This Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake is a dense yet incredibly moist, lemon-flavored, buttery pound cake that will melt in your mouth! Made in either a 12-cup bundt cake pan or an IKEA Vardagen cake pan, it’s an easy-to-make dessert that goes wonderfully with either a sprinkling of powdered sugar or with a simple lemon glaze!
Table of Contents
7 Reasons Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A perfect combo of tart and tangy. Tart from the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Tangy from the cream cheese.
- It can be made in an IKEA Vadagen cake pan or a 12-cup bundt cake pan.
- A dense cake that is so moist and tender that it will melt in your mouth!
- It pairs wonderfully with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple lemon glaze.
- An excellent dessert to make for any occasion and any season!
- An easy-to-make recipe that can be stored at room temp or frozen.
- Your kitchen will smell amazing as this bakes!
Ingredients Needed
To make this lemon cream cheese pound cake recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients.
- Cake Flour. Three cups are needed for this lemon pound cake recipe. If you don’t have cake flour, check out my single-layer red velvet cake recipe on how to make your own homemade cake flour substitute.
- Salt. 1 teaspoon is needed for this recipe.
- Eggs. You’ll need six total. Four large eggs and two large egg yolks, and make sure they’re at room temperature. Keep the egg whites refrigerated to use with your breakfast the next day or to make either my lemon bar macarons or dark chocolate macarons!
- Milk. Only 1/4 cup is needed. You can use either 1%, 2%, or whole.
- Lemons. You’ll need roughly 3-4 medium-size lemons. 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice, two teaspoons of lemon zest for the cake, and four tablespoons if you plan to make the lemon glaze.
- Vanilla Extract. 2 teaspoons are needed. Pure vanilla extract is best.
- Unsalted Butter. You’ll need 1 1/2 cups or three sticks (for those in the U.S. that do not have a food scale). This is best at room temperature.
- Cream Cheese. Make sure this is softened to room temperature. It will blend with the unsalted butter and other ingredients a lot easier. Six ounces are needed.
- Granulated Sugar. You’ll need 3 cups total. Or you can use organic pure cane sugar as a 1:1 substitute.
- Powdered Sugar. Used to make the simple lemon glaze, or you can use it as a standalone garnish.
Bundt Cake Pan Size
The best size bundt cake pan to use for this lemon cream cheese pound cake recipe is a 12-cup size bundt pan. I used my Nordic Ware Original ProCast Bundt Pan, but any 12-cup bundt cake pan will be fine.
You can also use, as I did, this IKEA Vardagen cake pan.
With either pan, make sure to heavily butter and flour your cake pan or use a flour-based baking spray such as Baker’s Joy.
Need to figure out what size bundt cake pan you have? Check out a few tips in my marble bundt cake recipe post!
Recommended Baking Tools
Below are the recommended baking tools needed to make this recipe.
Helpful Tips
To make this the best lemon cream cheese bundt cake recipe ever, follow these helpful tips!
Get yourself an oven thermometer. This will ensure your oven is heated to the correct temperature. Oven thermometers are inexpensive and a lifesaver in the kitchen!
Preheat a jelly roll pan or baking sheet. Place a jelly roll pan or baking sheet directly underneath the bundt pan as it bakes. Because we’re rotating the cake halfway through baking, this makes it easier to handle.
Mix the batter slowly. When you cream your butter, cream cheese, and sugar, it’s best to do this at no higher than medium speed. For the egg mixture and the whisked dry ingredients, they should be mixed in gradually at a slow speed.
Aluminum foil layer. If you want to avoid your lemon cream cheese pound cake turning overly dark, you can add a sheet of aluminum foil over the top for the last 15-20 minutes of baking.
Let it cool. Allow your lemon cream cheese pound cake to cool for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire cooling rack. You can, if you would like, run a small paring knife between the cake edges and the bundt cake pan beforehand to help loosen it. I usually like to run mine gently around the center tub edge.
The pound cake should cool completely on the wire cooling rack before serving. This can take about 2-3 hours.
Add a lemon glaze or sprinkle of powdered sugar. I tested this recipe a few times using both the lemon glaze and the powdered sugar. Both are good, but the lemon glaze does add a little extra bit of sweetness. If that’s not your thing, then I suggest either the dusting of powdered sugar or simply enjoying it as-is!
Recipe FAQs
I used both the IKEA Vardagen cake pan and this 12-cup bundt cake pan from Nordic Ware.
Yes, absolutely. With either pan for a successful cake release, you should either butter and flour the cake pan or generously spray it with a flour-based baking spray like Baker’s Joy. I swear by this brand because it has never given me any issues with releasing a cake from a bundt cake pan—or any pan, for that matter!
