This is the recipe you need to make the Best Eggless Lemon Pound Cake! It’s moist, buttery, and tastes like lemon heaven. Easy to make with simple ingredients.
Oriana’s Thoughts On The Recipe
This eggless lemon pound cake is the ultimate dessert for lemon lovers! Lemon Pound Cake all by itself is superbly delish, but if you want to take it to the next level, glaze it with sugar lemon glaze. I personally am addicted to this Eggless Lemon Pound Cake … so simple but so good!
Craving cake instead? Try my Eggless Lemon Cake recipe.
What I Love About This Recipe
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
You’ll need:
- Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here; skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour.
- Baking powder and Baking soda: Make sure they’re not expired.
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called for in the recipe.
- Sugar: Regular white sugar, also known as caster sugar.
- Fresh Lemons: You’ll need the juice and zest.
- Milk: For baking, I like to use whole milk. However, you can use any milk you have handy.
Food Allergy Swaps
- This recipe is naturally egg, nut, peanut, soy, and sesame-free, making it suitable for most dietary needs. However, always check labels for hidden allergens.
- Dairy-Free: To make this recipe dairy-free, you can easily swap out the dairy ingredients for non-dairy alternatives.
- Butter: Substitute butter with dairy-free butter substitutes. Miyoko’s Creamery Organic Vegan Butter and Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks are my favorite butter substitutes for baking.
- Milk: You can use your favorite non-dairy milk, like soy or oat milk.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend. Look for a gluten-free flour blend specifically formulated for baking, as it will have the right combination of flours and starches to mimic the texture of wheat flour. My favorite is Better Batter Original Blend. I also like Doves Farm Freee Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, but this blend does not contain xanthan gum, so you need to add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup (140 g) of gluten-free flour blend.
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
Step 1 – Mix Dry Ingredients
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
Step 2 – Milk and Lemon Juice
Mix lemon juice and milk in a cup.
Step 3 – Cream Butter and Sugar
Beat the butter, then add the sugar: Beat the room-temperature butter until smooth, then beat in the granulated sugar until it is creamed and pale. Add lemon zest.
Step 4 – Add Milk Mixture and Dry Ingredients
Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk-lemon mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 30 – 45 seconds. Do not overmix
Step 5 – Spread Into Baking Pan
Spoon/spread batter into greased loaf pan.
Step 6 – Bake
Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center.
Lemon Sugar Glaze
The sugar lemon glaze on top of the pound cake adds a whole other level of flavor. It’s sweet and zingy and totally delicious. To make it, you just need confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and heavy cream (or half and half or milk).
Eggless Cake Success Tips
Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
Preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes before starting the recipe, giving it plenty of time to reach the ideal temperature.
Don’t overmix the batter. Instead, mix just until the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout.
Bake the batter as soon as it is ready.
Don’t open the oven door until your baked good has set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time is stated in the recipe.
Know your oven! Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, affecting baking time, so keep an eye on yours.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store: Cover leftover pound cake tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Yes, you can freeze this delicious egg-free pound cake! Just follow these simple steps:
- Let the eggless lemon cake cool completely.
- Wrap it up in 2 layers of plastic wrap, then with foil to avoid freezer burn.
- Place inside a large freezer Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Ready to eat it? Thaw it overnight on the countertop before slicing and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
The pound cake can be too dry if you add too much flour or overbake it.
You can buy, but you’ll lose a lot of flavor!
Yes, I would suggest adding about 1 cup.
Pound cakes are dense and take a while to bake in the oven. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours, and don’t be alarmed if yours is taking longer. The pound cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out *mostly* clean. A couple of moist crumbs are OK.
More Eggless Lemon Recipes You’ll Love!
- Eggless Lemon Cake
- Easy Eggless Lemon Curd
- Eggless Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
- Easy Eggless Lemon Bars
- Easy Eggless Lemon Tart
- Easy Eggless Key Lime Pie
- Browse more recipes…
Recipe Card
Best Eggless Lemon Pound Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cup (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) salt
- ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup (180 ml) milk (I used whole milk)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) white sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Lemon Sugar Glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) heavy cream or milk
Important
You can find step-by-step photos above in the post and/or right here on the recipe card. They’ll walk you through the process and make everything super clear! Just click the camera icon button below on the right to show or hide them. Turn them off before printing if you prefer a cleaner copy!
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan. You can also line the pan with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a measuring cup or bowl, mix together lemon juice, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy on medium-high speed, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 4 minutes until creamed and pale, scraping down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add lemon zest and beat for 1 minute.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk-lemon mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 30 – 45 seconds. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. NOTE: The lemon cake batter is thick, so use a spatula to spread it into the pan, if necessary.
- Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center. Allow the pound cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then, remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack. The cake must be completely cool before frosting.
Make the glaze:
- Whisk all of the icing ingredients together and pour over the pound cake.
- This recipe is naturally egg, nut, peanut, soy, and sesame-free, making it suitable for most dietary needs. However, always check labels for hidden allergens.
- Dairy-Free: To make this recipe dairy-free, you can easily swap out the dairy ingredients for non-dairy alternatives.
- Butter: Substitute butter with dairy-free butter substitutes. Miyoko’s Creamery Organic Vegan Butter and Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks are my favorite butter substitutes for baking.
- Milk: You can use your favorite non-dairy milk, like soy or oat milk.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend. Look for a gluten-free flour blend specifically formulated for baking, as it will have the right combination of flours and starches to mimic the texture of wheat flour. My favorite is Better Batter Original Blend. I also like Doves Farm Freee Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, but this blend does not contain xanthan gum, so you need to add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup (140 g) of gluten-free flour blend.
- Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Make sure to cream the butter and sugar together for 4 – 5 minutes, until creamy and pale. To achieve this, the butter has to be at the right consistency; ideally, the butter will easily bend without breaking and will give slightly when pressed. If it looks or feels oily, it is too soft.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Bake the cake(s) as soon as the batter is ready.
- Don’t open the oven door until the cake(s) have set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time stated in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven at least 15 minutes before you begin to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal baking temperature.
- Every oven is different, so baking times should always be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly inaccurate, which can significantly affect baking time, so keep an eye on yours. The cake(s) are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Originally posted in July 2020, the post content was edited to add more helpful information, no change to the recipe in May 2025.
I made this loaf and another that took 6 eggs, a Bundt pound cake, and got the nod from a few friends that the eggless was better tasting and more moist! I will go to this recipe from now on! And the glaze is sooooo yummy!!! 😋
Hello Pamela! That makes me so happy to hear!! 🎉 Wow—what a compliment, especially when compared to a 6-egg cake! I’m thrilled this eggless loaf won everyone over. And yes, that glaze is dangerously good 😋 Thank you for sharing your success—it means the world to me!
This is a great recipe that my entire family loved. Although more involved than most of my favorite recipes (zesting & juicing fresh lemons; staggered mixing of butter, then butter with sugar then those with zest; and then the alternate mixing of dry and wet ingredients), it is easily managed with a little advanced planning and is definitely worth the effort! I will be making this often.
Hello Johasia@ Thank you so much for this thoughtful and kind feedback! 😊 I know the extra steps can feel a bit more involved, but you’re absolutely right—just a little planning goes a long way, and I’m so happy to hear it was worth it! 💛 I’m thrilled your whole family loved it, and it means so much to know it’s earned a spot in your regular baking rotation. Happy baking, and thank you again! 🍋✨
I made this for my extended family’s “Easter Eve” dinner. We have someone with an egg allergy in the family, so I was happy to find this recipe. I don’t have any fresh lemons on hand, but I do have oranges, so I made an orange version of this instead, following your recipe almost exactly. I swapped out the tablespoon of citrus juice in the glaze for Cointreau. 😉 The cake came out heavenly! I’ll try the lemon version next time. Thank you!
Hello Aline! That sounds absolutely divine!! 🍊 I love that you turned it into an orange version with a splash of Cointreau—what a lovely twist for your Easter Eve dinner! I’m so happy the recipe worked out and helped you include your family member with the egg allergy. 💛 Can’t wait for you to try the lemon version next time, and thank you for sharing your beautiful variation! 😊✨
Hi! I’ve made the vanilla pound cake before, but my husband and I both think it would be best as a lemon cake. Given that I’m wanting to make it for a church function, I think I would want to do it in a Bundt pan, both for quantity and for presentation. Would I be able to just double this and put it in the Bundt pan? What adjustments might I need to make (bake time, etc)? Thanks!
Hello Hannah! Hi!Yes, you can absolutely double the recipe for a Bundt pan. Just make sure not to fill the pan more than 3/4 full to avoid overflow while baking. As for bake time, it will definitely need more than the original—start checking around the 50–55 minute mark, but it could take up to 60–70 minutes depending on your oven and pan. You’ll know it’s ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. I hope it turns out beautifully—let me know how it goes! 🍋✨
Thank you for sharing your recipe. My cake came out great 😊 and I was able to offer it to my God.Hare Krishna!!
Hello Kunti! That’s so beautiful to hear! 😊 I’m so happy your cake turned out great and that you were able to offer it to your God—what a special and meaningful moment. Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing your kind words. Hare Krishna! 🙏💛🍰
Absolutely delish!! Moist, perfect lemon flavour without being too sweet. I can’t believe it doesn’t have any eggs!
HelloLindz! Great to hear that it was a hit! Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Hi Oriana – I made the cake today and it was a huge hit. Thanks for the great recipe! It was easy to put together, and the cake has a really nice light crumb and zesty lemon taste. Definitely a keeper that I’ll be making again!
Hello Michele! I’m so glad you loved this recipe! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review! I hope my recipes inspire you to continue baking. Please make sure to reach out if you have any questions or special requests. I am happy to help!
I turned this into an orange loaf and my family loved it! the texture was great too!
Hello Preethi! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
Thank you for an amazing recipe, it’s difficult to find good pound cake recipes without eggs, they are rubbery so often, and this one delighted us! My daughter is allergic to eggs, and we’ll definitely be trying more of your recipes (she is now old enough to bake cakes herself). Much love from Croatia <3
Hello Maja – It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know. Happy holidays to you and yours =)
Hi Oriana
Can I add raspberry into it ?
Thank you
Hello Rosheny! Yes, you can… Check out this similar recipe> Eggless Cranberry Orange Bread Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =) Happy Holidays!
Can I use buttermilk instead of regular milk.?
Hello Claudia! This is something I have never tried myself, so you may need to do some experimenting on your own. If you try it I would love to know how they turn out. 🙂
Hi Ms Oriana,
Tried your Lemon pound cake and it turned out so delicious.Also tried your eggless orange cake,orange cranberry bread. Everything was awesome.Thanks for your recipes and hoping to see more eggless recipes.
Hello Radha! So glad you enjoyed my recipes. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know!
I have made this several times. It comes out so good. It is now a staple for a sweet treat in our home. Thank you for sharing!
Hello Jen! We love this pound cake too. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.