Best Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

Dense, buttery, and sweet. This lemon loaf cake is made with Meyer lemons and topped with a lemon glaze. This is the best Meyer Lemon Pound Cake you’ll ever have!

If you love pound cake as much as I do, be sure to check out some of my other favorites like Chocolate Pound Cake With Chocolate Frosting, Traditional Butter Pound Cake Loaf, Strawberry Donut Pound Cake, or Chocolate Donut Pound Cake.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

• Recipe Name: Best Meyer Lemon Pound Cake
• Ready In: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Makes: 8 slices
• Main Ingredients: salted butter, cane sugar, cake flour, powdered sugar
• Flavor Profile: dense yet tender, with a golden crust and a bright, tangy lemon flavor
• Dietary Info: no seed oils
• Difficulty: Easy!
• Why You’ll Love It: simple, show-stopping treat that’s sure to make your kitchen smell amazing

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Buttery: The best thing about pound cake is the rich buttery flavor. And this is the best Meyer Lemon Pound Cake as it is rich, buttery, and sweet with a slight tart and tangy flavor thanks to the Meyer lemons.
• Perfect Crumb: Pound cake should be dense. It’s part of why I love it so much, and this one is an absolutely perfect texture. This dense and sweet cake pairs perfectly with a cup of tea, glass or milk, or an Iced Blueberry Latte.
• Meyer Lemon: It’s Meyer lemon season, and these lemons are a bit more sweet than traditional lemons. This makes them great for baking and I love the sweeter lemon flavor they provide! But you can also use traditional lemons if you want, which makes this recipe easy to make all year round!
• Make Ahead: This is a great cake recipe to make ahead of time. I always prefer to bake pound cakes in the evening and glaze them the following day. I believe this type of cake is best if it cools completely before glazing and I like this method best. So, this is a great cake to bake ahead of time!

While I love lemon cakes like Lemon Olive Oil Snack Cake With Lemon Frosting, Raspberry Lemon Snack Cake, and Vegan Lemon Chamomile Tea Cake, this Meyer Lemon Pound Cake from scratch is my favorite lemon cake ever! It's rich, buttery, and dense crumb is perfect with a sweet lemon glaze on top. But if you want a less sweet version you can dust it with powdered sugar, top it with Homemade Organic Whipped Cream or even Homemade Blueberry Syrup.

While Meyer lemons have a sweeter flavor than traditional lemons, you can also use traditional lemons, making this cake easy to make year round. But, if you have an excess of Meyer lemons, try out some of my other favorite Meyer lemon recipes like Meyer Lemon Pancakes, Meyer Lemon French Toast, or Meyer Lemon Chicken Wild Rice Soup.

Ingredients

• Butter: Be sure to use a high quality organic butter, this is key ingredient for pound cake.
• Vanilla Extract: My favorite is Simply Organic. Be sure to use a high quality vanilla extract, not imitation.
• Eggs: I use organic large eggs. When you use eggs that are too small (medium in this case) batter can become dry, resulting in a dry cake. Eggs that are too large (extra large in this case) your batter can be too wet and it can sink.
• Cake Flour: I use my Homemade Organic Cake Flour, but store bought also works. Cake flour is key for it's light texture and will result in the perfect crumb.
• Meyer Lemons: If you don't have Meyer lemons or want to make this when they are not in season, you can use regular lemons too. It will have a little different flavor, but it will be just as delicious!

*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.

Baker's Tips for the Best Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

• Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
• Make sure your butter is soft! Pound cake has very few ingredients, so they really matter! And soft butter is key. I prefer to leave butter out on the counter overnight to soften naturally. If you have to microwave it, then only do 10 second intervals per 1/2 cup.
• Use whole milk — always! Whole milk is best for baking as it has the most fat. If you use 2% or skim milk, it has more water (and less fat). And water will actually dry out baked goods. So, this is why whole milk is always best for baking.  
• I use Meyer lemons in this recipe. But you can definitely make it with traditional lemons too! It will have a tarter flavor if you use regular lemons and a sweeter flavor if you use Meyer lemons.
• If you don’t have cake flour, you can easily make your own with my recipe for Homemade Organic Cake Flour.
• I love making this cake ahead of time. I usually bake it in the evening, let it cool overnight, and then glaze it the following day.
• Be sure to store this cake in an airtight container so it stays moist. I prefer to store this in a cake dome, but a Tupperware will also do.

How to Make the Best Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 1-pound loaf pan with parchment paper, letting it fold over the sides for easier removal. To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract.

2. Mix on low until combined and there are no butter chunks. Add in the eggs and mix on low until combined. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix again until combined.

3. Add the milk, cake flour, sea salt, and lemon zest in that order.

4. Mix on low until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure a smooth batter and everything is mixed.

5. Pour the cake batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly.

6. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (Be sure to check the Notes for high altitude baking time.) Allow to cool completely in the cake pan.

7. To make the glaze: In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar and lemon juice.

8. Whisk until combined into a smooth glaze.

9. Spread the glaze over the top of the loaf cake. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe FAQ's

More Lemon Recipes to Try

Vegan Lemon Chamomile Tea Cake

Baked Butter Lemon Pasta Without Cheese

Lemon Herb French Fries

Sourdough Lavender Lemon Bundt Cake