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!
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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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.