Although the nutrition facts and ingredients may say otherwise, this limoncello pound cake is light and fresh, making it the perfect spring (or summer) treat! Lemon desserts can be underrated and now that spring is upon us, we needed to make something citrusy and delicious. Enter: limoncello pound cake.
Even though they are typically loaded with butter and eggs, pound cakes can be dry and crumbly. We promise our recipe is not either of those things! It’s dense and moist, with a vibrant lemon flavor.
Ingredient Notes
- Room temperature butter and eggs are so important for this recipe and baking in general. Having them at room temp allows for even mixing and decreases chances of overmixing (because they mix better at room temp versus cold).
- We used whole (5%) Greek yogurt in this recipe but sour cream can be substituted! We let this get to room temp as well.
- If you don’t have or want to use limoncello, fresh lemon juice will work just as well.
- Fresh lemon zest makes a huge difference in taste! To yield 4 Tbsp zest, we used ~2 small lemons. Feel free to save some for the icing
Recipe FAQ
Yes! Do not fret if the batter looks curdled and chunky before mixing in the dry ingredients.
Frequently! Clumps of batter tend to stick to the bottom and sides so it’s important to scrape down these areas to make sure the batter is fully mixed.
A couple of ways:
1. Make sure the pan is greased well before pouring in the batter.
2. Let the cake cool completely or almost completely before attempting removal.
*You may need to run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake before removing it. If you do this, be careful not to scratch the pan or cut into the cake!
Thin icing may be too runny and spread too thin on the cake itself. You can thicken it by adding 1-2 Tbsp of powdered sugar at a time, until you’ve reached your desired consistency!
If the icing is too thick, it won’t spread easily and may not move once you pour it onto the cake. Adding 1-2 Tbsp of heavy cream or water will help thin it out! We recommend testing it after adding a little liquid by dropping a spoon of icing on the cake to see what it does. It’s better to err on the side of the icing being too thick! It will spread more than you think.
You can use all lemon juice or all limoncello, depending on your taste preference.
You can use water, milk, and/or heavy cream in place of lemon juice and limoncello! Just make sure you use the same amounts of liquid total.
We are so happy with this limoncello pound cake recipe because it tastes great but is also a fun dessert to decorate and bring to any group gathering! It’s the perfect dessert for a summer BBQ or even breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee. Please rate, review, and comment on our recipe if you make it at home! And post and tag us on social media so we can see!
PrintLimoncello Pound Cake
This moist pound cake is the perfect spring or summer recipe (or any time of year recipe that will make it feel like spring or summer!). The lemon is so light and refreshing, and would be a great way to end an outdoor BBQ!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cup butter (room temp)
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 5 eggs + 2 yolks (room temp)
- ½ cup 5% fat (whole) plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup limoncello
- 4 Tbsp fresh lemon zest (~2 lemons)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (unbleached enriched)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For the icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1 Tbsp limoncello
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F and heavily grease bundt pan.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing after each. Scrape the bowl (sides and bottom).
- Add Greek yogurt, vanilla, limoncello, and lemon zest. Mix until combined and scrape sides/bottom of the bowl again.
*The batter may look curdled – this is normal! - In a separate mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add ½ of the dry ingredients to the wet and mix. Then add the remaining half.
*Be careful to not overmix. The batter will be fairly thick at this point. - Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes before transferring to a cooling wrack.
For the icing
- Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
*If icing is too thick, add 1 Tbsp of liquid (water or heavy cream) at a time and mix. Add until icing is of the desired consistency. - Gently pour icing over cooled cake.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- The icing may need more or less liquid depending on how thick or thin you want it. Add 1 Tbsp of liquid at time and mix.
- You can use all lemon juice or all limoncello, depending on which flavor you prefer.
- You can also use water or your milk of choice instead of heavy cream!
- Wait to ice the cake until it has completely cooled (slightly warm is okay) because the icing will hold its shape better
- This pound cake will store at room temp for 5 days (move into an air-tight container as soon as possible to prevent it from drying out)
- You can keep it in the fridge for 7 days or freezer for 1 month as well!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 606
- Sugar: 55
- Sodium: 316
- Fat: 31
- Saturated Fat: 18
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 74
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 170
Keywords: lemon bundt cake, lemon desserts, lemon pound cake, limoncello, limoncello bundt cake, limoncello pound cake, limoncello recipes, spring desserts, summer desserts
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