One of my favorite flavors is the citrus and sweet combination. When I saw fresh Meyer lemons at the grocery store, I couldn’t resist and knew I should make a Meyer Lemon Pound Cake. I have been using the same recipe for years, but this year I decided to go with this recipe from Tutti Dolci.
Meyer lemons are in season from December through May, but I typically see them at the store for much shorter than that period. They are sweeter than regular lemons and have a nice floral aroma. They are great with baked goods and salad, and I typically stock condiments such has Meyer lemon curd (drool!) and marmalade in my pantry. You can substitute with regular lemons but remember they are much more acidic than meyer lemons so you will need to adjust.
Because I love the tangy flavor, I might have gone overboard with the amount of zest in the glaze (do you see? ha ha!). And being a beginner baker (did you notice I stop saying “I’m not a baker” ?), I struggled with the consistency of the glaze and its look. I need to practice a bit more so that I get the perfect look on the pound cake one day.
All in all, this is the best Meyer Lemon Pound Cake that I baked, even with that imperfect glaze. The cake was very moist throughout the bread and the balance between sweetness and tangy sourness was just right. I know I’ll make this again while meyer lemons are still in season and hope you enjoy this pound cake too!
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- ½ Tbsp unsalted butter for greasing
- All-purpose flour for dusting
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Meyer lemons (zested)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup plain fat-free yogurt
- ¾ cup low-fat buttermilk
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar/powder sugar (sifted)
- 1 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
- ½ tsp Meyer lemon zest
Gather all the ingredients.
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan, dust the inside of the pan with flour, and tap out the excess. Line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper, dust the paper with flour and tap out the excess. Or spray the loaf pan with non-stick spray if you have one. Set aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Place sugar and Meyer lemon zest in a food processor and pulse 30 seconds.
- Beat butter and lemon-sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy and then beat in egg and vanilla.
- Combine yogurt and buttermilk in a small bowl.
- Reduce speed to low and add half of flour mixture, beating just to combine. Add yogurt mixture, then finish with remaining flour mixture.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Give the pan several sharp taps on the counter to bring up any air bubbles that may be trapped in the batter. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; carefully remove cake from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
- To prepare glaze, sift powder sugar in a bowl and add Meyer lemon zest.
- Add Meyer lemon juice and whisk all together.
- Drizzle glaze over cooled cake and let set before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Slightly adapted from Tutti Dolci.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
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Laura @ Family Spice
I love LOVE lemon cakes – so refreshing! I love all these gorgeous citrus desserts out now. A serious competition against chocolate!
donna mikasa
Oh, this looks so good, Nami! I remember you sharing this on Instagram. I will try it with regular lemons and adjust for the acidity. Will let you know if I do!
Nami
Hi Donna! Yes I did – usually it takes more time to write a post but I was afraid Meyer lemon goes out of the season so I hurried up. 😀 Hope you enjoy the recipe with lemons!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Your cake is so pretty, Nami! So glad you enjoyed it, now I am craving a slice!! I will share with my FB page tomorrow when more people will see it :).
A_Boleyn
You weren’t kidding about the zest but it makes for such a unique looking pound cake. I feel deprived as I’ve never tried a Meyer lemon or anything made with it.
You may not bake a lot but all your baked goods are beautiful.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I love this cake and its glaze! Nothing better than a piece of cake like this, a cup of tea or coffee and a good friend to gab with.
Sandra's Easy Cooking
I need to go in bed and stop drooling over your pound cake. What a delicious recipe and hey the more zest the better…I love taste of zest with nice sweet glaze-defiantly gives such a nice aroma. Gorgeous pictures!!!!!
Sue | My Korean Kitchen
“I love taste of zest with nice sweet glaze” – I couldn’t agree more!
Tomi
Hi Nami,
I have a Meyer lemon tree with beautiful fruit on it right now. I am going to try this cake tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe!
