Moist Lemon or Orange Pound Loaf, a wonderful soft and delicious cake using freshly squeezed juice and zest. Bake in a loaf or bundt pan. You choose!

This Moist Lemon or Orange pound, loaf cake is absolutely delicious!
The cake texture is not quite as dense as a regular pound cake, but a little fluffier, and the sponge is soft and moist.
For this recipe, you can make this pound/loaf cake using lemons or oranges, or even split and do a combination of lemon and orange if you prefer.
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I've used my basic Vanilla pound cake recipe and simply switched a few flavors and added the lemon or orange syrup to give it a lovely extra hit of citrus after baking.
This moist lemon or orange pound loaf cake is a perfect addition to an English Afternoon Tea, or to have a slice with a morning coffee. You can take to a picnic, or add a slice to a lunch box. I've taken this cake to my previous job several times and everyone in the office always raved about it and asked me to make it so many times. It was definitely a favorite!

We've got a huge variety of delicious pound cake recipes so be sure to check them out. There's a flavor for everyone!
Once you've tried this recipe, I am sure you will make it time and time again. After spending many years searching for a good 'pound' cake that wasn't dry, or flavorless, I decided to experiment and make my own recipe up with different flavor combinations to see if I could really get a moist cake.
This recipe for lemon or orange pound loaf cake uses fresh ingredients. So make sure you use fresh orange or lemon juice and zest. it really does make a difference to the flavor!

This is lovely served with some of our lemon whipped cream. It takes minutes to make and is a lovely pairing.
If you're looking for a few recipes to make for an Afternoon Tea, try our Traditional English Tea Loaf. It's always popular and really easy to make too!
If you enjoy lemon cakes, why not try our delicious Lemon Steamed Cake. It's made in the steamer or multi-cooker (like Instant pot) and so fluffy! If you wanted to make an orange flavor steamed cake, just swap the lemon ingredients for orange and you're good to go!

The recipe I am sharing is for you to make either a lemon or orange-flavored cake. So just choose the option for either from the ingredients below!
So here's the recipe, and enjoy!

Ingredients
The Cake Batter
225 g or 1 ¾ cups Plain / All purpose flour (sieved)
2 Teaspoons baking powder
¼ Teaspoon salt
175 g or ¾ cup softened butter
200 g or 1 cup regular sugar
⅔ Cup or 150 ml Milk
2 Large eggs (lightly beaten)
Grated Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon or ½ Orange
The Syrup
(The syrup is optional but gives the cake an extra hit of orange or lemon)
1 Tablespoon regular sugar (you can reduce the amount if you don't want it too sweet)
1 ½ tablespoons warm water
zest of 1 lemon (or 1 orange)
juice of 1 lemon (or ½ orange)
NOTES
Depending on how much your cake has risen and what size pan you have used, make up the whole recipe for the syrup, but be prepared you may only need half of it. The smaller your cake, the less syrup you will need.
Instructions
1. Heat oven to 170C, 325F. Grease and line your baking tin. See here for how to line a pan.
** Please note, if using a Bundt tin, be sure to grease it very well as it can be hard to get the cake out of such a shaped tin.

2. Get all your ingredients ready, i.e zest and juice the lemon/orange, sieve the flour and add the salt and baking powder to the flour etc.

3. Start with making the cake batter by creaming the butter and sugar until a pale light color.
4. Slowly add the beaten eggs to the mixer, on a low-speed setting, a bit at a time. If the mixture starts to curdle or split, add a spoonful of your sieved flour, keep on adding the eggs, and a bit of flour if necessary until all the eggs are added.

5. Add half the milk with half of the flour, keeping the mixer on a slow speed. Once combined, add the lemon/orange juice, and zest, the rest of the milk and flour.
6 Transfer the cake mixture to the greased and lined loaf tin, then place in the oven for 1 hr to 1 hr and 5 minutes, check after 1 hour.
***** Please note, if using a Bundt tin, cook time is about 45 minutes.
(In this photo below I added a handful of cranberries to the mix too!) Feel free to add some nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, dried fruit etc. You only need a handful).

