Southern Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
A rich, moist Southern lemon pound cake made with cream cheese and fresh lemon, finished with warm lemon cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 6 large eggs
- 1 ½ lemons juiced
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
For the lemon cream cheese icing:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ lemon zested
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk cake flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- Beat softened butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until combined. Add sugar and beat about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, almond extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Add dry ingredients in three parts, mixing just until combined after each.
- Thoroughly coat a Bundt pan with cake release spray. Pour in batter and bake 75–85 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- For icing, beat softened butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat on high for 2 minutes. Mix in powdered sugar in three parts, then lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt until smooth and pourable.
- Cool cake in pan for 10–15 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Pipe or spread icing over the still-warm cake and let set before slicing.