Nami
Hi Tomi! You have a Meyer lemon tree! So jealous~~. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the cake! Thank you for writing. 🙂
Bam's Kitchen
Konnichwa Nami-san, I also just bought some Meyer lemons at the store today. I love your lemon glaze and this would be perfect with a cup of match tea. I am going savory with a greek lemon rice soup…with my purchase today. Ja mata, BAM
Vicki Bensinger
Nami this sounds incredible. I still have a bag of Meyer lemons that I need to do something with before they go bad, this recipe sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Lianne
Wow! I simply adore pound cake and this lemony one is making me drool by just looking at it! hehe Have to go hunt for some meyer lemons just to try it! hehe Thanks for this recipe. photos are gorgeous as usual! xx
kat
looks so good!
Lail | With A Spin
I have been thinking of baking a cake for last two weeks but haven’t got around to it. Looking at yours my craving just went up.
Sue | My Korean Kitchen
Looks so delicious! It’s citrus season here soon, so I’m very looking forward to making this!!
hui
i’d love to bake with meyer lemons! if only it was available over here.. but recently i read someone finding some in singapore, maybe i’ll get lucky and find some in kl too ^^ cake texture looks beautiful, nami! this would be so perfect with a cup of coffee.. or tea ^^
Mallika
That Mayer Lemon Cake looks sinfully good! Love the texture and the beauty of the cake. Beautiful clicks Nami!
Jayne
For a new baker, your cake looks so good! I love lemon cakes so so much. I need to try this pound cake soon because I have 8 lemons on my counter now. Sadly, no eggs. But once I go grocery shopping, this is what I’ll make.
The Ninja Baker
Just made lemon cake cream roll for Sunday Supper. Wish I’d had this lovely, lovely recipe. Meyer lemons are the best!!! And the photos of your poundcake, Nami-san, inspire me to bake one of my own. どうもありがとう！
albertocook
I love this!!!!
Giulietta | Alterkitchen
Way to go, girl! A lot of baking in 2013! This lemon cake is amazing! I love it 🙂
Belinda @zomppa
You know how much I love lemon pound cake…I feel like this is just for me!
Alessandra
We have a lot of Meyer lemons in New Zealand, should try this cake!
Ciao
Alessandra
Jeannie
I love all the tangy flavors of this pound cake…..very nice for a beginner but I bet very soon you’ll be a professional baker!
Sissi
Gorgeous cake, Nami. I envy you so much the Meyer lemons (which obviously are not sold here). I must say that for a “beginning baker” it’s impressive: it’s the most complex pound cake I have ever seen, but now that I think maybe this version is perfect for American cooks, who prefer cups rather than scales. In my head and experience pound cake doesn’t require any recipe because everything is weighed simply based on the weight of eggs (I don’t know if you remember my post about it… my photos were far from being unforgettable, unlike your works of art!). Hence the name “pound cake” because in olden times women baked rarely and in big amounts, so everything weighed a pound: butter, sugar, flour and eggs. (I strongly advise you try it one day: it’s incredible but it always works!). On the other hand, I know many North Americans don’t own scales, so your version is perfect for them! And so beautiful!
Mel
Hi Nami your pound cake simply looks so perfectly baked. If only i could get meyer lemon here so i could try it out. Who know I might be lucky if i could get some here so I could try out this pound cake. I always loves pound cake.
Eri
Believe it or not I was thinking about htis cake, and I was thinking an upside down pineapple cake also Nami!
It looks great, I love every lemon of the world!
Hugs and Kisses, have a relaxing weekend!
[email protected]
I’m SO happy to see that the baking-bug bit you!! Look at your beautiful cake – my mouth is watering up. I also add a ton of zest to my cakes, but I like them citrusy, so it’s all good! 🙂
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
I love lemons so I don’t think that you overdid the lemons at all! The more the merrier! 😀
Denise [email protected] Brazil To You
Love Meyer lemons…Your pound cake looks delish, Nami! Gorgeous picture — especially the last one with the tones of blue and yellow. I love the combinations of these colors. A happy weekend for you!