7. Have a cup of tea!
8. Now make the syrup by adding all the ingredients to a small saucepan, (or use a bowl and microwave for 1 -2 minutes) heat through until the sugar is dissolved. Put aside.
9. When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and leave in the cake tin until cool. Using a skewer, prick holes all over the top of the cake, pushing the skewer through to the bottom of the cake.

Gently pour the syrup mixture all over the surface of the cake, distributing evenly. The liquid will be quickly absorbed by the cake. The syrup will keep the cake moist and also give it a nice glossy shine, with sprinklings of zest on the top.

If you think there is too much syrup for your cake, don't use all of it. Often it will depend on the size of your cake, how much it has risen, what size loaf pan you have used. I used a large loaf pan, so needed all the syrup.

Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.
If you'd like to add a Lemon Buttercream Frosting to make this fancy, for example to make a birthday cake, we can recommend this one from The Kitchen Is My Playground.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our Moist Lemon or Orange Pound, Loaf Cake recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Recipe Card

Moist Lemon or Orange Pound Loaf Cake
Moist Lemon or Orange Pound Loaf, a wonderful soft and delicious cake using freshly squeezed juice and zest. Bake in a loaf or bundt pan. You choose!
Ingredients
- The Cake Batter:
- 225 g or 1 ¾ cups Plain / All purpose flour (sieved)
- 2 Teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- 175 g or ¾ cup softened butter
- 200 g or 1 cup regular sugar
- ⅔ Cup or 150 ml Milk
- 2 Large eggs (lightly beaten)
- Grated Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon or ½ Orange
- The Syrup:
- optional but gives the cake an extra hit of orange or lemon
- 1 Tablespoons regular sugar, you can reduce amount if you don't want it too sweet
- 1 ½ tablespoons warm water
- zest of 1 lemon, or 1 orange
- juice of 1 lemon, or ½ orange
Instructions
- Heat oven to 170C, 325F. Grease and line your baking tin.
- ** Please note, if using a Bundt tin, be sure to grease it very well as it can be hard to get the cake out of such a shaped tin.
- Get all your ingredients ready, i.e zest and juice the lemon / orange, sieve the flour, and add the salt and baking powder to the flour etc.
- Start with making the cake batter by creaming the butter and sugar until a pale light colour.
- Slowly add the beaten eggs to the mixer, on a low speed setting, a bit at a time. If the mixture starts to curdle or split, add a spoonful of your sieved flour, keep on adding the eggs, and a bit of flour if necessary, until all the eggs are added.
- Add half the milk with half of the flour, keeping the mixer on a slow speed. Once combined, add the lemon / orange juice, and zest, the rest of the milk and flour.
- Transfer the cake mixture to the greased and lined loaf tin. Place in the oven for 1 hr to 1 hr and 5 minutes, check after 1 hour.
***** Please note, if using a Bundt tin, cook time is about 40 minutes.
Have a cup of tea!
8. Now make the syrup by adding all the ingredients to a small saucepan, (or use a bowl and microwave for 1 -2 minutes) heat through until the sugar is dissolved. Put aside.
9. When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and leave in the cake tin until cool. Using a skewer, prick holes all over the top of the cake, pushing the skewer through to the bottom of the cake.
Gently pour the syrup mixture all over the surface of the cake, distributing evenly.
The liquid will be quickly absorbed by the cake.
The syrup will keep the cake moist and also give it a nice glossy shine, with sprinklings of zest on the top.
If you think there is too much syrup for your cake, don't use all of it. Often it will depend on the size of your cake, how much it has risen, what size loaf pan you have used.
I used a large loaf pan, so needed all the syrup.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 10 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 401Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 346mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 2gSugar: 31gProtein: 6g
Loaf Cake Recipes
Here's a delicious selection of pound or loaf cake recipes for you to enjoy
