Lemon Sourdough Pound Cake

Enjoy this deliciously sweet sourdough pound cake topped with a lemon glaze. You can use sourdough starter or sourdough discard for this recipe that boasts a bright, fresh pop of lemon flavor … perfect for spring.

Spring is fully here. On the homestead, more fencing is being built so our cows and goats have more access to that spring green pasture. Peonies are popping forth, and nearly everything is bursting with cheery blooms. 

I swear, once it starts, it only takes a week. Things go from hibernation to alive in mere moments. Hope for what is to come in the future is refreshed.

Speaking of refreshing … lemon is one of my favorite flavors for desserts. Lemon is wonderfully bright and refreshing – a heavenly blend of sweet and sour.

Add an additional level of tang from sourdough, and it is perfection. This sourdough pound cake is sweet and dense just like a “regular” recipe, but it has so many layers of flavor. 

It can be whipped up and baked quickly, or long fermented for better digestion and health benefits. Long-fermenting will give the cake a stronger sourdough flavor, and sourdough starter or discard will work for this recipe. 

Serve it up with some homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit. It’s the perfect dessert for a spring party, baby shower, wedding shower, or just because.

If you want more lemon recipes, check out this delicious gluten free lemon cake, lemon poppy muffins, sourdough blueberry muffins, strawberry lemonade, and my favorite chicken recipe.

Tips For Making Sourdough Pound Cake

• You can make this recipe without a sourdough starter. Simply substitute the starter with 1⁄4 cup flour and 1⁄4 cup yogurt.
• Splurge for organic lemons because you’re using the zest.
• Creaming the butter and brown sugar together first, for 3-5 minutes, is really important for a good final texture. Always use fresh baking powder and baking soda. When you buy new baking powder and baking soda, choose smaller containers and write the date you purchased them on the container; replace them every 3-4 months.
• For the glaze, you can choose a light glaze or a thicker icing, depending on how much icing sugar you use. If you use 1 cup of icing sugar, it may seem at first like 1 tbsp of lemon juice isn’t enough, but just keep stirring and the sugar will dissolve down into a glaze.

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Can I use active sourdough starter or discard for this recipe?

Either will actually work. Using discard may yield a slightly more soured flavor compared to active starter. 

What is the best flour to use for pound cake?

It seems to be something of a debate. Most people will say that either all-purpose flour or cake flour work best for pound cake. Cake flour yields a lighter cake, but can be challenging to find, while most people already have all-purpose in the pantry. For this recipe, I liked the texture of mixing spelt flour with all-purpose.

Tools:

Stand mixer

Loaf pan

Measuring spoons and cups

Microplane

Citrus Squeezer

How To Make Lemon Sourdough Pound Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan with butter.

Combine dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) well in a medium-sized bowl. 

Cream butter and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Creaming the butter and brown sugar together first is really important for a good final texture.

Beat in room temperature eggs one at a time. If you forgot to take the eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you can bring them up to room temperature quickly by setting them in a bowl of very warm water for 5-10 minutes.

Once eggs are combined, add room temperature maple syrup, yogurt, stirred sourdough starter, lemon zest, and lemon juice. 

Fold in dry ingredients a bit at a time just until incorporated. Be careful not to over mix the batter, or your pound cake will end up dense and tough.

Pour into a greased pan and bake for 60 to 65 minutes. Test bread at 55 minutes with a toothpick or cake tester. Bread is ready to come out of the oven when the cake tester comes out clean. 

Allow to cool completely in the loaf pan for one hour. 

While it is cooling, create the glaze by whisking together the lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Once the loaf is cooled, drizzle the lemon glaze over the top of the loaf and enjoy!

Long-Fermented Sourdough Pound Cake

Cream butter and sugar together for 3-5 minutes until fluffy.

Stir in room temperature maple syrup, yogurt, stirred sourdough starter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour.

Cover and set aside for 8-12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan with butter.

Using a stand mixer, add eggs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the sourdough pound cake batter and mix until combined. Be careful not to over mix.

Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Find more delicious sourdough dessert recipes:

• Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes
• Sourdough Brownies
• Cranberry Sourdough Bread
• Sourdough Coffee Cake
• Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone

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