Sweet, full of bright lemony flavor and studded with poppyseeds, this lemon poppyseed pound cake is moist, tender and perfectly balanced!
Say it with me, friends: BALANCE.
I often find that balance is a hard concept for me. Hard for me to understand, and even harder to live out on a daily basis. I’m typically an “all-or-nothing” kind of girl, which has it’s pros and cons. If I can’t do something perfectly (or in reality just the way I envision it), I am often tempted to just not do it at all. Again, pros and cons. Pro: when I set my mind to do something, it usually gets done pretty efficiently. Con: when it doesn’t go as planned, I tend to get flustered and frustrated.
BALANCE, people. It’s a difficult life skill in adulthood. And thankfully, the older I get the more I realize that perfection isn’t the goal.
But I digress. Let’s move out of the back corners of my mind and into this lemon poppyseed pound cake. Because this lemon poppyseed pound cake is a prime example of how I, for better or for worse, tipped the scales of balance and leaned into that perfection mentality. I went after the perfect lemon poppyseed cake, and by George, I think I got it. I think I baked this pound cake six (seven? eight?) times before I landed on the perfect one. So in this case, my “all-or-nothing” mentality gives you an awesome pound cake. Pro.
This lemon poppyseed pound cake. It’s the perfect citrus bake for spring/ summertime. It’s bright, fresh, sweet, and is studded with those yummy little crunchy poppyseeds. I love this cake because it strikes the perfect balance between light and dense. It has a soft, tender crumb, but it still maintains that lovely moisture and density that you want from a pound cake. Lots of lemon flavor coming from lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract, plus a sugary lemon glaze on top. So flavorful and so good.
Now, baking pound cake is a really simple process, but the technique is important! So be sure to read through my notes- I have lots of tips and tricks on how to successfully whip up the perfect pound cake!
What you’ll need to bake this pound cake:
Butter: For flavor and moisture.
Sugar: Sugar of course adds flavor and also tenderizes the cake. Whipping the sugar into the butter at the beginning of the recipe aerates the batter, ultimately creating a lighter and more tender crumb.
Eggs: For structure, binding, and additional moisture.
Vanilla, almond, and lemon extracts: Yes, I use all three of these extracts in this pound cake! You could make this without the lemon and/or almond extracts, but I love the extra flavor they bring. I think the lemon extract especially adds some extra brightness. Whatever you don’t use, just replace it with the same amount of vanilla extract.
Lemon zest + lemon juice: Using both lemon zest and juice gives an extra punch of lemon flavor.
Flour: For structure.
Almond flour: Almond flour gives some structure, but also adds flavor and moisture.
Baking soda and baking powder: For leavening.
Kosher salt: For balance.
Sour cream: Sour cream does a lot for this pound cake! The acid from the sour cream tenderizes the cake which makes it soft, and the high fat content in sour cream makes this cake especially moist. It also gives that extra bit of “zip” to amplify the lemon flavor. It also thickens the batter a bit, which adds some structure.
Poppyseeds: Because we all know that poppyseeds love lemon.
Powdered sugar and lemon juice for the lemon glaze.
FAQs:
Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!
Can I use yogurt instead of sour cream? Yes! Just make sure it’s full-fat, plain yogurt.
Why does the batter look curdled after adding the lemon juice? When you add the lemon juice to the batter, it’s going to look curdled. But don’t panic! The batter will come together once you’ve added the flour.
A few notes before you bake:
This recipe can be doubled and baked in a Bundt pan. Be aware that when you double the recipe it makes a little more batter than you might need. I typically don’t end up using all of the batter when I fill my Bundt pan, so just use your judgement. Baking temperature is the same, but your bake time may be a little longer, closer to 60-70 minutes.
Feel free to switch up your citrus! I’ve also made this poundcake using a combination of lemon and orange, and it’s delicious!
My tips & tricks for baking up your best pound cake:
- Make sure your butter is the right consistency. The right consistency for softened butter is soft, but still a bit firm. When you press your finger into the butter, it should leave an indentation, but shouldn’t be shiny or greasy. If you really want to get technical, use an instant read thermometer: your butter should be between 65-67°F.
- Be sure your ingredients are at room temperature. This includes your butter, eggs, and sour cream. When the ingredients are all at room temperature, this allows the batter to come together seamlessly into a smooth, homogenous mixture. This ultimately results in a lighter, more tender cake. Cold ingredients will make your batter lumpy and irregular, resulting in a dense, potentially tough cake.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Adding the ingredients in this pattern prevents you from overmixing the batter.
- Don’t overmix your batter. When alternating the flour mixture and sour cream, be sure you keep the mixer on low speed and only mix until the ingredients are just incorporated. Overmixing will overdevelop the gluten strands in the flour, which creates a tougher pound cake.
- Don’t open the oven door until at least 55 minutes have passed. If you open the door before this, your cake could sink in the middle, and nobody wants that!
Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Yield: 1, 9×5″ loaf 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert, Snack, Breakfast
Description
Sweet, full of bright lemony flavor and studded with poppyseeds, this lemon poppyseed pound cake is moist, tender and perfectly balanced!
Ingredients
For the lemon poppyseed pound cake:
- 113 gm (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened*
- 225 gm (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
- Zest of 3 lemons
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 208 gm (1 2/3 cups, spoon & leveled) all-purpose flour
- 24 gm (1/4 cup, spoon & leveled) almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon poppyseeds
- 180 gm (3/4 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
For the lemon glaze:
- 60 gm (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
To make the pound cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5″ metal baking tin with baking spray and line with parchment paper, allowing excess paper to hang over the sides.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Gently scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating each on medium speed for 20 seconds before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla, almond, and lemon extracts, zest, and lemon juice. The batter will look curdled at this point, but don’t worry it will all come together!
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, and poppyseeds. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, mixing on low speed after each addition until the ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overmix. I then like to do a 2-3 gentle turns with a rubber spatula by hand to ensure all the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
- Gently spoon the batter into the prepared tin and gently smooth the top with a rubber or offset spatula. Bang the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pound cake comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Allow the pound cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze:
- Whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth. Brush or drizzle over the cooled pound cake. I prefer to brush the glaze on the top and all four sides using a pastry brush!
Notes
*Softened butter: The right consistency for softened butter is soft, but still a bit firm. When you press your finger into the butter, it should leave an indentation, but shouldn’t be shiny or greasy. If you really want to get technical, use an instant read thermometer: your butter should be between 65-67°F.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Keywords: pound cake, lemon poppyseed, cake
