Description
This Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake is a dense yet incredibly moist dessert, bursting with bright lemon flavor and creamy richness from the cream cheese. It’s perfect for any occasion and stores well for future enjoyment.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- ¼ cup milk (1%, 2%, or whole)
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (about 3–4 medium lemons)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- For optional glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar + 2–4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 °F and position a baking sheet on the middle rack.
- Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan (or 10-cup tube/6‑cup bundt for smaller batch).
- Whisk flour and salt in a bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk eggs, yolks, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Cream butter, cream cheese, sugar, and lemon zest at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- With mixer on low, gradually beat in egg mixture. Batter may curdle at this point—it’s normal.
- Still on low, gradually add dry ingredients until just combined.
- Pour batter into pan and tap to release air bubbles.
- Bake 85–95 minutes (12‑cup bundt), rotating halfway; smaller pans bake 75–85 minutes. Use foil if top browns too quickly.
- Cake is done when golden, pulls from edges, springs back, and a tester comes out clean.
- Cool 15–20 minutes, invert onto rack, then cool completely (2–3 hours).
- For glaze, whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice, then drizzle over cooled cake. Or dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Use fresh lemon juice and zest for best flavor.
- If top browns too quickly, tent with foil during last 15–20 minutes of baking.
- Store at room temperature or in the fridge up to 3 days; freeze for up to 1 month.
- Over-creaming can cause streaks in the crumb.
- Let cake cool completely before adding glaze.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 38g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 100mg
