This puckery and moist lemon pound cake is easy to make and a guaranteed crowd pleaser! With gluten-free and all-purpose flour options.
This recipe comes straight from The Weeknight Cookbook: Simple Family-Friendly Recipes for Everyday Home Cooking, which was released just last week and written by Mary Younkin of Barefeet in the Kitchen.
When I saw that Mary was looking for recipe testers last year, I immediately signed up. I remembered the chaos of the recipe testing process when I was writing my book (mainly people signing up to test recipes and then disappearing) and since I needed to prepare dinner anyway, I made as many recipes as I could!
This lemon pound cake is the fifteenth recipe I’ve made from this book! And seriously, I’ve loved them all. I’m a super picky eater. I’d be happy eating chicken fingers, pizza and hamburgers every day for the rest of my life. I just don’t like much savory food. So I was surprised when I found so many recipes that I actually wanted to try in this book. And most of them are in the regular rotation now!
When I first started testing the recipes, it was a little hard because I never make savory recipes without changing things up. It’s just how I cook. But after the first few recipes, I didn’t have that urge because everything was perfect as written. There were even a few where I thought, “Is this going to taste like much…?” and then we were blown away by how flavorful it was. And then I made it again and again.
What I’ve Tried So Far:
- Pan-Fried Pork Medallions with Creamy Wine Sauce
- Korean Beef with Quick Asian Pickles
- Lemon Butter Pasta with Tomatoes
- Italian Herb Chicken Bites
- Honey Soy Broiled Salmon
- Philly Cheesesteak Potato Skillet
- Cheesy Ranch Chicken with Potato Wedges
- Rosemary Garlic Roasted Sausage with Onions and Peppers
- Banana Nut Pancakes
- Slow Cooker Rosemary Potato Soup with Ham
- Crispy Garlic Paprika Chicken
- Maple Herb Roasted Carrots
- Cajun Roasted Potatoes
- Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake
By the way, all of the recipes can be made gluten-free. For the recipes that call for flour, a gluten-free alternative is given. Some recipes call for pasta, breadcrumbs and things like that where you can just use a gluten-free brand.
For my non-US readers (or just people who like precision!) – all of the recipes have gram measurements! Recipes that call for things like “2 apples” and the like drive me bonkers because I have no idea how large the author’s apples were. All of the measurements and directions in this book are very clear and easy to follow.
The focus is on main dishes, with some simple side dishes, condiments / seasoning mixes and desserts. There are “only” 10 desserts in this cookbook but I chose to share a dessert to get your attention. :D
I thought I didn’t like pound cake before making this recipe. They always seemed a bit too dry and dense for my taste (but not this Cream Cheese Pound Cake!). This lemon pound cake is dense, but in a nice way – and wonderfully moist.
And it’s exploding with lemon flavor with 2/3 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup of lemon zest! Definitely my kind of cake as I don’t like subtle.
If you’re used to my recipes, which are usually a little less sweet than their traditional counterparts, you may want to skip the glaze (or use this Whipped Ricotta) or only make half of it, like I did. You could even omit it – the cake is great on its own! And you’ll probably want to cut the slices thinner than I did.
And if lemon isn’t your thing, try this Gluten-free Pound Cake Recipe!
I haven’t tried this lemon pound cake cake with white whole wheat flour but I’m pretty sure it’d work! I wouldn’t recommend regular whole wheat or whole spelt, though. The cake pictured here is the gluten-free version and it really had a great, velvety texture!
And if you want to add berries, try this amazing looking Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake!
I hope you’ll check out The Weeknight Cookbook! It’s honestly already my most used cookbook and I can’t recommend it enough.
If you’re looking for another gluten-free cake, try this Kladdkaka (Swedish sticky chocolate cake). I’m also intrigued by this Gluten-free Bundt Cake!
