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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 1/2 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?

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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4.96 from 1553 votes

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
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 10

Ingredients 

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 1/2 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 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp milk

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.

Video

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 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

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
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
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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About Julia Foerster

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.

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1,246 Comments

  1. Perfect recipe for a perfect cake!

    Finally I found the way to make a Starbucks lemon pie, it’s identical and even better!
    Everybody loved it and bagged me to make more.. I used lemon zest from 1.5 lemons and it was exactly lemony the way I wanted. Glaze was also great, just make sure it’s very very thick before you spread it because mine was not so thick and dropped to the sides.
    Thank you for this recipe.

  2. 5 stars
    I just made this recipe and it is AMAZING! I missed having the lemon loaf from Starbucks (I have an egg allergy), so I’m very happy this turned out just as lemony as that cake. I used oil to substitute the eggs, but I think I’ll have to add some cornstarch next time to let it bind together a bit more. Thank you so much! It was wonderful being able to have lemony pastry with my chai again.

  3. 5 stars
    This cake is fantastic and it really is better than Starbucks! It has a gorgeous, soft velvety crumb and slightly crisp sides and bottom – I love that contrast! I really wanted a punch of lemon flavor throughout the cake so I doubled the lemon syrup, and then after the cake had cooled for the requisite 10 minutes I poked holes with my cake tester all over the top and poured the sugar syrup over to soak in, like a tres leches cake. That was the only change I made and it took it a little over the top. Next time I’ll just stick with the amount of syrup as written, but this was made for a friend that is a lemon freak.

  4. 5 stars
    This cake is so delicious with such an awesome lemon zing! I make a lot of baked goodies for breakfast on-the-go in my house. I made this recipe for the first time this week and my picky, breakfast-hating teenage daughter told me it was her favorite thing I’ve ever made her in the morning. She packed up an extra slice to go and munched on it all morning at school.

  5. 4 stars
    Julia:

    I tried this recipe last night and it was very good and extremely close to Starbucks but it wasn’t as moist as theirs. Any suggestions what I could add to it to make it more moist? I took it out of the oven early after reading some of the comments so it definitely wasn’t over cooked. My husband and I really enjoyed it, I’m just still on the search for the perfect, melt in your mouth lemon cake recipe and yours is the closest so far :) Thank you for sharing! I look forward to trying more of your recipes :)

    1. Happy you liked the recipe even though it was not 100% what you were looking for. Did you use the lemon syrup? I find it adds lots of moisture to this already pretty moist cake. Another way to add even more moisture is by using oil instead of butter, but this would require changing the recipe quite a bit. I love the flavor that the butter adds so I prefer to use butter instead of oil. Measuring the flour correctly can also help, cup measurements are not the best for baking because we tend to use too much flour, so you could try using a scale. Overmixing the batter also results in a drier cake. Hope this helps! – Julia

  6. 5 stars
    Made this for the first time and even doubled the recipe to make two loaves. Didn’t put the lemon frosting, but did drizzle with the lemon glaze. Absolutely delicious!

  7. 4 stars
    Hi,
    I tried this recipe today. Amazing taste , very moist everybody loved it thanks !! But I had an issue with the icing, the result wasn’t the same as yours, the icing wasn’t thick enough I tried to add more sugar, but it didn’t want to get thick as on your video. Any advice on that ? Would you help me with European measures ? Thanks a lot <3

    1. Happy that you liked it! Adding more powdered sugar always works for me so I’m not sure what went wrong. Did you start with only adding 1 Tbsp of lemon juice to the powdered sugar as the recipe says? Sometimes depending on your powdered sugar, you might need to use less liquid that’s why I start with only adding half of the liquid and then gradually add the rest. As for the European measurements, you can toggle between US Customary and Metric just below the ingredients. Hope this helps!

      1. In fact, I put the lemon juice and the milk first and then I added gradually the sugar. Was it important to add the lemon juice + the milk (I used semi-skimmed milk) to the sugar and not the other way round? Thanks for your reactivity this helps a lot!

        1. It’s best to always start with all the sugar in a bowl then gradually add the liquid, this way you can stop adding liquid when the desired consistency is reached. Hope this helps! – Julia

          1. 5 stars
            It can also depend on the temperature of your environment. If it’s too warm in your kitchen, it will never thicken up

    1. Cupcakes would work for sure, you just have to reduce the baking time to about 20-30 minutes. I’m not sure about the 9×13 pan, it will probably be not enough batter so you might have to double the recipe and the baking time might be a bit longer too so keep an eye on the cake and test frequently with a toothpick for doneness. Hope this helps!

  8. 5 stars
    This recipe is FANTASTIC. I could honestly sit and eat the whole thing in one sitting.
    I think I am going to try it again as mini loaves to give as gifts. :)
    Thanks for sharing!

  9. 5 stars
    Hello Julia! I just made this amazing recipe a few days ago for my family! It was a major hit! It came out amazingly delicious. Thanks for the recipe and the video helped a lot too! You’re awesome.
    I added double the amount of lemon zest in the recipe, as well as for the icing. We love lemons! lol
    I’m looking forward to trying out more of your recipes!!