• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop

The Worktop logo

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Christmas Breakfast Ideas
  • All Breakfast Recipes
  • Easy Ideas
  • Brunch Ideas
  • Meet Tina
  • By Category
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home / Breakfast and Brunch Recipes / Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

    Sep 22, 2021 · Last Updated: Nov 3, 2021

    Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

    Sharing is caring!

    This Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake is a recipe that you'll make over and over again! It's a moist lemon pound cake that's easy to make. Learn how to use sour cream to make the best pound cake loaf.

    Moist Lemon Pound Cake with Sour Cream - Showing the loaf cut | The Worktop

    This lemon sour cream pound cake is perfectly moist with a bright lemony flavor. 

    If you love lemon, then this moist lemon pound cake recipe is for you. 

    Made with freshly squeezed lemon juice, it has a bright, slightly tart flavor that your family and friends will adore. 

    You'll love this easy recipe to make a homemade lemon pound cake that’s velvety soft and filled with flavor. 

    Easy Lemon Pound Cake - baked in a loaf tin showing moist texture | The Worktop

    Why add sour cream to a cake?

    Made with sour cream, this easy lemon pound cake recipe has an irresitable richness, making it hard to stop at just one slice.

    So what does sour cream do to a cake? 

    Adding sour cream to pound cake is a game-changer, as it provides: 

    • Moisture
    • Fat
    • Flavor

    And all three of these combined adds a richness to this recipe, making each bite just melt in your mouth. 

    Additionally, the acid found in sour cream helps tenderize the gluten (ie. inhibit gluten formation) in the flour to make the cake wonderfully soft and tender.

    Moist lemon pound cake is a vibrant twist on traditional pound cake 

    This sour cream pound cake recipe is based on my easy homemade pound cake. 

    And just like that original recipe, this texture of this lemon-infused version can be described as:

    • Buttery 
    • Decadent
    • Moist
    • Velvety 

    But what I love most about both of these pound cakes is the fine, moist crumb that holds together perfectly when sliced.

    Ingredient-wise, the two recipes are very similar. Both are made with a base of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. 

    However, this lemon sour cream pound cake recipe differs in that it’s flavored with lemon juice and uses sour cream rather than evaporated milk.

    Best Lemon Pound Cake - sliced and plated | The Worktop

    The best lemon pound cake is made with good quality eggs

    Pound cakes are meant to be simple yet indulgent. And to make the best lemon pound cake that you’ve ever had, it’s important to use quality ingredients. Especially eggs. 

    TIP: For a very yellow cake, make sure to use good quality eggs with yolks that have a deep yellow color. 

    I didn’t take my own advice and used basic supermarket eggs with pale yellow yolks here. As a result, this loaf of lemon sour cream pound cake didn’t have the color that I was looking for. 

    Also, when making this recipe to photo, I made the mistake of taking my sour cream pound cake out about 5 minutes too early. As a result, it sunk a bit while cooling. While still delicious, this time, my sour cream pound cake loaf didn’t come out exactly how I wanted it to for the photos. I was a bit pressed for time!

    But this is a recipe that I've made several times, so I know it turns out better than what these photos show.

    To see what this recipe can look like with regards to color and height, I recommend looking at the pictures from my easy homemade pound cake recipe. 

    Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake - showing the cake face and moist texture | The Worktop

    Tips for making this lemon sour cream pound cake recipe

    For all my tips and tricks for making a cafe-worthy lemon pound cake loaf, be sure to read through my easy homemade pound cake post. 

    But here are 3 of my top recommendations for making homemade lemon pound cake. 

    Make a parchment sling

    This lemon sour cream pound cake loaf is beautiful wrapped as a gift or served on a decorative plate.

    So it’s important that you can easily remove the whole loaf from the pan after baking. To do this, I make a parchment sling. 

    What this means is that rather than just covering the bottom of the pan, you want to cut the parchment paper so that it also goes up and over the two far sides of the pan as well. 

    This will create two tabs that you can easily grab to lift the baked lemon pound cake loaf up and out of the pan. 

    TIP: Be careful to keep the parchment paper from folding into the batter. To make this easier, you can even clip the parchment paper to the loaf pan while pouring, and then remove the clips before baking.

    You can see step-by-step photos for how to make the sling. 

    Pay attention to the temperature of your ingredients

    As you’ll see in the recipe, I call for the eggs, butter, and sour cream to be slightly cooler than room temperature. 

    This is important as the temperature of these ingredients will affect how much air that can be incorporated into the batter when mixing. It also affects the final texture of what you’re making. 

    If too cold or too warm, the ingredients won’t be able to hold air while being whipped and may not combine as smoothly. And as a result, your pound cake likely won't rise as well, and the texture may not be quite a smooth and tender. 

    To do this, I just set my butter, eggs, and sour cream out about 30-45 minutes before I plan on using them. 

    Don’t under-bake this lemon sour cream pound cake

    This is a moist lemon pound cake recipe. However, it’s important not to underbake it, as your loaf will sink a bit as it cools. You can see it happening in these pictures. 

    If you notice that the top is starting to get too brown, rather than removing it from the oven, simply move it to a lower rack in the oven or lightly over it with foil until it’s fully baked. 

    Sour Cream Pound Cake - entire loaf overhead shot | The Worktop

    Dress up your lemon pound cake with a simple glaze 

    Personally, I love the simplicity of this lemon sour cream pound cake. However, to make it a bit fancier, you can make a simple glaze to drizzle over the top. 

    All you have to do is combine 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar with 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix, then pour the glaze over the slightly cooled pound cake. The glaze will harden as the cake continues to cool. 

    More ideas of how to serve this easy pound cake 

    As I mentioned above, I prefer to enjoy the delicate lemony, buttery flavor of pound cake on its own or with a cup of tea. 