No, I do not recommend making this in a 10-cup bundt cake pan. There is simply too much batter. You can, however, split the batter between 2, 6-inch bundt cake pans.
You can, but fresh lemon juice really is best here. Don’t skip the lemon zest, either. That’s where the flavor really is!
Believe it or not, the streaks you’re seeing are fully baked. The reason this is happening, according to King Arthur Flour, is caused by over creaming the butter and sugars together at too fast of a speed with your mixer. It should be done, at most, medium speed. For your egg mixture and whisked dry ingredients, they should be mixed in at the lowest speed on your mixer.
The pound cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can also be stored in the freezer, double-wrapped in plastic wrap with an aluminum foil cover for up to 1 month. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
More Lemon Dessert Recipes to Try!
Easy Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- 3 cups Cake Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 2 Large Egg Yolks, room temperature
- 1/4 cup Milk, 1%, 2%, or whole
- 1/3 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 6 oz Cream Cheese, softened
- 3 cups Granulated Sugar , or organic pure cane sugar
- 2 tsp Lemon Zest
Lemon Glaze
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2-4 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
Instructions
Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Adjust your oven rack to the middle or center position, place a jelly roll pan or baking sheet on top, and preheat the oven to 300ºF. Generously spray the IKEA Vardagen cake pan or 12-cup bundt pan with a flour-based baking spray (like Baker’s Joy). Set to the side. Alternatively, you can butter and flour the inside of the pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour and salt. Set to the side.3 cups Cake Flour, 1 tsp Salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.4 Large Eggs, 2 Large Egg Yolks, 1/4 cup Milk, 1/3 cup Fresh Lemon Juice, 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the unsalted butter, softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and lemon zest at no higher than medium speed until light in color and fluffy in texture.1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter, 6 oz Cream Cheese, 3 cups Granulated Sugar, 2 tsp Lemon Zest
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add in the egg mixture until it is fully incorporated with the rest of the batter. The batter at this stage may appear a bit curdled—this is okay.
- Keeping the mixer speed on low, gradually add in the cake flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Alternatively, you can fold in the flour mixture with a spatula. The batter should be on the thicker side, smooth, and light in color.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared IKEA cake pan or 12-cup bundt pan, then gently tap on the counter 2-3 times to release any air bubbles.
- Place on top of the preheated jelly roll pan or baking sheet. If using a 12-cup bundt pan, bake for 85 – 95 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. If using the IKEA Vardagen cake pan, bake for 75-85 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The outside of the lemon cream cheese pound cake will be a medium golden brown with slightly darker edges that have pulled away from the edge. When pressed lightly with your finger, the cake should spring back. The best test is to insert a cake tester into the cake. If there is any batter left on the tester, continue to bake. To avoid a very dark outside, you can choose to place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top with 15-20 minutes remaining.
- Let the cake cool on a wire cooling rack for 15-20 minutes, then carefully invert onto the cooling rack, removing the pan, then letting it cool completely (about 2-3 hours).
- This lemon cream cheese pound cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can also be stored in the freezer, double wrapped in plastic wrap with an aluminum foil cover for up to 1 month.
Lemon Glaze (optional)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice then evenly pour over the top of the cooled pound cake. The lemon glaze can also be added after you have sliced the cake too. For a thinner glaze, add more lemon juice. For a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar.In place of the lemon glaze, you can easily dust the cake with a little powdered sugar or enjoy it plain!2 cups Powdered Sugar, 2-4 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used. See Nutritional Disclaimer for more info.
I want you to know I made two 8 inch layers and they were perfect. So many compliments, my daughter said the best cake she ever had. 😃. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Yay! That’s wonderful! Thank you for trying this recipe out as a layer cake and for the sweet review!
I made this cake this weekend and it was a hit. It is delicious. I was wondering have anyone made a layer cake using this recipe?
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! I’ve never tried it as a layer cake, but need to try it as one!
I think I will try it today. Will let you know.
Thanks, please do!
I want to make this but I am confused about how you are using the cookie sheet. Can you please explain where I am to put the cookie sheet?
I’m so sorry that my wording may have been confusing. I recommend baking the pound cake on top of the baking sheet or jelly roll pan because you need to rotate the pan half way through. It’s a personally preference and something I recommend because I find it easier to do then trying to rotate the bundt cake pan or IKEA cake pan. I preheat the oven with the baking sheet inside to prevent it from possibly warping or buckling during baking. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much. That cleared it for me. I am trying it today. 😀
Oh excellent, I hope you enjoy it! Have a great weekend!
I made this cake and it was very light and fluffy. Such great flavor and texture. I went for a second slice.