I recently ate the best piece of lemon pound cake in the world from one of my favorite local coffee shops. It was rich, tender, and unbelievably moist—a perfect match for my iced coffee. I vowed to recreate it at home just for this cookbook and, of course, to save from splurging on pound cake at $4 per slice! The version I made isn’t quite as heavy as pound cake, which is why I call it a loaf or quickbread. My loaf is bursting with one of my favorite baking flavors: lemon—and I mean lemon from freshly squeezed lemons, none of that lemon extract stuff ! The batter comes together rather quickly and is made from ingredients you probably have in your pantry right now. So save yourself a trip to the coffee shop and make this sunshine-sweet loaf at home!
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (190g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder pinch salt
- ½ cup (115g) salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large lemon juice (about 2 tbsp or 30ml)
- 2 large lemons zest
- ½ cup (120ml) milk
- 1 large lemon juice
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously spray a 9x5in loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside. Make The loaf
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter in a medium bowl on medium speed for 1 minute. Once it is creamy and smooth, add the granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until light in color. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the lemon juice and zest and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk and beating well after each addition. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40–50 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the loaf with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The loaf is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Make The glaze
- Stir the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar together in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle the glaze directly onto the loaf before cutting into slices. The loaf will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5.
