Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This quick and easy lemon cream cheese pound cake is moist, dense, and packed with lemon flavor. It’ll make a perfect afternoon treat or dessert for a spring/summer dinner.

Why you’ll love this lemon cream cheese pound cake?

If you love pound cakes at least half as much as me, this lemon cream cheese pound cake is definitely for you for three main reasons:

• I personally love the dense texture of pound cakes, but I’d rather stay away from a dry cake (as most people), and cream cheese definitely is the solution to this problem. It creates a moist and velvety texture. What more could you ask for?
• It’s a one-bowl recipe, which means fewer dirty dishes, which means it’s basically a perfect cake recipe.
• Finally, thanks to lemon juice, lemon zest, and optional lemon extract, this pound cake is packed with lemon flavor, so it’ll satisfy all my fellow lemon enthusiasts.

How to make this lemon cream cheese pound cake?

Possible adaptation of this recipe.

Ingredients and substitutions.

This cake recipe requires different ingredients, some of which could be substituted according to your needs :

• Room Temperature Full Fat Cream Cheese: This is the star ingredient of this recipe. The cream cheese gives the pound cake such an amazing texture, that I doubt you will ever go back.
• Room Temperature Unsalted Butter: As with any pound cake, I don’t think you can swap it as it gives this signature texture and flavor to the cake.
• Granulated Sugar: This recipe requires a fairly important amount of sugar, while you could reduce it, I don’t recommend it as it would impact the texture of the cake.
• Lemons: Using organic lemons is definitely the best option, as you’ll need both the zest and the juice.
• Lemon Extract: This is an optional ingredient. I only add it when I have it on hand, and even without it this cake still has a perfect lemon taste.
• Eggs: If you don’t eat eggs, you can try and swap them with an egg replacer.
• Cake Flour: If you don’t have any cake flour on hand, you could try swapping it with an easy cake flour substitute. Keep in mind the texture of your cake will be slightly different.
• Baking Powder: It acts as the leavening agent for a signature dense but not heavy cake.

Size adaptation of your lemon pound cake.

I tend to write my recipes for an 11×4-inch loaf cake pan, which also happens to be perfect for a 9×5-inch loaf cake pan. You can easily adapt the recipe to bake bigger/smaller cakes. Simply multiply the grams measurements by:

• 0,5 for an 8×4 inch cake pan.
• 1,6 for a 12-cup bundt cake pan.

If you end up having to divide an egg, mix the white and the yolk of the egg, then add the desired quantity to your cake batter.

Bake the lemon cream cheese pound cake.

1. Preheat your oven to 330°F (165°C). And prepare your cake pan.

2. In your mixing bowl, add the sugar, the lemon zest, your room-temperature butter, and cream cheese. Mix it all on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (two to three minutes).

3. Next, incorporate the lemon juice and the lemon extract.

4. Now, add one egg at a time, mixing on low speed between each addition. Once you add the eggs, you have to be careful not to overmix your batter.

5. Add the flour and the baking powder mixing at the lowest speed. Stop mixing as soon as they’re incorporated.

6. Pour your batter into your cake pan and bake it at 330F° (165C°) until a toothpick comes out clean (around 45 minutes).

7. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before taking it out from the pan.

8. Let your cake completely cool before preparing the lemon glaze.

9. Mix the lemon juice and the icing sugar, and pour it on the cake. Give it a few minutes to set.

Baker’s secrets.

In order to make sure you end up with the best results, here are three baker’s secrets (that are not so secret really):

• I cannot stress enough how using a kitchen scale is a game-changer when baking. I know the cup system is very practical, but once you try weighing your ingredients, you’ll regret not having started sooner both in terms of texture and taste.
• Temperature is also another game changer. Always use room temperature ingredients unless stated otherwise and preheat your oven, you’ll taste the difference.
• Finally, do not overmix your cake batter, once you’ve added the eggs. Honestly, nine times out of ten, when someone has a problem with a cake recipe, it’s because they overmixed their cake batter.

Can you make your lemon cream cheese pound cake ahead?

You can easily make this lemon pound cake ahead. You have several options:

• This pound cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• You can also store it longer, up to a week, in the fridge.
• Finally, you could easily freeze it for up to 3 months.

Whatever option you choose, always make sure to keep your cake in an airtight container, and wrapped with cling film if you’re putting it in the fridge/freezer. Always bring your cake to room temperature before serving it.

What to serve your lemon cream cheese pound cake with?

Pound cakes are really simple cakes and you can easily elevate them depending on what you’re serving them with. A few of my favorites are :

• Fresh fruits: especially strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries as they perfectly complement the lemon flavor.
• My easy homemade lemon curd: for the die-hard lemon lovers.
• Whipped cream: because honestly, it tastes amazing.