If you try this lemon pound cake, I’d love to hear how it came out! Thanks. :)
Lemon Pound Cake (gluten-free option)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 12-16 slices
Ingredients
- 3⁄4 cup (168 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1⁄2 cups (500 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) almond extract
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) fresh lemon juice, from about 5 large lemons
- 1⁄4 cup (24 grams) lemon zest, from about 4 large lemons
- 2 1⁄4 cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour mix1
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) baking powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 1⁄2 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract
Cake:
Glaze: (I only used half of this)
Directions
- To make the cake, preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C, or gas mark 3). Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Thoroughly grease and lightly flour an 8- or 10-cup (1900- or 2400-ml) Bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until fluffy crumbs form. Add the eggs and almond extract, and beat again until smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest, and beat on low speed to combine. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat again, just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, until golden on top and light brown on the edges. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, place the cooling rack on top of the cake, hold the sides firmly and invert the pan over the rack. The cake should drop smoothly out of the pan. Tap firmly on the pan with a wooden spoon, if necessary, to free the cake from the pan. Let the cake cool completely before glazing.
- To make the glaze, melt the butter in a small glass bowl. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and almond extract. Whisk together until smooth. The glaze should pour off the spoon in a white stream. Add a teaspoon (5 ml) more juice to thin it or 1 to 2 tablespoons (8 to 16 g) more powdered sugar to thicken it, if necessary. Drizzle the glaze over the cake. Store at room temperature, loosely covered, preferably not airtight. This cake will keep nicely and stay very moist for 3 or 4 days.
Notes
- For the gluten-free version, use:
- 1 1⁄2 cups (222 grams) brown rice flour
- 2/3 cup (85 grams) tapioca starch
- 1⁄3 cup (59 grams) potato starch
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons (7 grams) xanthan gum
Recipe from The Weeknight Cookbook by Mary Younkin
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54 comments on “Lemon Pound Cake (gluten-free, all-purpose options)” — Add one!
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Will the pillsbury gluten-free flour work well with this cake or does it have to be the mix you suggested?
I’ve only tried the mix listed so I have no idea if Pillsbury would work. If it’s meant as a 1-to-1 sub for AP flour, then it could work, but I can’t guarantee it. Sorry about that!
This looks amazing. I love lemons and can’t wait to try it. Thank you so much! Will let you know how it turns out xoxo.
You’re welcome! I hope you’ll enjoy it. :) I’m excited to hear how you like it!
I used 2 1/4 cups bobs red mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour and 3 TB coconut flour. Everything else the same. I thought it came out a little chewy. Nice and lemony and it got great reviews from all who ate it. I did not use the icing I did not think it needed it. I baked it for 67 minutes. It did not sink or fall. I used a non stick bundt pan. I buttered and floured the pan…and the random places that I did not get good coverage it stuck a little. so make sure you get it butter and floured really well. Overall very good.
I wonder if it came out chewy because of the coconut flour? 3 tablespoons is quite a bit (at least when it comes to coconut flour)! Did the batter seem runny and that’s why you added that? It definitely shouldn’t be chewy! I’m happy that it was enjoyed. :) Thanks for your comment!
Wow your pound cake is gorgeous! I love Mary’s recipes and am also enjoying her cookbook. I have to try this one!
I hope you’ll enjoy it!
I used GF Ingles Flour and a 12 cup NordicWare Anniversary Cast Bundt pan. I weighted all ingredients using the gram scale. I baked for 65 minutes until the top was golden and the edges were brown. After cooling for 15 minutes I inverted onto the wire rack. The cake fell onto the rack however all but 1/2″ browned from the top of the pan remained on the cake. The rest of the browned cake stuck to the pan. I have never experienced this before. The pan was oiled and floured the same as I have in the past.
The cake turned out fluffy and delicious and was easy to make. Except for the problem noted above.
I’ve used the 7 up cake with a boxed cake mix in the past. The cake would raise above the pan and browned all over but would fall to the basement during the cooling process and would make the cake very dense. That’s the reason I looked for a different recipe.
I have a thin 10 cup Bundt pan. Do you think it would work better or should I raise the temp to 350 with the heavier pan?