Tiramisu Pound Cake, a soft and delicious pound cake with all the flavors of a Tiramisu! It's even got a mascarpone frosting. This will go fast so be sure to make two!
Easy Lemon and Poppyseed French Yogurt Cake. Lemon and poppyseed French yogurt loaf cake is soft and moist, an incredibly easy to make recipe, with poppyseeds throughout. A great tea time cake.
Strawberry and Lemon Loaf Cake.
A deliciously soft and fluffy strawberry loaf cake bursting with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Flavourful, with a tender, soft texture. An easy, popular cake recipe.
Peach Pound Cake with Raspberry Swirl. A delicious recipe bursting with sweet peaches and a tangy raspberry swirl running through. Soft, moist and perfect with a morning coffee or to take to friends! If you are a fan of pound cakes and peaches, then this one is for you.
A simple, easy chocolate loaf cake recipe is moist, rich and chocolatey. Perfect for new cooks and is a go to basic recipe
Caribbean Rum Cake, an easy delicious recipe! The cake is soft and moist, packed with rum infused raisins and makes for a great Christmas time cake.
Strawberry Pound Cake. A delicious recipe bursting with fresh strawberries. Soft, moist and perfect with a morning coffee or to take to friends!
Easy Lemon French Yogurt Cake. Delicious tangy lemon, soft and moist, incredibly easy made from scratch cake recipe, great as a tea time snack
Coffee Pecan Pound Cake is a lovely tasting, moist cake with a perfect combination of coffee flavor and texture from the pecans.
Easy Strawberry French Yogurt Cake.
Delicious juicy strawberries, soft and moist, incredibly easy made from scratch cake recipe, great as a tea time snack
Moist Vanilla Pound, Loaf Cake is such a wonderful tasting cake, soft, and delicious!
Easy Blueberry and Lemon Crumble Cake.
Deliciously soft & moist cake packed with blueberries and a hint of lemon. Topped with a crumble topping. Easiest simple cake recipe ever!
Easy Raspberry Pound Cake. A delicious classic pound cake recipe bursting with fresh raspberries. Soft, moist and tangy sweet. Topped with a simple chocolate topping. Easy to follow instructions
Coconut and Lime Pound Cake, a deliciously soft coconut cake with a splash of tangy lime.
Moist Coconut PoundCake Recipe. Light, soft, and oh sooooo delicious!
Blueberry Coconut Pound Cake, a deliciously soft coconut cake with a sprinkling of juicy blueberries.
Easy Cranberry and White Chocolate Pound Cake. This is a delicious soft and moist pound cake with a wonderful white chocolate flavor and added lovely cranberries. Freezer friendly and easy to make. Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas
Moist Pecan Almond Loaf Cake. The flavor combo is just divine!
Easy Cinnamon Swirl Loaf. A moist, soft, and delicious tasting loaf cake, perfect with a morning coffee! This is a wonderful no yeast, quick bread recipe, full of flavor, soft and fluffy, and really easy to make too.
Moist Caramel and Apple Loaf .... ABSOLUTELY Delicious!
Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake, a delicious soft and moist loaf bursting with juicy blueberries! Perfect with a cup of tea
Moist Coffee Loaf Cake! This is an absolutely delicious soft, moist cake, easy to make and goes perfect with a lovely cup of coffee too!
Banana and Walnut Loaf Cake. A delicious, very easy and moist cake, and smells so good when it's baking too!
Lemon and Poppy Seed Loaf.
This is truly a delightful cake. The flavors are gentle, the cake is soft and moist and of course, looks so pretty with the addition of poppy seeds sprinkled throughout the cake
Moist Chocolate Almond Pound Cake. Delicious, rich chocolate cake with added melted chocolate and ground almonds to take this cake to another level of deliciousness!
Spiced Pecan Carrot Cake! This has got to be the World's best carrot cake.
Fluffy, soft and bursting with the flavors of Fall! Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas holidays!
Dolly's Chocolate Chip Cake. Very easy recipe and a family favorite. Makes two loaves so perfect for gifts or freezing too.
Nutella Banana Loaf. Delicious, soft pound cake with banana and Nutella chocolate. Easy recipe and very popular. Great tasting cake
Wendy
says:Love your recipes so, so much!
Thank you!
Rachel Luke
