Iced Lemon Pound Cake
Not every recipe in my kitchen is metabolically supportive — and that’s intentional.
This iced lemon pound cake is not a health food. It contains sugar, butter, and white flour. It will not stabilize your blood sugar or earn a wellness halo. What it will do is show up exactly as promised, every single time.
This is my tried-and-true hostess gift. The kind you bring when you want something homemade, elegant, and universally loved. It travels well, slices beautifully, and tastes like real lemon — not artificial flavoring, not a boxed shortcut, not a corporate bakery approximation. Just a simple, classic pound cake with a thin, crackled lemon glaze that sets firm and won’t smear in transit.
In the Anti-Corporate Kitchen, the line isn’t “never indulge.” The line is intention and honesty. When I make something indulgent, I make it from scratch, with real ingredients, in a way that respects the person I’m sharing it with. This cake isn’t about optimization. It’s about care.
Make this when you need a reliable gift, a thank-you, or a reminder that food can be generous, imperfect, and deeply human.
Ingredients
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon zest
For the Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional but recommended)
Directions:
Sift the flour ingredients (all-purpose flour and baking powder). Make sure the kneading blade(s) are properly attached, and add the ingredients to the baking panin the order listed, except for the glaze.
Place the baking pan in the Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker, close the lid, and plug it in. Select the CAKE course. Set the crust setting to REGULAR.
When the beep sounds, open the lid and carefully scrape off any flour that may be left on the side of the pan with a rubber spatula. Please be careful if the kneading blade is moving. Press START to resume kneading.
When baking is complete, press CANCEL and transfer the pan to a cooling rack.
While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Then add more drops of lemon juice if needed. You want it very thick. It should ribbon slowly off the spoon, not pour.
Let the loaf cool for 10 minutes.
Spread glaze thinly with an offset spatula (don’t flood)
Let air-dry uncovered for one hour
Dust very lightly with powdered sugar.
Do not cover. Let sit at room temperature 2-4 hours (overnight is ideal)
Wrapping Instructions
Wrap the loaf snugly in parchment paper.
Secure with baker’s twine or ribbon.