Limoncello Pound Cake Lemon (Print version)

Moist pound cake infused with Limoncello, topped with a zesty lemon glaze for a refreshing finish.

# What you’ll need:

→ Pound Cake

01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 2 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
08 - ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
09 - ⅓ cup Limoncello liqueur
10 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
11 - ½ cup whole milk, room temperature

→ Lemon Glaze

12 - 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
13 - 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
14 - 1 tablespoon Limoncello liqueur, optional
15 - 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan or standard loaf pan.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in lemon zest, lemon juice, Limoncello, and vanilla extract.
05 - Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the batter, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined without overmixing.
06 - Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
07 - Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, Limoncello if using, and zest until smooth and pourable.
09 - Drizzle glaze over the cooled cake. Let set before slicing.

# Cooking tips:

01 -
  • The Limoncello keeps the cake impossibly moist while the glaze gives you that sharp, bright finish that feels almost refreshing after the first bite.
  • It looks elegant enough for a dinner party but honest enough to eat standing over the sink with your hands.
  • Unlike fussy cakes, this one rewards you for not overthinking it—mix it, bake it, glaze it, done.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not a luxury—they're the difference between a cake that holds together and one that separates or comes out dense, so pull your eggs and milk out early.
  • The moment you see flour streaks disappear from your batter, stop mixing immediately; every extra rotation of the mixer tightens the gluten and makes the cake tough and rubbery.
03 -
  • If Limoncello isn't available or you want to skip alcohol entirely, use an extra ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice and add a tiny pinch of almond extract (trust me) for that subtle complexity Limoncello provides.
  • Zest your lemons before you juice them; it takes 30 seconds longer but saves you from squeezing a zest-less lemon and wishing you'd planned ahead.
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