Nazneen|Coffee and Crumpets
I love Meyer lemons and miss my tree in Texas. This pound cake is gorgeous Nami!
Nazneen
Mi Vida en un Dulce
Nami…you are a baker…end of the story.
Look at theat pound cake, wonderful, and I like hoy the zest looks in the glaze…!!!
Rosa
Delicious and perfect for afternoon tea!
Cheers,
Rosa
Gourmet Creations
DELICIOUS!
Valerie @ From Valerie's Kitchen
I have a small Meyer lemon tree in my back yard and I love baking with them. I also love baking with buttermilk. It add such a velvety richness to baked goods. This looks wonderful! Pinning.
Balvinder
I haven’t baked a cake from almost two months. Looking at this citrusy flavored cake I am craving some.
Chef and Sommelier
Hi Nami! The lemons are orange in colour? Are all meyer lemons orange?
Practice more? Your pund cake looks perfect already!
Ana Helena Campbell
Nami! Citrus and sweet are one my favorite combinations too! Your cake is simply delicious and perfect for an afternoon tea or a very strong cup of Brazilian coffee:) Lovely pictures!
torviewtoronto
pound cake looks fabulous
Anne @The Cooking Campaign
YUM! I love lemon everything. Can’t wait to try this.
[email protected]
Lemon in anything sure gets my attention! It’s a great flavor in cakes, and pound cake is one of the best. Good stuff – thanks so much.
nipponnin
What are you talking about? The cake looks per-fect and pretty. I love lemon anything!
Eileen
This pound cake sounds so good–dense and moist and tangy. I think I may know what to do with all the meyer lemons on our tree now!
Shirley
This looks really good! I think I have still never seen a Meyer lemon except online. I think of them as a very California thing. They just don’t have them in the stores here, except I wonder if Whole Foods would be an exception. I can imagine how fragrant the pound cake must be. Also love the yellow checked and blue fabrics!
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker
I LOVE pound cake and I LOVE meyer lemon so this is the perfect combo. Will give this one a try. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love.
Lemon pound cake is the best and this looks so perfect!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
Yummy! I love meyer lemon and can’t wait to use it in baking 🙂
Mich Piece of Cake
Love all lemon cakes, especially those with glaze. Looks so refreshing and delicious.
Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover
I have never try Meyer lemon before, if one day I chance upon in market here, I make sure to get some .,
Ramona
I am so glad you are baking more… you do it beautifully!! This pound cake is marvelous and lemon is one of my favorite flavors in baking. 🙂
Baby Sumo
Hi Nami, I think your cake is so pretty and you’re so not beginner at all. 🙂 I love lemon curd too, goes so well with everything!
[email protected]
Who can resist a delicious citrus treat?! You are now a qualified seasoned baker, Nami. The pound cake turned out perfect! The only sweet stuffs I have recently are fresh fruits and dark chocolate, so you got me craving for some home baked goods!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
I enjoy lemon desserts and your pound cake sounds terrific. I have to see if our market could special order Meyer lemons…I would love to use them in cooking.
Lynna
What a gorgeous looking lemon pound cake! I must try this recipe, since you said it`s the best you`ve had! I love the tangy flavor of lemons as well. Definitely, one of my favorite fruits flavors in baked goodies!
Nancy/SpicieFoodie
We rarely see meyer lemons here:( When we buy pound cake it it almost always lemon flavoured. I love the way yours look, you’ve become quite the expert baker Nami:) Thanks for sharing the recipe and link to Laura’s.
yummychunklet
Such a pretty looking pound cake!
Allison (Spontaneous Tomato)
Yum, this looks delicious! I love the look of all that lemon zest in the glaze…
mjskit
What a great pound cake! My mother used to make lemon pound cake all of the time and I ate WAY too much of it. I love it that you used meyer lemons. They are quite different than regular lemons and I’m sure they work great in this cake! Love the recipe!
