Small Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake for the home table

This melt-in-your-mouth Small Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake is half the size of my original lemon pound cake recipe, but equally as flavorful! Baked in a 6-cup bundt cake pan, this tart and tangy ultra-tender tender cake is buttery soft and made with cream cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Top it with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple lemon glaze for a fun treat any time of the year!

Reasons You may like This method

• It's made in a 6-cup bundt cake pan.
• Enjoy this small lemon cream cheese pound cake as-is, with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple lemon glaze.
• Tart and tangy—tart from the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Tangy from the cream cheese.
• A mega tender and tender lemon bundt cake that will melt in your mouth!
• A fabulous dessert that serves 4-6 people.
• The texture, taste, and smell are simply wonderful!

What goes in

You'll need the following ingredients to make this small lemon cream cheese pound cake.

• Cake Flour. I used Swan's Down Cake Flour. I do not recommend using all-purpose flour.
• Salt. 1/4 teaspoon.
• Eggs. You'll need 3 large-size eggs in total. Room temperature is best.
• Lemons. You'll need 2-3 medium-size lemons for the lemon juice and lemon zest.
• Extracts. 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract. The lemon extract is optional but gives this lemon cream cheese pound cake a nice little extra oomph of lemon flavor.
• Unsalted Butter. You'll need 3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks (for those in the U.S. that do not have a food scale). The butter must be at room temperature for the best results in this lemon cream cheese pound cake recipe.
• Cream Cheese. 4 ounces is needed, and ensure this is also softened to room temperature. It will blend with the unsalted butter and other ingredients a lot easier.
• Granulated Sugar. You'll need 1 1/2 cups total.
• Powdered Sugar. Used to make the simple lemon glaze, or you can use it as a standalone garnish.

Let's Make the Recipe

This is a brief overview of how to make this small lemon cream cheese bundt cake recipe. For the detailed recipe card that includes US customary and metric measurements for the ingredients, scroll to the bottom.

1. Blend the butter and cream cheese together. Do this for a good 2-3 minutes or until the two are well blended together and smooth.
2. Add in the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Whisk again for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is light and airy in texture. The more air you can incorporate into the mixture at this stage will help leaven the cake during baking.
3. Add in the lemon juice and extracts, and blend together well.
4. Add in the eggs. And this is important—add them in one at a time, ensuring they've fully been blended in with the batter. Don't add them in all at once or rush this step.
5. Add in the cake flour and salt. Blend until just combined—meaning just until the flour is no longer visible. Do not over-mix this batter.
6. