Velvety-Soft Lemon Pound Cake with Candied Lemon

This recipe takes the classic lemon pound cake and kicks it up a notch with a super-soft and moist crumb that’s packed full of tart and fresh lemon flavour, a thick lemon frosting, and beautiful jewel-like candied lemon slices.

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This recipe was featured as the Level 2 lemon pound cake in this video. In the video I made a separate lemon syrup to soak the cake, but if you make candied lemon slices to decorate the cake you can skip doing that and just use the syrup they were cooked in. If you’re decorating with candied lemon slices I also recommend cutting each one into a half-moon shape and not overlapping them so it’s easier to slice your cake. Lesson learned (if you watch the video, you’ll see what I mean!)

Key Ingredients for Velvety-Soft Lemon Pound Cake

• Egg yolks offer a rich and tender crumb, and intensify its beautiful yellow colour. Use yolks from large eggs. Separate your eggs while they’re cold, but let the yolks come up to room temperature before mixing them into the batter for the best texture.
• Sour cream adds tenderness and richness to the cake. Use full-fat sour cream for the best flavour and texture.
• Vanilla extract rounds out the flavours in the cake. Use real vanilla extract if you can, but if budget is a concern artificial vanilla will do just fine in this cake because it’s already full of strong lemon flavour!
• Lemons are the flavour backbone of this cake, and you’ll use both the juice and zest to choose nice firm lemons with a bright yellow skin.
• Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose, which will give your cake a beautiful tender crumb that would rival anything you’d find at a bakery. If you don’t have cake flour you can swap it out with 125 grams of all-purpose flour + 25 grams of corn starch.
• Butter adds richness and structure to the cake. I recommend using unsalted butter so you can control the salt content in the recipe, but you can use salted butter instead by reducing or omitting the salt called for in the recipe.

If you’re a big fan of lemon desserts like I am, you should also try my Classic Lemon Pound Cake, and if you’re into unique flavours and presentation, you’ll love my Gourmet Lemon Bundt Cake with Preserved Lemon recipe. If you also make sourdough and have a big love of all things lemon, try my Sourdough Blueberry Lemon Muffins or My Best Sourdough Discard Blueberry Scones with Lemon.

Velvety-Soft Lemon Pound Cake

Moist and tender lemon pound cake with a subtle tang from sour cream, a bright lemony flavour, and a soft and thick glaze that's practically a frosting! Optionally tpped with beautiful candied lemon slices, this bakery-quality loaf cake is a real showstopper for your Easter table, summer picnic, or for any occasion!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Candied Lemons 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings: 12 slices

Course: Afternoon Tea, Brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

Candied Lemon Slices (see Note #2)

• 1 lemon
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 200 g water

Cake

• 4 large egg yolks room temperature
• 120 g sour cream divided; full fat and at room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 145 g granulated sugar
• zest of 2 lemons save the juice for the glaze
• 150 g cake flour see note #3
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 135 g unsalted butter room temperature
• 20 g lemon juice

Lemon Glaze

• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter melted
• 120 g powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus more if needed (see note #4)

Equipment

• 1 small loaf pan around 4" x 8" x 3" (mine was 3.75" x 7.75" x 2.5"). See Note #1.

Method

 

Candied Lemon Slices

1. Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Slice 1 lemon into slices about ⅛" (3 mm) thick. Place them in a small saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 1-2 minutes and then drain. This step helps to remove bitterness and help the lemon slices retain their bright yellow colour.
2. Add 200 g granulated sugar and 200 g water to a large, shallow pan. Bring to a boil just until the sugar dissolves, then lower the heat to medium-low. Carefully arrange the lemon slices in a single layer if you can.
3. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the slices are translucent and the sugar syrup is foamy or bubbling with thick bubbles. Keep an eye on the simmering lemons regularly. If all of the water from the sugar syrup boils off the sugar will start to caramellize and could quickly burn, so don't walk away from it.
4. Carefully remove the lemon slices from the syrup and arrange them in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Leave them to cool completely. Pour the syrup out into a container to save for later.
5. You can make these up to 1 week in advance, stored at room temperature on a baking sheet. The leftover syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Spray the loaf pan with baking spray and line it with a rectangle of parchment paper overhanging the long sides of the pan (this makes it super easy to remove the cake later).
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 4 large egg yolks, 120 g sour cream, and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract.
3. Add 145 g granulated sugar and the zest of 2 lemons in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until it's very fragrant and resembles damp sand.
4. Add 150 g cake flour, 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt to the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until combined.
5. Add 135 g unsalted butter, and mix on low speed first until the butter is broken up and is starting to get incorporated with the dry ingredients. Gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-high and keep going until the mixture is uniformly pale yellow and crumbly.
6. Add the egg yolk mixture, and beat on medium speed until completely combined.
7. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan, and smooth out the top. Bake until the top is slightly domed and golden brown with some cracks, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or with a few crumbs clinging to it).
8. While the cake is still hot and in the pan, use a toothpick to poke holes all over the top. Brush about two thirds of the leftover syrup from the candied lemon slices over the top. If the syrup has thickened up, just microwave it for 30-45 seconds to loosen it up before brushing it on.
9. Leave the cake to cool for around 10 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment sling to lift the cake out of the pan and onto a wire rack.
10. While the cake is still warm, brush the remaining syrup on the sides. Leave the cake to cool completely.

Lemon Glaze

1. Make the glaze only after the cake has cooled down completely. Melt 1 teaspoon unsalted butter in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds. In a small mixing bowl whisk together 20 g lemon juice, 120 g powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and the melted butter, until nice and smooth. If it's too thick to whisk smoothly, add more lemon just a little bit at a time until it comes together. Aim for a nice thick consistency (almost like frosting) to support the candied lemon slices. Use immediately.

Assemble

1. Spread the lemon glaze in a thick layer all over the top of the cake. Cut the candied lemon slices into half-moon shapes. Pick out the best ones and arrange them in a line over the top of the cake. I recommend not overlapping the lemon slices to make slicing the cake much easier. Slice and enjoy! The cake will keep covered at room temperature for a few days.

Video

Notes

1. You can use a different sized loaf pan, but bear in mind the proportions of your cake and your bake time will be different too. I don’t recommend using a wildly different loaf pan size though. The batter may not fit in the pan, or it might bake too thin. This is the loaf pan I used, and I highly recommend it. Fat Daddio cake pans are the best!
2. Make the candied lemon slices up to a couple days ahead, and save the cooking syrup for brushing onto the cake. If the syrup thickens after it cools, just microwave it for 30-45 seconds to loosen it up again. If you’re not making candied lemon slices, you can make a lemon simple syrup from scratch by bringing 50 grams of lemon juice and 50 grams of granulated sugar to a boil, just until the sugar dissolves.
3. Cake flour can also be called pastry flour. If you can’t find cake or pastry flour, you can swap it out with 125 grams of all-purpose flour + 25 grams of corn starch.
4. I made this cake with a very thick glaze, almost like a frosting. You can make the glaze whatever consistency you like by adding more or less lemon juice. The thick frosting really helps hold the candied lemon slices in place, so if you are decorating your cake with candied lemon I recommend making the glaze nice and thick.