Better than Starbucks Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

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If you are searching for spring and summer dessert recipes, then you have to try this better than Starbucks lemon pound cake recipe. This similar but better than Starbucks lemon pound cake recipe is light, fluffy, and easy to make.

If you love lemon desserts, then try our easy lemon poppy seed muffins too!

This is on my summer baking list every single summer. Even though turning on the oven during the hot summer heat isn't my favorite thing to do, this recipe is an exception because it's incredibly delicious. My friends and family love when I make it because it's so light and airy and full of citrus flavor, making it the perfect sweet treat after dinner or throughout the day.

You'll notice the recipe ingredients are super basic too. That's because all of Cup of Flour recipes are made to be accessible, approachable, and simple to make for everyone! Learn more about why Cup of Flour avoids any fancy ingredients and sticks to basic kitchen staples on the About page.

Reasons you'll love this recipe

EASY: This lemon loaf is easy to make with simple ingredients and in just a few steps.
TEXTURE: It's moist and spongy yet light and fluffy just like this chocolate pound cake recipe. It's made with real lemons and 10 times better than the Starbucks lemon pound cake recipe (sorry not sorry!)
FRESH: This recipe uses real lemons! The juice and zest of the lemons make this lemon loaf tastes extremely fresh and bright. It's perfect for spring and summer but also on a rainy day with a cup of earl grey (seriously, the best combination).

Stack of three pieces of lemon loaf slices on a white plate.

Ingredients you'll need

EGGS: The eggs help give the cake its structure. This recipe calls for 3 eggs.
SUGAR: White/granulated sugar is used to sweeten the loaf; you will need 1 cup.Powdered/confectioners sugar will be used in the icing; you’ll need 1 cup.
SOUR CREAM: The sour cream makes this lemon pound cake super moist and adds just the right amount of tang. This is the secret ingredient to most loaves and cakes if you ask me. Use 1 cup.
VEGETABLE OIL: Like sour cream, vegetable oil moistens the cake. Use ½ cup.
LEMONS: Lemons! Lemons are what give this recipe so much freshness and brightness! You will need two large lemons for this recipe and will use the zest and juices.
VANILLA EXTRACT: For a tiny hit of vanilla, use ½ teaspoon.
FLOUR: This recipe uses all-purpose flour; use 1 and ½ cups.
BAKING POWDER AND BAKING SODA: To help the cake rise, you should use 1 and ½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda.
SALT: To enhance the lemon flavour, use ¼ teaspoon of salt.
MILK: 1 tablespoon of milk is needed for the delicious icing.

Kitchen tools to help you

MIXING BOWLS: You will need a medium-sized bowl for the wet ingredients and a medium or small-sized bowl for the dry ingredients.
MICROPLANE or CHEESE GRATER: A Microplane is commonly used for zesting fruits like lemons and oranges; in this case, you will need to zest the lemons for this recipe. If you don’t have a Microplane, not to worry! It's very common for most four-sided cheese graters (or box graters) to have a Microplane on one of its four sides - that’s what I use for this recipe!
ELECTRIC MIXER or WHISK: To mix the ingredients choose to use either or; the cake batter is thin enough to use a whisk if you don’t have an electric mixer! You will also need a whisk for making the icing.
RUBBER SPATULA: For smoothing the cake batter in the cake pan.
MEASURING SPOONS AND CUPS: For measuring and adding the ingredients.
LOAF PAN: Use a 9x5 inch loaf pan for baking the lemon loaf.
COOKING SPRAY: For greasing the loaf pan.
PARCHMENT PAPER: For easy removal of the lemon loaf (optional).
TOOTHPICKS: For testing the readiness of the lemon cake.
WIRE RACK: For resting/cooling the cake (optional).

Instructions

Lemon Loaf:

Prepare: Preheat the oven to 375° F or 190° C. Grease and then line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Mix: Mix the 7 wet ingredients in a medium-sized bowl using an electric mixer on low or a whisk. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients using a whisk.
Combine: Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and partially mix on low. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix, some small lumps are fine!
Bake: Pour cake batter into the loaf pan and bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Rest: Allow the lemon loaf to rest for 15 minutes in the pan once removed from the oven. After 15 minutes, pull the lemon loaf out of the pan using the parchment paper as handles and place on a cooling rack.

Icing/Glaze:

Mix: While the lemon loaf cools, start making the icing by combining the listed ingredients.
Pour: Wait until the lemon loaf is completely cooled and then evenly pour the icing/glaze over the lemon loaf.
Slice: Wait for the icing to completely set/harden before slicing the lemon loaf.

Recipe Tips

Crack the eggs into a separate bowl. Consider cracking the eggs into a separate bowl before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. This will help you easily pick out any shells that may occur when you crack the eggs.
Line the pan with a parchment overhang to easily remove the loaf. To do this, grease the loaf pan and then line the pan with a piece of parchment paper that is the size of the length of the loaf pan.
Bake on the lower rack. This will help avoid browning on the top of the loaf.
Chill the lemon loaf. If you want the lemon loaf to cool down quickly to glaze it with the icing, place it in the freezer for 10 minutes or the fridge for 30 minutes. A
Chill the icing. If you really want to cut into the lemon loaf, but the icing hasn’t been set yet, you can speed up the process by placing the lemon loaf in the freezer for 10 minutes or the fridge for 30 minutes.

Recipe FAQs

Why is my lemon cake dry?

This can happen if you add too much flour, so be sure you’re not packing the flour. This can also happen if you add too much liquid, so be careful with the liquid measurements.

How do you moisten a dry loaf cake?

There are a couple of options for this, including brushing the loaf with some milk or making and applying a simple syrup glaze to the cake.

Why did my lemon loaf collapse?

This can often happen if you don’t use the right amount of leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder or if either of these ingredients is expired.

Why is my lemon loaf dense?

This happens if the batter is over-mixed or not enough baking powder is used.

How to store lemon loaf?

Place in an airtight container or cover with a few toothpicks and plastic wrap and store at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also store in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

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