You’ll absolutely adore this best lemon pound cake recipe – soft, moist, and packed with wonderfully bright lemon flavor, it’s made with simple ingredients and takes only a few minutes to prepare! Whether you stick with the classic version or try the rich sour cream variation, these cakes turn out delicious every time. Perfect for busy days, tight budgets, or anytime you need a reliable dessert everyone will love!

If you need an easy classic dessert that always turns out and everyone loves, these lemon pound cake recipes are exactly what you’re looking for! There’s something about bright, fresh lemon flavor paired with a soft, buttery texture that makes every bite feel like a treat. And the best part? Both of these recipes use easy, inexpensive ingredients you probably already have on hand.
The best lemon pound cake recipe is perfect when you need something quick and foolproof. Using a cake mix and a simple shortcut ingredient, you get a perfectly moist, tender cake every single time. It’s one of those recipes you can throw together in minutes but still proudly serve to guests. Add a simple lemon glaze on top, and it instantly feels like something from a bakery.
If you want to take things up just a notch, the sour cream version is absolutely worth trying! The sour cream adds richness and creates a softer, more velvety texture, while the lemon zest and extract give it that bold, fresh flavor. It’s still incredibly easy to make, but it has that “wow” factor that makes people think you spent hours in the kitchen.
Both of these lemon pound cake recipes are perfect for so many occasions. Serve them for a family dessert, bring one to a potluck, or slice it up for a special afternoon treat with coffee or tea. They also make a great option when you need something reliable for holidays or gatherings without blowing your grocery budget.
You don’t need a long list of ingredients or a lot of time in the kitchen to make a dessert everyone will love! With these recipes, you get amazingly delicious flavor with a small amount of effort—and that’s exactly what makes them keepers!
PrintBest Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans).
-
Grease a Bundt pan well with butter or cooking spray to prevent sticking.
-
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and dry pudding mix. Beat until smooth.
-
Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
-
Bake according to package directions, about 38–43 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
-
Let cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional Glaze
-
Mix powdered sugar with a small amount of milk or lemon juice until smooth and pourable.
-
Drizzle over cooled cake before serving.
Notes
Tips for Success
-
For best results, coat the pan with butter or shortening, then lightly dust with flour (or use baking spray with flour). This helps the cake release cleanly.
-
Don’t skip the 10-minute rest time—too short and it sticks, too long and it can sweat and cling to the pan.
[dining]

3 Ingredient Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
This 3-ingredient lemon pound cake recipe is unbelievably easy, incredibly moist, and full of delicious, tangy lemon flavor—perfect for when you need a quick dessert that tastes homemade. With just a cake mix, pie filling, and eggs, this shortcut treat comes together in minutes for a rich, homemade flavor with almost no effort!
- Yield: 1 bundt cake
Ingredients
1 (15.25 oz.) lemon cake mix
1 (21 oz.) can lemon pie filling
3 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for a dark pan). Spray a bundt pan liberally with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, lemon pie filling, and eggs.
- Mix until smooth and fully blended, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan.
-
Bake:
- 35–45 minutes for a light-colored pan
- 45–50 minutes for a dark pan
Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Cool completely before serving.
- When cool, drizzle a simple lemon glaze over the top or dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Quick Tips
- Don’t overmix—just blend until smooth for the best texture.
- For extra lemon flavor, add 1–2 teaspoons lemon zest (optional).
- This cake is very moist, so allow it to cool completely before slicing.

Sour Cream Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
This sour cream lemon pound cake recipe is ultra-moist, rich, and packed with bright lemon flavor thanks to sour cream and a simple shortcut ingredient. With its tender crumb and irresistible sweet-tangy lemon glaze, it’s the kind of show-stopping dessert that has everyone asking for the recipe!
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350°F.
-
Grease and flour a baking pan well (9×5-inch loaf pan, 2 smaller loaf pans, or a 10–12 cup Bundt pan).
- In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and dry pudding mix.
- In a separate bowl, mix eggs, oil, water, sour cream, lemon zest, and lemon extract until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Drizzle with lemon glaze.
Lemon Glaze
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for the best texture.
- Don’t overmix once combined—this keeps the cake soft and tender.
- For extra lemon flavor, add a little more zest to the glaze.





Leave a Reply