Sourdough Lemon Cake is a delicious summery pound cake made with butter, eggs, and sourdough discard. Lemony and soft, it can be made and baked quickly, with or without poppy seeds.

The crumb of a sourdough lemon pound cake, with glaze.

I like to use sourdough discard when making baked goods: it impacts the moisture and makes baked goods last longer. In this recipe, it also adds a delicious tangy taste that pairs well with the lemon flavor.

Are you looking for more ways to use sourdough discard? This chocolate sourdough cake is my readers' favorite! Sourdough crepes are also a fantastic way of not letting your discard go to waste.

In need of something easy in less than 30 minutes? My double chocolate chip sourdough muffins are always a hit!

Ingredients

Lemon: It's better to use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Store-bought lemon juice might give an unpleasant flavor to this cake. You can substitute lemons with limes or oranges.

Sourdough discard: Let it come to room temperature if you store it in the fridge. Both sourdough discard and active sourdough starter can be used for this recipe.

Poppy seeds: They’re optional, but when used, they give an extra crunchy texture to the cake. If you don’t like them, just leave them out.

Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or cake flour when making this recipe. But if you want an extra soft crumb, substitute all-purpose flour with cake flour for a melt-in-your-mouth lemon cake.

Don’t use bread flour, as it makes a dense lemon bread.

Eggs: Use large, room temperature eggs.

Flavor Variations

Lime sourdough cake: Substitute lemon juice with lime juice and lemon zest with lime zest.

Orange sourdough cake: Substitute lemon juice with orange juice and lemon zest with orange zest. You can also use orange extract instead of vanilla extract for an extra orange flavor.

Blueberry lemon pound cake: Before adding flour and baking powder, add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter.

How to Make It

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Creamed butter, metal bowl, with stand mixer whisk attachment.

Step 01. Using a mixer, cream the butter with the sugar. It should take between 8 and 15 minutes to cream these ingredients.

Batter after adding eggs, metal bowl, stand mixer attachment.

Step 02. Add the eggs one at a time. Wait for each egg to be fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next.

If using a stand mixer, you might need to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl 2 or 3 times for the butter to cream evenly.

Step 03. Add sourdough, lemon juice and zest, vanilla extract, and poppy seeds (if using), mixing until the ingredients are incorporated into the batter. The batter might curdle after adding the lemon juice, but don’t worry: it will come together again after adding the flour.

Step 04. Add the flour and baking powder, mixing until there are no dry spots left.

Careful not to overmix! When adding flour, I stir with a spoon instead of using a mixer to avoid overmixing. Mixing too much after adding flour can make a tougher cake.

Baking pan lined with parchment paper, batter inside.

Step 05. The batter will be thick. With the help of a spatula, pour the batter into the lined baking pan, leveling it before baking.

Cake ready, still inside the baing pan, over cooling rack.

Step 06. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs.

When ready, wait 10 minutes and remove the cake from the loaf pan, letting it cool on a cooling rack.

Step 07. Sift the icing sugar, then mix it with lemon juice, and milk, stirring until combined.

Drizzling glaze over baked lemon pound cake.

Step 08. Pour the lemon glaze over the lemon loaf, waiting a few minutes for it to set before slicing.

If you want a different topping option, you can try the chocolate glaze I use to top my Brazilian Carrot Cake. Or, if you want your lemon bread with no glaze but are looking for something to have along with a slice, Lavender Whipped Cream matches perfectly with the tangy lemon flavor.

Expert Tips

Creaming the butter correctly makes a huge difference when making this recipe: it makes a taller, softer pound cake, so don’t skip this step.
Don’t worry if your batter curdles when adding the lemon juice. It will come together when adding the flour, just keep going!
Line the loaf pan with parchment paper. This will make it easier for you to remove the loaf after baking and prevent the bottom of the bread from browning too much.
Use room temperature ingredients for this recipe to work properly. Butter creams better when it’s at room temperature. Leave the butter out of the fridge for about an hour before starting this cake.
If you add too much lemon juice or milk when making the glaze, it will take longer for it to set. If the glaze is too runny, add more icing sugar to make it thicker.

Storing and Freezing

Store away from sunlight, covered. There's no need to refrigerate, but if you do, use a clean airtight container.

This lemon bread keeps for up to 5 days if stored correctly. After that, it starts to dry out.

You can freeze this recipe. After it has cooled, freeze it sliced using a freezer-safe bag. It keeps for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Lemon loaf with glaze drizzling over it.

If you tried this Sourdough Lemon Cake Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below!

📖 Recipe

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