Sour Cream Lemon Pound Cake with Blackberry Glaze

Sour cream lemon pound cake combines rich, buttery pound cake with vanilla, lemon, and a tart blackberry glaze. The perfect, simple, summery cake for BBQs and parties!

Wowowow it’s been a minute since I posted on here! But, I was busy working on some other projects, and ICYMI, Marc and I got married sooo. We were a little busy! But, it all worked out because I basically got to skip over a large chunk of spring, which if we’re being honest, is my least favorite time of the year for recipe development. Like yes, I love the produce that sprouts up around May, but early spring is honestly just late winter, and once the blood oranges go out of season, I’m over it. But, I just got word that asparagus, berries, and rhubarb are hitting the markets so I feel revived. I guess that’s kind of the point of spring after all.

Anyways, I’m kicking off late spring/early summer with this little number because nothing says “summer” to me like berries + citrus. Also, I’ve seen a spike on my cakes page recently, so I’m really just giving the people what they want. This sour cream lemon pound cake has an absurd amount of lemon zest for a cake that almost…tastes like fake lemon? But also not, because it’s real lemon? I promise it’s out-of-this-world good. And the sour cream gives it a little tang which I live for. Then, we have the blackberry glaze which is not only stunning but super tasty. This cake is going to be my go-to for BBQs and dinner parties this summer now that, you know, we can have those again. 💃

The ingredient list

Pound cake is supes basic, and traditionally, is made up of only one pound each of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. But, we’ll still need a few special things to make it extra delicious. Plus, we don’t want to skip out on the blackberry glaze because it is just too good!

• The basics – flour, Kosher salt, baking soda, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs.
• Unsalted butter – go for a higher quality butter if you can. This cake is very buttery and you’ll taste a difference for sure!
• Lemons – we’ll want the zest of 2 lemons, but don’t throw away the fruit! You can use the juice for salad dressing, marinades, or in a glass of water.
• Sour cream – this will act as our acid to activate the baking soda. Plus, it makes the cake slightly tart and perfectly tender!
• Blackberries – for the glaze and decorating. We’re going to juice them, but don’t run away! It’s super easy.
• Powdered sugar – this will make up the bulk of our glaze. Make sure to sift it to remove any lumps.
• Whole milk or cream – optional, but great for thinning out the glaze.

Let’s Bake a Bundt

This cake is very straight-forward and honestly hard to mess up! Luckily for us, sour cream lemon pound cake is very forgiving, although I do have a few tricks for making sure it comes out perfect!

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F for high altitude baking or 325°F for sea level. Grease a 12 cup Bundt cake pan and then whisk together the flour, Kosher salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Step 2: Cream your butter and sugar until it starts to come together, about 4 minutes. The mixture may be a little sandy, but that’s ok. Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Then, add the eggs one at a time. This ensures that the eggs actually mix with the butter/sugar and not just with each other.

Step 3: Next alternate between mixing in the flour mixture and sour cream in 2 batches. Don’t overmix or the cake will come out dense and dry! A few lumps are ok.

Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth. Bake, checking for doneness at 1 hour. If you live at high altitude like me, your cake may be done closer to an hour. If you live at sea level, it could take up to 1 hour and 25 minutes.

Step 5: Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Then, remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a rack.

How to make blackberry glaze

Step 1: If you’re using frozen berries, make sure to thaw them completely! You can do this by setting them on the counter for an hour or so. Or, heat the blackberries in a pan on the stove over medium heat until completely thawed.

Step 2: Place the berries in a food processor or blender, and process until completely smooth. Strain them through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the juice. Discard the leftover seeds and pulp.

Step 3: Combine the powdered sugar with some of your blackberry juice until you get a glaze the consistency of honey. You can add some whole milk or cream to thin it out a bit if necessary.

Step 4: Pour the glaze over the cooled sour cream lemon pound cake.

Step 5: Decorate with flowers, berries, sprinkles, etc.! Then, let the glaze set for at least 20-30 minutes. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Serving the cake

This cake is uber foolproof so you have options here! Mix it up with other types of citrus and berries to make it your own! Or, you can always go sans-glaze and serve the cake with whipped cream and berries. I also have tried it with citrus curd and whipped cream which is absolutely delicious!

Storing the leftovers

To store this cake, simply place it on a cake plate with a cover. Or cut it up and store it in an airtight container. Let it sit at room temperature for up to 3 days. (The cake will dry out the longer it sits but it’s still good for about 2-3 days). Avoid storing it in the fridge, because the moisture in the fridge will dry the cake out quickly!

Decorating

I chose to top the cake with some blackberries and blossoms from my backyard. But, you can decorate this cake however you like! Here are a few ideas:

• Sprinkles instead of flowers would be super cute!
• Fill the center with berries and/or flowers.
• Try topping slices of cake with strawberry compote or coulis.
• Or, if you want to go glaze-free, just dust the whole sour cream lemon pound cake with a little powdered sugar.

Tips & Tricks

• Please note that this is a high-altitude recipe. Refer to the “Recipe Notes” for sea-level instructions!
• Grease the pan very well to prevent the cake from sticking.
• Bring the eggs and sour cream to room-temperature (about 20-30 minutes on the counter) to ensure the ingredients incorporate properly.
• This cake overbakes easily. Start checking for doneness at around 1 hour. The cake is ready when an inserted toothpick has a few moist crumbs attached.
• If the bottom of the starts to brown too much in the oven, tent the cake with some tinfoil to prevent it from burning.
• Let the cake cool for at least 10-20 minutes before flipping it out of the pan. If you flip it while the cake is still very hot, it may fall apart.

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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xo Sara Lynn

*Song of the day: Fancy Shoes by The Walters