Moist Lemon Pound Cake

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (163ºC).
2. Coat a thin layer of butter inside the loaf pan, dust all-purpose flour, and toss the pan to remove the excess. Chill it in the fridge until right before use.
3. Leave butter at room temperature to soften it beforehand.
4. (Sift all-purpose flour and baking powder.)
Tips💡
1. I used an 8” by 4” by 3.5"(height) loaf pan. Use a 9" by 4" pan if the height is not as tall to prevent the batter from overflowing in the oven. You can also use 2 smaller loaf pans, mini loaf pans, a bundt pan, etc. Just adjust the baking time and temperature accordingly!
2. By chilling the prepared pan until right before you use it, the coating does not get scratched or slide down as you pour the cake batter inside - You can create more beautiful, even caramelization on the surface of the cake.
Some All-purpose flour, Some Butter
Mix sugar, salt, and lemon zest.
1. Zest lemons.
2. Mix it with granulated sugar and salt.
Tips💡
1. Zest only the yellow part of the lemon skin because the white part inside is pretty bitter.
2. I often like to finish this step at the very beginning and set it aside while weighing other ingredients and working on preparations so that the amazing aroma spreads more in the sugar.
8.5 oz Granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon Salt, 2 lemons Lemon zest
Add soft butter and whip.
1. Add soft butter to the sugar mixture and whip.
2. Scrape off the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to pick up any butter stuck to them. Continue whipping until it gets very fluffy and pale.
8 oz Unsalted butter (soft)
Add eggs and whip.
1. Warm eggs until it doesn't feel anything or are slightly warm when you touch them. (This time, it was 90ºF | 32ºC.)
2. Add eggs little by little (I divided into eight times this time.) and whip it well before you add the next one.
3. Scrape off the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula on the way to ensure it's blended evenly and continue whipping until you add all the eggs.
7 oz Eggs
Add the sifted flour and mix.
Add the sifted all-purpose flour and baking powder and mix well with a rubber spatula until you don't see any flour. Clean the bottom and sides of the bowl on the way to check if the flour is not hiding.
8.5 oz All-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix.
Add sour cream, honey, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and mix with a spatula until evenly incorporated. Clean up the bowl and spatula one last time!
6 oz Sour cream, 1 oz Honey, ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract, 1 oz Lemon juice
Bake the cake.
1. Scoop the cake batter into the prepared pan.
2. As an option, insert melted butter in the middle of the surface using a dough scraper or something similar. By doing that, the cake batter inside cracks open from the line in the oven, creating an elegant look! I inserted 2 times on both the left and right and 1 more time on the middle.
3. Bake at 325ºF (163ºC) for about 60 - 75 minutes. To check if it's done, insert a toothpick in the center and see if it comes out clean. Adjust the time and temperature accordingly depending on the oven, the size of a pan, etc.
4. Wait for 5 - 10 minutes before taking the cake out of the pan.
Tip💡
The cake is very soft right after it's made. Don't remove it from the pan immediately and wait for about five to ten minutes. And meanwhile, let's work on the lemon syrup!
Apply lemon syrup on the surface.
1. Heat water, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan until it starts boiling.
2. Take the hot cake out from a pan carefully and apply the syrup all over the cake with a pastry brush.
3. Let the cake cool before coating the lemon glaze.
Tips💡
1. A hot cake absorbs the syrup a lot better than a cold cake. Brush it while it's still warm!
2. The cake is still soft at this point. Be careful not to hurt the cake when you move it by hand. Treat it like a baby 🐣.
3. You may feel hesitant to apply all the syrup since it's a lot, but please do! The cake tastes more citrusy and moist with the liquids.
4. Let it cool completely before applying the lemon icing. - The final step!
3 oz Water, 1 oz Lemon juice, 2 oz Granulated sugar
Coat lemon glaze on the surface.
1. Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
2. Pour it on top of the cake and coat it all around the cake. Attach pistachios or any decoration you like while the icing is still wet.
3. Bake it at 325ºF (163ºC) for 1 minute to let the icing dry and give it a nice crispiness.
5 oz Powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon Lemon juice, Some Pistachios

Equipment

Ingredients

Pound Cake

Lemon Syrup

Lemon Icing

Additional (Optional)

Instructions

Video

Notes

How to store it:

Nutrition