tender
- I recommend using fresh lemon juice but you can also bottled lemon juice
- This cake would also taste great with lime juice or orange juice
Nutrition Information
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If you’ve tried this or any other of my recipes, don’t forget to rate the recipe and to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you!
Margarite says
Recently moved to CO (5300 ft. altitude). Does anyone have recommendations for adjustments for baking at this high altitude? I’ve made this many times when we lived in the Midwest – it was a real favorite.
Cynthia Lee says
Tried this recipe for the first time. Very lemony. Liked the texture. Great recipe. Thank you.
Michele says
Very very good…and my dinner party loved it. Will be making again.
SJ says
My family LOVES this cake!!!!!!
It is now in permanent holiday rotation.
Violet from Ojai, California says
Thank you, Julia, for the best lemon cake I have ever made or tasted! I used a bundt pan, but next time I will use a loaf pan, as the all-important lemon syrup can be distributed more evenly. I will also brush the syrup over the cake. Can’t wait to gift friends with this cake over the holidays.
Aarti says
Will this recipe turn out the same if I use a 9 inch baking pan instead of a loaf pan?
Julia Foerster says
Cooking time will change and you might have to double the recipe to have enough batter for the pan.
Erin says
This was really good! Mine came out a little drier than expected. Any tips on making the cake as moist as the Starbucks loaf?
Pearl says
I just made this at around 2AM coz I’m craving for it 😂 And it turned out so well! I love this recipe ❤️❤️❤️ So easy to make and super yummy! Will try your other recipes as well *hugs* 😘
Gwen Brent says
I would like to make this for THANKSGIVING, which is almost a week away. Can you refrigerate or freeze this cake?
Julia Foerster says
You can freeze it after it has cooled down completely. Let it defrost on the counter overnight and put the icing on when it is thawed.
Maeve says
Mine turned out very dry
Millie says
This looks great! Any idea how long it lasts before going bad? And would you store it on the counter or in the fridge?
Julia Foerster says
This cake keeps well covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. Check out the tips section of the post it answers a lot of questions!
Steffi says
Hi! I’d like to make this for my son who’s less than a year old so I’d love for it to be without salt and sugar. Will that be possible?
Julia Foerster says
Sadly this cake won’t be the same without sugar, so I don’t recommend it.
Steffi says
Aww. :( Thank you so much for replying. Will have to make it for the adults then!
Ivanka says
My Son and I made this cake for my brothers birthday as he loves lemon cakes! It was absolutely delicious , we all loved it and easy to make .
Nichole Fisher says
I made this tonight and it’s a great tasting recipe. For some reason mine didn’t rise in the center. Do you have any idea what I may have done wrong? Either way it’s delicious and I’ll be making it again and again. Hopefully I’ll get it right next time. Thank you for a easy and delicious recipe.
Alice Cheelo says
Third time making it. Hubs likes it alot and so do the children.
Fel says
Absolutely delicious. I switched out the buttermilk for yogurt (cos that’s all I had available). Reduced the sugar cos I prefer my cakes less sweet. But it still turned out great.
Fio says
Can I ask how much sugar you used? I’d also like to reduce it – but I’m not sure how much less I can get away with :)
Ann C.G says
Just had a goal again because I have to take a cake to my ladies meeting tomorrow. In oven as we speak. In the afternoon after it cracked in the middle but the taste was great!!
This evening I have made another mistake,I forgot to add the lemon Zest🙄😔. But with the little lemon in it ,Iam sure it will be just lemony I hope!
Mary Jane says
I made this last night and it was so delicious. My family all loved it. I followed the recipe without changing anything. This recipe will be on my regular rotation list.
Racheal says
Interesting I want to try and bake
Evelyn Gold Fisher says
Can this be frozen?
Julia Foerster says
Yes.
sophia says
Always returning to this recipe 10 stars !!!!!!!
Susan says
Can’t stop making this cake. Is a hit with all ! Absolutely marvelous!
Kristin S says
Great recipe! Moist yet light.
Audrey says
Wow , this is too good , I substituted gluten-free flour and it still is deliciously moist !
Ann says
It tastes really delicious! Tried it this afternoon but I made a mistake and its all my making,poured the lemon liquid too soon and it made the cake too soft and it just Coul not hold together. However, the taste was absolutely great!! Easy to make too!!
Anita says
Thanks for sharing.
Nelly says
I made this cake for the second time, it is so delicious but it collapsed at the middle, what is it that I am doing wrong. Thank you!