Small Lemon Pound Cake
This Small Lemon Pound Cake is incredibly moist, lemon tangy, and everything you want a slice of pound cake to be.
Servings 8 servings
Calories 305kcal
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (56g) salted butter softened
- 1/4 cup (48g) shortening room temperature*
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs preferably room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest this is the zest from about 1/3 of a lemon
- 1/4 cup milk preferably whole
Lemon Glaze
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar sifted
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice plus more as needed
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons (28g) salted butter softened
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar sifted
- 1 to 2 teaspoons milk any percentage
Instructions
Pound Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease two mini loaf pans and line with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine softened butter, shortening, and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by lemon juice and zest.
- Add half of the flour mixture, mixing until just combined, repeating with all of the milk and then the rest of the flour mixture.
- Divide batter between baking pans and bake for 28 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Cool before adding the glaze.
Lemon Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. If necessary, add more lemon juice by the 1/4 teaspoon until you get a glaze that is just thin enough to drizzle over the cake (if you make it too thin, it won’t set).
- Drizzle glaze over the cakes and allow 10 to 15 minutes for it to set.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese and butter. Beat until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of milk. Beat until smooth.
- Whisk in milk by the 1/4 teaspoon until mixture resembles a thin frosting, thin enough to easily spread over the top of the cakes but not completely pourable. (I usually use exactly 1 1/2 teaspoons milk TOTAL.) Do not add too much or your glaze will not set.
- Spread glaze over the cakes. Allow about 20 to 30 minutes for glaze to set.
- Slice cakes, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
*This recipe calls for shortening, but you can replace it with 1/4 cup of butter (for 1/2 cup of butter total) if you don't keep shortening on hand. I slightly prefer the texture of the cake made with some shortening, but the all-butter pound cake is still completely delicious.
Lemon-glazed cakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Pound cakes with cream cheese glaze should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
If baking in a single standard loaf pan, bake at the same temperature for 37 to 45 minutes.
Approximate nutritional information is for pound cake made with the lemon glaze.
Both glazes will make enough to cover the two cakes on their own, so you only need to make one of them. If you want to use both, cut the glaze recipes in half.
Nutrition
Calories: 305kcal