Enjoy the flavors of meyer lemon in this delicious and easy-to-make Meyer Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake recipe.
After bringing homes bags and bags of produce from the Southeast Produce Conference last weekend I knew I wanted to make a pound cake with the bag of Meyer Lemons I received from Duda Farm Fresh Foods.
I was never one to love lemon cakes, but over the past few years I’ve learned to love them. My inlaws have a lemon tree and always load us up with lemons. Granted they are not Meyer Lemons but they are pretty darn close. So what do you do when you have a plethora of lemons? You make a lemon pound cake. That is what my mother in-law does year after year as well as homemade lemonade that is to die-for. I’ve made pound cakes in the past, and I recently realized that I’ve just never blogged about them. I’ve used Ina’s recipe for the past few years and love it. I don’t do the lemon juice soaking method that she suggest. I skip that step and just add it all in the batter. But the glaze is an absolute MUST! I also grate all my lemons I have on hand. I love using my KitchenIQ Better Zester. It captures all the lemon zest with out it going all over the place. If you have extra zest feel free to freeze it for another day. It freezes beautifully!
I made this recipe for meyer lemon buttermilk pound cakes last Sunday. I use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer on an almost daily basis, and on the weekends you’ll find me using it multiple times throughout the day. Constantly washing and re-washing my paddle attachment and bowl. I love that I can throw in my butter and sugar, set it and let it do the work while I work on prepping the rest of the recipe (or cleaning dishes). I brought one pound cake into my office on Monday (which by the way the pound cake was devoured in .5 seconds), and kept one at the house for us. I didn’t think my husband would like it. Once again, he has surprised me, he likes it and has been taking a slice every day this week with his lunch. And well… I may or may not have a few slices each day. Shhh don’t tell anyone.
And in case you’ve never used/bought Meyer Lemons. I have a great storing tip for you. Store lemons away from foods with strong odors. If you refrigerate them they will last for up to 20 days! This works for all lemons but you definitely want to keep your Meyer Lemons away from the stinky foods. They are super fragrant and you don’t want to alter their fragrance.
So, if you can get your hands on some Meyer Lemons (or any lemons) and craving pound cake… I definitely challenge you to make this Meyer Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake. You won’t be disappointed.
Adapted from Ina Garten
Meyer Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 5 Meyer Lemons zested
- 3 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup Meyer Lemon juice
- ¾ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted
- 3 ½ tablespoon Meyer Lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray cooking spray on two loaf pans.
- Cream the butter and 2-½ cups granulated sugar using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. In another bowl, combine ¾ cup meyer lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 55 minutes. Test that the cake is done by inserting a skewer or toothpick in the middle--it should come out clean with no crumbs attached. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.
For the glaze:
- Combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mix with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the buttermilk pound cakes.
Sunny
Maybe I’m missing it, but I don’t see where/when to use the lemon zest???
Katie
Hi Sunny–it’s at the end of the second step!
Janet
Wonderful meyer lemon flavor but the texture is a little off (a little gummy) and the cake does not rise as it should to get that nice airy delicate bite. I would suggest increasing the baking soda to a tsp. and maybe substitute a 1/4 cup of oil for some of the butter.
Katie
Hi Janet, thank you so much for your feedback! Sorry that this recipe did not impress you. I’ve never had the results that you just shared, but will definitely play around with your recommended ingredient suggestions.
Janine
This is one of my kids’ favorite treats! I forgot when I made it this year that I had problems with the cake not releasing from the pans. I sprayed them generously with a non-stick cooking spray. Make sure that you don’t mean greased and floured. What is your trick?
Katie
Hi Janine, I’m glad you and your family enjoy the recipe. I typically use non-stick cooking spray as well and it typically releases with no issues.
Paul
Instead of the two loaf pans, would recipe be equivalent to a 9×13 pan or a bundt pan?
Katie
Hi Paul–your cooking time would definitely vary depending on the type of pan you place it in.
Ellise Jett
I made this today, and it is a heavenly, very lemony cake! This recipe is definitely a keeper! I finally found some Meyer lemons, and this was the first thing I made. Very easy, and oh, so good!
Katie
Ellise, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I’m glad you loved this recipe as much as I do and other readers!
Lynn
Love this! I have made this several times now! Do you think doubling this recipe would still work well? Thanks for sharing another yummy one!
Katie
Thanks Lynn. I’m glad you love the recipe. You could double the recipe, just make sure you are paying attention when doubling the ingredients–that’s where I always mess up! 😉
Jackie
Hi
Where did you get the KitchenaidIQ Better Zester from.
Katie
Hi Jackie–you can find it at William’s Sonoma. It’s one of my favorite kitchen tools!
sellis210@aol.com
Looks good but I am wondering why you are touting a certain lemon, printing a recipe for lemon pound cake and have oranges in your picture there instead of lemons.
Katie
Those aren’t oranges. That’s the color of meyer lemons. I just enjoy meyer lemons and the season is very short–so that’s why I’m sharing about meyer lemons. No compensation–I just love them.
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic
I made a poundcake very similar to this one a few weeks ago and even though my family loved it I thought it was a bit dry. The recipe I used didn’t call for buttermilk and I’m sure that’s probably why yours looks so deliciously moist. Can’t wait to make it again.
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction
I can’t get enough lemon in baked goods lately! This pound cake looks amazing!
Paula – bell’alimento
This looks delish! I want this right now in front of me! Pinning!
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite
I am all about meyer lemons right now. This pound cake is awesome.