Baltic Maid
What a beautiful cake! Oh, and I can only imagine the taste… I am drooling… 😛 Time to buy some lemons 🙂
Kitty
Now I’m so hungry after seeing the photo and reading the recipe! I love anything lemon and Meyer lemons are fabulous. I was going to make Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Tart but think I’ll give your recipe a try.
Nami
Me too, I love the citrus + sweet combo. If you get to bake the recipe, I hope you enjoyed! Your Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Tart sounds so delicious too!
Priscilla | She's Cookin'
I’ll have to start saying “beginner baker” instead of “I’m not a baker”, too 🙂 Citrus desserts – esp. Meyer lemon, are my fave so I may have to try Laura’s recipe, too. Delicious cake and photos, Nami!
Lisa H.
A beautiful capture and yummy bake, Nami.
Raymund
Looks nice and easy, will try this at home as well.
Youre really starting to get serious with your baking Nami!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious
How did you know that Meyer lemon is my #1 food obsession now?! This looks amazing – definitely need to whip this up over the weekend!
TheKitchenLioness
Nami, I love everything lemon, absolutely, and I also love to bake lemon cakes with buttermilk, they are probably the best and most delicious cakes to bake – and your cake looks wonderful, perfect crumb and nice color! What a wonderful treat! We do not find Meyer Lemons around here but I do not mind the extra tang from regular lemons.
Tiffany
Looks beautiful Nami! And perfect for spring 😀
Ella-Home Cooking Adventure
You definitely do a very good job on baking, this looks incredible good. I am sure it tastes as it looks:)
Sandra
Yet another reason I should have bought the Meyer Lemons when I seen them. Beautiful cake Nami!
Rhonda (@diningalone)
I love your cute fork! This pound cake looks so tasty and refreshing almost!
[email protected]
Citrus fruits at this time of year scream spring…and we are expecting a snow storm tonight. You are a much better baker than you give yourself credit, glaze is not always easy. I’ll have a bunch of slices.
Ashley Bee (Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine)
I love Meyer lemons, and I absolutely adore lemon loaves. I need to find some of these lemons and do this!
Kelly
Wow this looks absolutely beautiful! 🙂
Lokness @ The Missing Lokness
This pound cake looks fantastic! I really like pound cake, and meyer lemon is just perfect with it. I really hope I can find some meyer lemons in my neighborhood. Where did you get yours?
Gourmet Creations
FANTASTIC!
[email protected]
Meyer lemons! I always buy a whole bag when I see them in the supermarket but it’s hard to find as they’re not always in season ~ What a great pound cake to have as an afternoon tea treat 🙂 Can’t wait to try it out!
Von
Your lemons are so bright and beautiful….unlike the ones I get here! I wish we could get meyer lemons in Australia- I’ve always wanted to try them….everyone makes them sound so good!! This pound cake sounds amazing! 🙂
Helene
I have never baked with Meyer Lemons before but any desserts with lemons are a winner with me. This dessert is so Spring. Yumme!
Kate @ Kate from Scratch
Now I have a craving for lemon cake. Yours looks wonderfully light and perfect for this time of year. Delicious!
Sylvia
Lovely and moist cake you have there! I’ve never tried meyer lemons before so I’ve to keep a lookout for them. I think i might need to bake the cake twice, once using meyer lemons and another using normal ones so that I’ll know the difference!
Carol | a cup of mascarpone
Nami, this is my absolute favorite in the whole world, and yours looks absolutely delicious and so refreshing! I NEED a slice for breakfast! Beautiful!!!
[email protected]
The pictures are terrific, and the cake looks mouthwatering.
Food Jaunts
This looks delicious! I haven’t seen meyer lemons at the store (boo) but I have been eyeing some key limes. Hmmm…I wonder if I could adapt and just adjust for the key lime.