says:Moistest cake ever!! Made it yesterday for the family and it’s almost all gone now! Would make again.
Joan Hunter Dowell
says:I made the Easy Coconut Pound Cake Recipe. I did exactly what the recipe says, was absolutely delicious, so soft and moist. I gave some away to my elderly neighbours ,brother and my 96 year old Auntie. They all loved it too. Now I’m going to try Lemon/ Orange Cake next thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Pallavi
says:Not sure if my comment is reached. I made this cake today. Seems to be good but doesn’t have the right golden crust. Also I changed the plain flour to plain flour , whole wheat flour and oats powder. My cake has dark orange golden brown spots all over the place Can’t post a picture in comment box.
Pallavi
says:I made this cake today. I changed Plain flour to plain Flour, chapati flour and oats powder My cake looks good but doesn’t have golden crust and it also has black spots on the surface and bottom of cake. What could be the reason?
Can’t post picture in the comment
Jason Mostiller
says:Not much glaze. Is that the correct measurements!
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Jason, yes, it is the right measurements. It isn’t a glaze. The syrup can be used over the cake and it will absorb into the cake giving you extra sweetness and hit of lemon or orange. You need to use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cake and the syrup will get absorbed. You don’t need to use it if you prefer not to. Hope that helps!
Sharon baylen
says:Loved the pound cake. A touch too moist but so what!
Thanks for the recipe
Maria
says:Omg!!!! This cake turned out amazing!!!
Super moist and delicious
Karine
says:Hi! I have a question. Am I able to use my cake mixer to mix the batter for this cake? I’m concerned that the ingredient size may not be large enough for a mixer and so better to use a hand mixer. Could you pkease advise?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Karine, yes! Use your mixer! I always do ?
Paulle Anna Law
says:Beautiful recipe!!! I modify a little bit, instead of zest I used jam with orange and ginger and instead of orange/lemon juice I used orange essential oils. Lastly, instead of the syrup on top I did put some fruits & nuts and chocolates.. I love it and it’s one of my favorite recipe… thank you so much?
depatra
says:Followed the recipe exactly and the cake itself without the syrup is so soft and fluffy and moist! I didn’t add the syrup because when I tasted the cake batter, I thought it was already lemony enough considering there’s juice of a whole lemon PLUS the zest. I baked mine in a 8″ square tin for only 32 minutes. One thing I probably would do differently next time is to use a different butter brand as it was a bit too bland, and definitely will add the lemon syrup.
Yoli
says:All you need is to add is salt
Trust me
JANET
says:It was perfect. Didn’t change a thing. Served with creme fraiche. A great standby for dessert. Hoping I can freeze half so I don’t need to eat it all at once. Thank you
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Janet, Glad you enjoyed the recipe. this cake freezes very well, I often cut it in half and freeze half and then just bring to room temperature when you want to eat it. Hope that helps!
Laura
says:Did ít last night, it took less than half the time you recmmended. It actually turned out a little darker than I would have wanted.It’ s nice but not much orange flavor ( wihch I choosed) but probably the fault was on the quality of the fruit…I don’t know…But I’ m willing to give it a second chance!
Liz
says:I can’t read the recipe as the Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter icons get in the way.
Melissa Howell
says:Hi! I am excited to make this cake. However, it appears that you left out the flour in the actual recipe right above here. Luckily, the whole recipe is in the body of your post. Thanks for sharing this!
Melissa Howell
says:I also just noticed that the milk is missing as well.
Melissa Howell
says:And the butter. Sorry!
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Melissa, Thanks for pointing this put. I recently changed over the recipe card plug in and it clearly didn’t export all the ingredients correctly. I’ve since edited so it should read correct now.
Thanks once again and please enjoy!