    But, if you want to make it slightly more impressive when guests are over, you can top your sour cream pound cake with a homemade strawberry or blueberry chia seed jam. 

    I also think this pound cake would be delicious cubed and layered my whipped yogurt and spiced berry compote recipe. 

    Best Lemon Pound Cake - with sour cream, sliced on a plate to serve | The Worktop

    Homemade lemon pound cake tastes even better the next day 

    Personally, I think this is the best lemon pound cake recipe as it has just the right balance of classic buttery, vanilla pound cake flavors with a punch of acidity from the lemon. 

    And as hard as it may be to resist, I find this sour cream pound cake tastes even better the next day. Once the cake has cooled, simply store in an airtight container at room temp. 

    This easy lemon sour cream pound cake is sure to brighten up your morning. 

    Whether you keep it for yourself or give as a gift to a friend, I really hope you try this lemon sour cream pound cake recipe soon.

    It’s definitely a recipe we like to make when we’re craving something lemony and decadent. Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below.

    Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake - Recipe close up of cake slice | The Worktop

    Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

    4.50 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Serves: 12 slices
    Prep: 15 mins
    Cook: 55 mins
    Total: 1 hr 10 mins
    This Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake is a recipe that you'll make over and over again! It's a moist lemon pound cake that's easy to make. Learn how to use sour cream to make a pound cake loaf.

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter - slightly cooler than room temperature
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 4 large eggs - slightly cooler than room temperature
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ cup sour cream - slightly cooler than room temperature
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 teaspoons quality vanilla extract
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a 10-in x 5-in loaf pan with parchment paper. 
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
    • In a small cup, mix together the sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Set aside.
    • Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and cream together on medium speed until very pale and fluffy. Stop and scrap down the bowl as necessary. It should take about 5 minutes.
    • Slowly add in the eggs, one at a time. Beat each egg into the butter mixture before adding the next one.
    • Alternate and mix in the dry and wet ingredients, starting and finishing with the dry ingredients. In other words: 
      - Add in ⅓ of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. 
      - Pour in ½ of the sour cream mixture and beat until just combined. 
      - Add in ½ of the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined. 
      - Pour in the remaining sour cream mixture and beat until just combined.
      - Add in the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined. 
    • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top with a spatula so the batter is even. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs.
    • Remove from oven and allow the lemon pound cake to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes. You can allow the pound cake to finish cooling in the loaf pan completely. Or to speed it up, transfer the lemon pound cake to the cooling rack to completely cool.
    • You can enjoy this easy homemade pound cake the day it is baked, but for the best flavor, allow it to sit overnight. 

    Notes

    This recipe is adapted from my Easy Homemade Pound Cake.
    Course: Brunch, Cake
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
    Special Diet: Vegetarian
    Author: The Worktop
    Cal : 323kcal
    Note: Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
    Love this?I would appreciate a star review! Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using #theworktop and tagging me @theworktop.
    « S'mores Pancakes (Mini Nutella Pancakes)
    Quinoa Porridge (Quinoa Oatmeal) »

    By Tina Jui
    Filed Under: Breads and Muffins, Breakfast and Brunch Recipes, Breakfast for a Crowd, Brunch Recipes for Mother's Day, Christmas Morning Breakfast Recipes, Easter Breakfast Recipes, Kid Friendly, Make Ahead, Oven, Spring Breakfast Recipes, Summer Breakfast Recipes, Vegetarian, Winter Breakfast RecipesTags: egg, lemons

    About Tina Jui

    A breakfast lover and food blogger. Tina develops everyday breakfast recipes on The Worktop, and writes about all things related to breakfast and brunch. Read more about Tina Jui or drop an email to say hi.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Meg says

      June 05, 2022 at 7:53 pm

      What do you suggest i use when i don’t have lemon zest
      I really like cake etc very lemony with a bite that i believe comes from the zest.

      Thank you

      Reply
    2. Valerie says

      October 04, 2021 at 6:38 pm

      This recipe too was flagged as vegan, but just noting that it's not!

      Reply
      • Tina Jui says

        October 05, 2021 at 6:34 am

        Hi Valerie - Thanks for the note. I checked the site, but I don't see anywhere that this recipe is listed as vegan. It definitely is not! Can you please point me to where you saw it flagged as vegan?

        Reply
    3. Amy says

      October 02, 2021 at 12:29 pm

      Can you substitute greek yogurt for the sour cream?

      Reply
      • Tina Jui says

        October 02, 2021 at 5:53 pm

        Hi - I haven't tried that specifically with this recipe, but it should generally be ok. Happy baking!

        Reply
    4. Christine says

      October 02, 2021 at 4:36 am

      100% going to make this this weekend!!! I'm obsessed with everything lemon & blueberry right now, so might have to eat this with some blueberries in some form.

      Your recipe tips are so so so helpful. Thank you!!!

      Reply
      • Tina Jui says

        October 02, 2021 at 5:53 pm

        Thanks for the kind comment! Glad the tips are helpful. Happy baking!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Hi, I'm Tina and a lover of breakfast! The Worktop is where I share my everyday breakfast recipes. You can find lots of breakfasts and brunch ideas on my site. Many of the recipes are easy to make and healthy, but of course, you'll also find big brunch indulgences.

    More about The Worktop →

    Popular Breakfast Recipes

    • Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole
    • Overnight Chia Seed Pudding with Almond Milk (Vegan, GF)
    • Instant Pot Congee - Chicken and Rice
    • Original Glazed Donuts (Krispy Kreme Recipe Copycat)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Statement

    As Featured On

    The Worktop Featured On Banner - Taste of Home, Buzzfeed, Decor, The Bump, FeedFeed

    Stay Connected

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2013-2021 Rainbow Rice Ltd trading as The Worktop. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.