This melt-in-your-mouth Small Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake is half the size of my original lemon pound cake recipe, but equally as delicious! Baked in a 6-cup bundt cake pan, this tart and tangy ultra-moist tender cake is buttery soft and made with cream cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Top it with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple lemon glaze for a fun treat any time of the year!
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Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- It's made in a 6-cup bundt cake pan.
- Enjoy this small lemon cream cheese pound cake as-is, with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple lemon glaze.
- Tart and tangy—tart from the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Tangy from the cream cheese.
- A mega moist and tender lemon bundt cake that will melt in your mouth!
- A fabulous dessert that serves 4-6 people.
- The texture, taste, and smell are simply wonderful!
Ingredients Needed
You'll need the following ingredients to make this small lemon cream cheese pound cake.
- Cake Flour. I used Swan's Down Cake Flour. I do not recommend using all-purpose flour.
- Salt. ¼ teaspoon.
- Eggs. You'll need 3 large-size eggs in total. Room temperature is best.
- Lemons. You'll need 2-3 medium-size lemons for the lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Extracts. ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon of lemon extract. The lemon extract is optional but gives this lemon cream cheese pound cake a nice little extra oomph of lemon flavor.
- Unsalted Butter. You'll need ¾ cup or 1 ½ sticks (for those in the U.S. that do not have a food scale). The butter must be at room temperature for the best results in this lemon cream cheese pound cake recipe.
- Cream Cheese. 4 ounces is needed, and ensure this is also softened to room temperature. It will blend with the unsalted butter and other ingredients a lot easier.
- Granulated Sugar. You'll need 1 ½ cups total.
- Powdered Sugar. Used to make the simple lemon glaze, or you can use it as a standalone garnish.
Let's Make the Recipe
This is a brief overview of how to make this small lemon cream cheese bundt cake recipe. For the detailed recipe card that includes US customary and metric measurements for the ingredients, scroll to the bottom.
- Blend the butter and cream cheese together. Do this for a good 2-3 minutes or until the two are well blended together and smooth.
- Add in the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Whisk again for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy in texture. The more air you can incorporate into the mixture at this stage will help leaven the cake during baking.
- Add in the lemon juice and extracts, and blend together well.
- Add in the eggs. And this is important—add them in one at a time, ensuring they've fully been blended in with the batter. Don't add them in all at once or rush this step.
- Add in the cake flour and salt. Blend until just combined—meaning just until the flour is no longer visible. Do not over-mix this batter.
- Bake at 300ºF for 60-70 minutes. For reference, my small lemon cream cheese pound cake was ready to come out at 70 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
What size bundt cake pan did you use?
I used this 6-cup bundt cake pan from Nordic Ware.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?
For this recipe and my original lemon cream cheese pound cake recipe, it's best to use cake flour because it's lighter than all-purpose.
My lemon cream cheese bundt cake is a nice golden brown on the outside but has streaks of cake that looked underbaked.
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, at medium speed. The eggs and dry ingredients should be mixed in at the lowest speed on your mixer.
What's the best way to store lemon cream cheese pound cake?
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 Treats to Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Small Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Author:This melt-in-your-mouth Small Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake is half the size of my original lemon pound cake recipe, but equally as delicious! Baked in a 6-cup bundt cake pan, this tart and tangy ultra moist, and tender cake is buttery soft and made with cream cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Top it with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple lemon glaze for a fun any time of the year treat!
Ingredients
Small Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- ¾ cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 4 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
- 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- ½ teaspoon Lemon Extract (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups Cake Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
Instructions
Small 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 a 6-cup bundt cake 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.
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the unsalted butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until it's well blended and smooth.¾ cup Unsalted Butter, 4 oz Cream Cheese
- Add in the granulated sugar and lemon zest and mix again for 3-4 minutes on medium speed or until the batter is light in color and fluffy in texture. Add in lemon juice, lemon extract (optional), and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar, 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest, 2 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice, ½ teaspoon Lemon Extract, ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed until each egg is fully blended in with the rest of the batter. Do not rush this part.3 Large Eggs
- Add in the cake flour and salt and blend together on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the batter. Alternatively, you can fold in the flour mixture with a spatula. The batter should be on the thicker side, smooth, and light in color.1 ½ cups Cake Flour, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Transfer the batter to the prepared 6-cup bundt cake 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 and bake for 60-70 minutes at 300ºF, 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, remove the pan, then let it cool completely (about 2 hours).
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 lemon cream cheese 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!1 cup Powdered Sugar, 2-3 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
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Recipe Notes
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.
For the fresh lemon juice and zest (cake and glaze) I used between 2-3 medium-size lemons. Any extra lemon juice can be kept in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
This recipe was adapted from my original Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 688kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 192mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 71g | Vitamin A: 1083IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritonal information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used.
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Vickie says
Can I use a larger size Bundt pan?
Jennifer says
For this lemon cream cheese pound cake recipe, I don't recommend using a larger size. You can, however, make my larger size lemon cream cheese pound cake which uses either a 12-cup bundt cake pan or the IKEA Vardagen cake pan.
Elliott says
My family love this! Made it for my grandchildren. When they left the next day , it was just enough for my wife and me.
Since I am new to baking, I would love to use the same recipe except make it a small chocolate cream cheese pound cake. How do I adjust the recipe?
Jennifer says
Oh, I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Elliott! Thank you for making it! I have one for the chocolate cream cheese pound cake version you asked about, but it was only tested using mini bundt cake pans. The recipe can be found here: https://beyondthebutter.com/mini-bundt-chocolate-pound-cakes/ Hope this helps!
Elliott says
Will the mini recipe fit in a 6 cup Bundt pan, it seems the recipe is very liquified. How do I adjust it for 6 cup Bundt pan?
Jennifer says
I'm unsure because I didn't test it using a 6-cup bundt pan, only the mini bundtlette pans. You might have to halve the recipe for it to work with just one 6-cup bundt cake pan.