Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake

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Absolutely! Here’s a full, detailed, “don’t-lose-it” Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake recipe, written like a keepsake recipe card with story, structure, and love baked in 🍋🍰

🍋 Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake

Soft • Tangy • Buttery • Timeless

Introduction

This Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake is the kind of cake you bake once—and then guard the recipe forever. It’s moist from sour cream and buttermilk, bright with fresh lemon, and rich with that classic pound-cake crumb that melts in your mouth. Perfect for Sunday gatherings, holidays, or quiet afternoons with tea, this cake balances sweetness and citrus in a way that feels both comforting and elegant.

A Little History 📜

Pound cake dates back to 18th-century Europe, traditionally made with a pound each of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. Over time, bakers softened the texture by adding leaveners, dairy like sour cream or buttermilk, and flavorings like lemon.
Lemon pound cake became especially popular in American home baking because citrus cuts through richness—making each bite lighter, brighter, and impossible to resist.

Ingredients 🧺

(Makes one loaf or one small Bundt cake)

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Lemon Glaze (Highly Recommended 💛)

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2–3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation & Method 🥣

Step 1: Prepare the Pan

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
  • Grease and flour a loaf pan or Bundt pan

Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients

In a bowl, whisk together:

  • Flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
    Set aside.

Step 3: Cream Butter & Sugar

  • Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes).
    This step builds the cake’s tender structure.

Step 4: Add Eggs

  • Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.

Step 5: Flavor the Batter

  • Mix in lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

Step 6: Combine Everything

  • Add dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with sour cream and buttermilk.
  • Begin and end with dry ingredients.
  • Mix gently—do not overmix.

Step 7: Bake

  • Pour batter into prepared pan.
  • Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 8: Cool

  • Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes.
  • Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Glaze Method 🍋

  • Whisk powdered sugar with lemon juice until smooth.
  • Drizzle over cooled cake for a glossy, tangy finish.

Baking Techniques & Tips 👩‍🍳

  • Room-temperature ingredients ensure smooth batter
  • Fresh lemon zest gives stronger flavor than juice alone
  • Do not overbake—pound cake should be moist, not dry
  • For extra lemon flavor, poke small holes and brush with lemon syrup

Variations (For Cake Lovers ❤️)

For Lemon Lovers

  • Add an extra tablespoon of zest
  • Use lemon extract (½ teaspoon)

For Berry Lovers

  • Fold in 1 cup blueberries or raspberries

For Coconut Lovers

  • Add ½ cup shredded coconut
  • Replace buttermilk with coconut milk

Serving Suggestions 🍽️

  • Serve plain with tea or coffee
  • Top with whipped cream and berries
  • Lightly toast slices and spread with butter

Why People Love This Cake 💛

  • Moist for days
  • Perfect balance of sweet and tangy
  • Simple ingredients, bakery-quality results
  • Nostalgic, comforting, and elegant

Conclusion

This Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake is more than just a dessert—it’s a recipe to pass down, to bake on rainy afternoons, and to bring to gatherings where people ask, “Who made this?”
Save it. Share it. Bake it often. 🍋✨

If you’d like, I can also:

  • Turn this into a printable recipe card
  • Rewrite it for social media or cookbook style
  • Adjust it for bundt / mini loaves / gluten-free

Just tell me 💛

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