Limoncello Pound Cake Lemon (Printer-Friendly)

A moist, citrusy pound cake brightened with limoncello and lemon glaze, ideal for spring or anytime treats.

# What You Need:

→ Pound Cake

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 2 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1/3 cup limoncello liqueur
08 - 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
09 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
10 - Zest of 2 lemons
11 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Lemon Glaze

12 - 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
13 - 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
14 - 1 tablespoon limoncello liqueur, optional
15 - Zest of 1 lemon for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan or bundt pan.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
05 - Mix in limoncello, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until combined.
06 - Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
07 - Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top.
08 - Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, tent with foil after 40 minutes.
09 - Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and limoncello if using, adding more lemon juice for a pourable consistency.
11 - Drizzle glaze over cooled cake. Garnish with lemon zest. Let set before slicing.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The limoncello keeps the crumb impossibly moist while the glaze adds a professional shine that makes it look like you spent all day on it.
  • It tastes like spring no matter what season you're actually baking in, and it pairs with everything from morning coffee to an evening aperitif.
02 -
  • Room temperature eggs and milk are genuinely essential—I learned this the hard way when a cold egg made my batter look broken and grainy, and the resulting cake had a dense, unpleasant texture.
  • If your cake top browns too quickly, tenting it with foil after 40 minutes saves the day and prevents a burnt exterior before the center is done.
03 -
  • Use a microplane zester for lemon zest because it captures only the flavorful yellow oils and avoids the bitter white pith that block knives pull out.
  • If you don't have limoncello on hand, you can substitute the same amount of fresh lemon juice, though you'll lose some of that special boozy depth.
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