Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake is a dense, tight-crumbed, yet light pound cake you bake in a Bundt or tube pan. The recipe doesn’t call for any baking powder or soda. In this case, the leavening comes from air incorporated by creaming the butter, sugar and cream cheese for a long time and folding in beaten egg whites.
Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake Flavorings
It’s a fairly easy cake, but it will be a lot easier if you have a microplane zester for zesting the lemons. I use small lemons which yield about 1 teaspoon of zest per lemon, and I also use Boyajian lemon oil just to ensure I get enough lemon flavor. As mentioned, this cake is dense, but it’s very soft and tender thanks to the cake flour. I’ve never made it with any other type flour and wouldn’t recommend doing so, because changing from cake flour to all-purpose would completely change the texture.
More Lemon-y Recipes
Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour (230 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, scant
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature (230 grams)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (230 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 6 large eggs, separated and brought to room temp.
- 2 teaspoons of lemon zest and 1 teaspoon of Boyajian lemon oil or just use 2 tablespoons of lemon zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds optional
Glaze
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 5-6 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a light-colored tube pan or 12 cup (10 inch) Bundt pan with flour-added cooking spray.
- Mix together the cake flour and salt. Set aside. If using poppy seeds, add them to the cake flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar for a good 5 to 8 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the egg yolks and beat for another 2 minutes or so. Beat in the lemon zest and lemon oil, scraping down sides of bowl periodically.
- Stir, do not beat, in the flour/salt mixture.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter, then pour into the greased pan.
- Bake the cake for 60-80 minutes or until a long skewer inserted in center comes out clean (internal temperature 210 F) or with moist crumbs as opposed to batter. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert and allow cake to cool completely on a rack.
- To make the glaze, melt the butter in a large 2 cup microwave-safe measuring cup. Add the powdered sugar and stir to coat. Now add the lemon juice a teaspoon at a time, stirring, until glaze is a good consistency for drizzling. Drizzle over the cake by pouring it straight out of the measuring cup.
Passionate baker
This looks divine…and the crumb looks so LIGHT!! I love baking cakes, and lemon and chocolate are on top of my list. I’ve been working up recipes, and have posted a few on my blog. Do stop by someday….yr blog is AWESOME!!
Amy
If you don’t have a tube pan, could you just use a bundt pan instead? this cake sounds yummy!
Amy
I love pound cake. Try using a serrated knife to show off the perfect texture that you said it has.
Anj
Wow, that cake looks amazing. Pound cakes are my favorite. Hope your finger is better.
Emilie
This looks so buttery and delicious!
I agree with you on the extracts. I used to LOVE extracts, especially almond, but now I’ve changed my mind.
I don’t know very much about pound cakes…should you use cake or all-purpose flour?
Anna
I’ve made Pepsi Cakes, Coke Cakes and Dr. Pepper Cake, but I don’t think I’ve ever made the 7-Up cake. I have heard of it, though. I’d love to hear what you think of this one.
T. Martin
Anna,
The cross section pic of this cake looks like a 7UP Cake. Have you made one of these cakes?
I’ll have to give this recipe a try to compare textures and amount of lemon flavor.
Anna
Carole, the lemon extract was really good. I think a little lemon juice would work, but obviously you wouldn’t want to add too much extra liquid to the batter.
carole
Just thought of this. Could you use fresh lemon juice instead of the extract. Maybe 2 Tablespoons.
carole
My lose bottom pan has feet to. But, I think I may try it in the one piece pan. Just have to grease well for easy removal.
Anna
Therese, maybe I will!
Carole, I used a Nordicware angelfood cake pan from Williams Sonoma. It doubles as a tube pan. The only difference is it has little legs on it so you can cool the angel food upside down.
carole
Boy, does this look good. Did you use a lose bottom tube pan? I have this one and a large fixed bottom tube pan that belonged to my grandmother. Has to be at least 30 years old,