Liz
Just a gorgeous loaf. Cake perfection. You bake SO well…I’d love to share a slice of this with you over tea. I hope you’d let me have seconds 🙂
Rowena @ Apron and Sneakers
Yum! Anything from Tutti Dolci is good. I would love to try this one too. It looks too inviting!
Yelena
Lemon cakes and any other lemon dessert is perfect for me. It’s my favorite flavor after a chocolate of course-)) Your cake is so beautiful Nami! I bet the aroma was irresistible-)
Marta @ What should I eat for breakfast today
Lemon cake is very often in my home, as it’s so easy to prepare. And delicious. I love lemon and a taste of it’s zest. Great work.
Reem | Simply Reem
I love citirus pound cake.. this sounds fabulous…
There is something about meyer lemon that makes that so sinfully good… This recipe is a must try…
Love it.
Hannah
Beautiful, Nami! What a luscious, lemony cake. I love Laura’s recipes. You are making me very hungry with your tempting photos!
Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen
Your cake sounds totally delicious, I love the look of the lemon topping!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen
I love the sweeter more floral taste of meyer lemons, they are more delicate in flavor and really wonderful in cakes.
Dedy Oktavianus [email protected]
Your pictorial is helping me up, i jut know that you;ve processed the zect to, nice trick…
gives a very nice scents to the cake…..
Asmita
Gorgeous cake and beautifully shown! Would love to eat this with my afternoon tea, actually anytime is more like it!!!
Mr. & Mrs. P
This cake looks so good. Love the addition of the Meyer lemon!
Sarah
Thank you Nami for this recipe! I LOVED it! So did all my coworkers. I look forward to baking this again tonight. It was my first time using meyer lemon and I’m in love!!! Bright, light w/o being sour. Perfect.
Nami
Hi Sarah! I’m really happy to hear that you and your coworkers enjoyed this pound cake! Thank you so much for taking your time to write feedback for me. 🙂
Roxana | Roxana's Home Baking
I love Meyer lemon desserts and although I haven’t seen any at the sore for a while now, will keep the recipe for next season, or maybe try a combo or lemons and oranges. Maybe …
Brittney
how many calories would you say are in a normal sized piece of this cake?
Nami
Hi Brittney! I’m so sorry but I am not familiar with that information.
However, I googled and found this. It’s not the same cake (and prob ingredients are different), but I think it’s close enough?
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/williams-sonoma-meyer-lemon-pound-cake-prepared-24934185
Hope that helps!
Belinda @zomppa
Heavens – you know how much I adore pound cakes and lemons!!
Devie
I just made this and OH MY GOD!!!!! This is so so so so delicious and the cake is very moist.. I was actually surprised it turned out much softer than when i made pound cake with vegetable oil.. oh and i couldn’t find meyer lemons here in Australia, so i used normal lemon and adjusted the amount that i put in.. and it’s perfect!!!! Thanks Nami!!!
Nami
Hi Devie! Yay! I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. We also loved it too! I need to try with regular lemon next time! Thank you so much for the feedback. 🙂
Suri
I’ve made the cake, i used Orange because we don’t have Meyer Lemon here, but the taste still really really good. thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Nami
Hi Suri! Thank you so much for your feedback! Now we all know we can use orange and it tastes wonderful too! Glad you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
suz
Hi Nami, i chanced upon your myer lemon pound cake and would love to try. What can i substitute buttermilk with?
Nami
Hi Suz! I’ve never tried it without buttermilk so I am not sure what’s the best substitute. FYI you can make buttermilk with milk and lemon…
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-quick-easy-buttermilk-substitute-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-185757
chris
Hi Nami… could you make some dessert with lemon??? i love lomon…. your dessert it’s very delicious… and something else … could you make japanese mooncake… with easy recipe???
Nami
Hi Chris! We just finished shooting/filming Meyer lemon sable recipe, and hope to share it soon! Moon cake? It’s a Chinese dessert. I’m not sure how to make it….