This moist, decadent Lemon Mascarpone Pound Cake delivers a fine, tender crumb and vibrant lemon flavor. Mascarpone adds a silky richness that keeps the cake delightfully soft. If you enjoy lemon desserts, this from-scratch recipe is easy to follow and yields an impressive, bakery-style pound cake.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
The ingredients below create a moist, tender pound cake with pronounced lemon notes and a rich mouthfeel from the mascarpone.
- Unsalted butter — provides structure and flavor.
- Mascarpone — adds creamy richness and a velvety texture.
- Sugar — for sweetness and tender crumb.
- Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest — for bright citrus flavor.
- Lemon extract — concentrates and enhances the lemon aroma.
- Milk — whole or 2% recommended to keep the cake moist.
- Cake flour — yields a softer, finer crumb than all-purpose flour.
- Salt — balances sweetness and lifts flavor.
- Confectioners’ sugar — for a simple glaze.
How to Make Lemon Mascarpone Pound Cake
The full, printable recipe appears below. These are the main steps to guide you through the process.
- Prepare a bundt or tube pan by greasing and flouring it, then preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Dry ingredients: whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and mascarpone on low to medium speed until smooth and combined.
- Gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about three minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until just combined.
- Mix the wet ingredients—milk, lemon juice, lemon extract, and lemon zest—in a separate bowl.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Make three additions of dry ingredients and two of wet, mixing only until incorporated.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake at 325°F for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. The cake top should spring back when lightly pressed. Baking times vary by pan and oven.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert to remove and cool completely before glazing.
Simple Lemon Glaze
A light glaze brightens the cake without overwhelming the delicate mascarpone texture. Combine confectioners’ sugar with a small amount of milk, lemon extract, and a pinch of salt. Adjust the thickness by adding milk a little at a time for a thinner glaze, or more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze.
Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake or place it in a disposable bag, snip a corner, and pipe an even drizzle. Finish with a sprinkle of lemon zest or thin lemon slices for a fresh presentation.
Recipe FAQs
Mascarpone enriches the batter and produces a velvety, moist crumb similar to using cream cheese, but with a slightly sweeter, less tangy profile. It’s an excellent “secret” ingredient that elevates texture without overpowering the lemon flavor.
Mascarpone contains more fat and is creamier and milder than standard cream cheese. In cakes, it adds richness and a smooth mouthfeel while keeping the final texture light when used in the proportions called for here.
Yes. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil. It will keep up to three months. To thaw, transfer the wrapped cake to the refrigerator overnight, then bring it to room temperature before serving.
The mascarpone blends into the batter and doesn’t announce itself as a separate flavor. Instead, it deepens the cake’s richness and improves texture while allowing the lemon to remain the star.
More Pound Cakes
If you enjoy this recipe, try other pound-cake variations such as lemon-blueberry, classic lemon, sour cream, or strawberry pound cakes. Each variation keeps the same dense, satisfying structure while showcasing different flavors and add-ins.
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Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
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Lemon Pound Cake
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Sour Cream Pound Cake
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Strawberry Pound Cake
Thanks for visiting! We hope you enjoy this Lemon Mascarpone Pound Cake—it’s a dependable, delightful dessert that’s perfect for gatherings, gifts, or an everyday treat.
Lemon Mascarpone Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened (about 226 g or 1 cup)
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese softened (one 8 oz container)
- 3 cups sugar (about 600 g)
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups cake flour (about 342 g; not self-rising)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup milk (whole or 2%)
- 1 tablespoon lemon extract
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice plus zest (about one lemon)
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1½ teaspoons milk add bit by bit until desired consistency
- pinch of salt
- ½ tsp lemon extract adjust to taste
Instructions
- Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Whisk cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
- Beat butter and mascarpone on low to medium speed until smooth.
- Add sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each until incorporated.
- Combine milk, lemon juice, lemon extract, and zest in a separate bowl.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk mixture, starting and ending with dry. Mix just until combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The cake should spring back lightly when done.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.
Glaze
- Whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk, lemon extract, and a pinch of salt. Add milk a little at a time until the glaze reaches the thickness you prefer. Spoon or pipe over the cooled cake.
Notes
Bundt pan: A 10-inch bundt pan that holds about 12 cups works well. Do not overfill — keep batter below two-thirds full.
Freezing: Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature before serving.
Thawing tip: After moving the wrapped cake to room temperature, wait for condensation to form before removing the outer wrap to avoid drying the cake.