Oh, I hate it when that happens! I’m sorry about that. I’ve only tested this cake with the GF mix that I have listed so I’m guessing the issue could be the mix you used. I’ve also had issues when I sub one GF mix for another. I’m happy you could still enjoy it! I actually used the same exact pan as you and didn’t have any issues with it coming out of the pan in one piece. The recipe recommends an 8 or 10 cup pan, so you could certainly try that, but I wouldn’t risk raising the temperature with the heavier pan.
This cake came out perfect! I used the gluten free version and weighed everything to make sure it was exactly how you tested it! I used half cane sugar and half coconut sugar to cut the refined sugar content.
The final result was moist, rich, lemony and sweet! My husband LOVES it!! Thank you for this amazing recipe. I will definitely be making this again :)
Oh, interesting! I wouldn’t have thought that coconut sugar would work well in here. I’ll have to try that! I’m so happy that you and your husband enjoyed it. Thanks for the coconut sugar tip and your comment. :)
This looks utterly delicious. I could eat this whole cake all by myself. Lemon is my favourite flavour for cake. I really need to get my hands on Mary’s cookbook.
You really do! It’s really so awesome. :)
I have been obsessed with all things lemon lately (especially lemon creme almonds from Sprouts)! This cake look amazing!
Oooh! I’ve never tried those. I’ll have to put them on the list to look for!
With recipes like this one, I’m sure the book will be a hit! Yum!
You should definitely check it out!
Beautiful!! And that glaze looks absolutely dreamy!
Thanks! :)
I can’t wait to see the cookbook. I ordered it immediately when I saw someone spotlight it on Snapchat and seeing your endorsement definitely has me excited to cook from it. This cake is gorgeous!
Aww, yay! I’m so happy you ordered it. I know you’ll love it!
That looks absolutely perfect – such a great texture!
Thanks, Kimberly!
I think Mary’s book turned out so great! This is one of the recipes that I have bookmarked to try…and now I want to even more. Yum!
Isn’t it awesome?! Can’t wait to try the remaining recipes. :D
Can I have this cake for dinner?!?!?! YUMMATOLA.
Why not?!
Mary’s recipes are the best! I just made the peanut butter mousse but this one is next on my list!
I wanna try that one, too!
Sounds like a wonderful cookbook and a delicious cake
Thanks! :)
That looks like such a wonderful cake! Lemon is one of my favorite flavors so I’ll have to try it out!
I hope you will! You won’t be disappointed. :)
I just got Mary’s book and I am loving it already! So many fantastic recipes! This cake is bookmarked too! Gorgeous!
Right?! Such an awesome book.
Love lemon! I do not, however own a bundt pan. Do you suppose two loaf pans will work? I have regular size (Pyrex) and the “Fat Daddio” that’s taller and narrower.
Thanks for sharing what looks to be the most lemony cake on the planet!
I think it could work but since I haven’t tried it, I can’t guarantee it. If you use a glass Pyrex pan, be sure to lower the temperature by 25 degrees F. Enjoy! And please let us know how it goes if you try two loaf pans. :)
I really need to get my hands on this cookbook. I’ve seen tons of reviews and they all look spectacular. This one is no exception!
I hope you will!
This looks so fluffy and delicious. This would be a wonderful treat for my GF neighbor.
And you! It doesn’t taste GF. :)
Such a beautiful cake and the book looks like a winner!!
Thanks! :)
This looks SO good! Your pictures are always so nice… when are you coming to visit the states again? I need to make sure I”m going the same place!
Haha. Not for a while, I’m afraid. ;)
This looks so delicious! I love that beautiful crust and light, fluffy interior!
It was really SO good!
This is my kind of cake. I haven’t been baking for a while but I would totally love to make something like this soon!
Aww, why not?! Too hot?
It sure looks delicious. I love lemon! I cook for some GF family members and one is DF also.
I bet you could make this one with white whole wheat! :)
I am thrilled that you enjoyed so many of the recipes, Erin! Your photos of the cake are gorgeous too. Thanks for testing so many recipes for the book and for sharing it with your readers. I’m so happy you love it as much as you do!
Thank you! I’m happy you liked the post. :) Congratulations again on writing such an awesome cookbook!