The perfect warm weather cake, Limoncello Pound Cake is light and full of lemon flavor. Perfect for an after dinner dessert or an afternoon treat with a cold glass of iced tea.

If you remember the homemade limoncello I made a few weeks ago, I’ve been enjoying a little here and there as a cold, sweet treat after dinner. There is only so much of it you can drink so I thought I would put it to good use in a recipe.

Pound cake is one of my favorite cakes, I love the texture, but it is not the healthiest of cakes. There is a pound of butter in it after all, but one obviously is not consuming all of it (unless you eat the whole cake) and lets face it, we’re not watching our waistlines when we are eating cake anyway.

I love a homemade cake and it’s always so rewarding to not only get it right, but getting it out of the pan in one piece. I made this cake in my bundt pan, just for a pretty presentation but you can also use regular 9 inch pans. You’ll probably have to split the cake batter between 2 pans and only fill them 1/2 way. An 8 inch loaf pan will also work, but you may need 2 of these as well.

Bundt pan tip

 If you do use a bundt pan, I discovered a trick to help loosen the cake from the pan without damaging the integrity of the surface. When the cake comes out of the oven, lay a damp kitchen towel over the top of the cake for 15 minutes. The moisture will help release it.

Testing the cake doneness

A toothpick being inserted into a cake and coming out clean is a great way to make sure the center is cooked. However, this is a deep cake so you may not be able to get the toothpick all the way to the center. Solution? Use a digital meat thermometer. What? Yes! The first cake I made was a little raw in the center and using the thermometer for cake works the same as for meat.

For an extra lemon-y kick, a simple frosting of powdered sugar and limoncello is drizzled over the top and since the cake is not too sweet, it’s a perfect balance.

If you’ve tried this Limoncello Pound Cake or any other recipe on the blog, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!

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Yield: 12

Limoncello Pound Cake

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Light and lemony pound cake made with limoncello

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups (339 grams)) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 1/3 (496 grams) cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) whole milk
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) limoncello
• Zest and juice of 3 lemons

For the glaze

• 1 cup (128 grams) powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons limoncello

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the center of the oven.
2. Coat a bundt pan with butter and lightly dust with flour.
3. Beat butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until very light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
4. Continue beating butter while adding eggs, one at a time.
5. To a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. To a separate bowl mix the milk, limoncello, lemon zest and juice.
6. Add 1/3 of the flour mix to the butter and eggs with the beater on low. Add 1/2 of the milk mix and beat. Repeat these steps, ending with flour. Mix until smooth, don't overbeat.
7. Pour batter into prepared bundt cake pan and bake for 50 - 60 minutes. Rotate the cake halfway through. Test the cake 50 minutes into baking with a toothpick. If it comes out clean when inserted into the center the cake is done.
8. Remove from the oven and cool in the bundt pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the cake from the pan and cool on the wire rack completely.

For the glaze:

1. Add the powdered sugar and limoncello to a bowl and mix until smooth.
2. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1 slice
Amount Per Serving Calories 348Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 95mgSodium 321mgCarbohydrates 70gFiber 2gSugar 41gProtein 7g

Homemade Limoncello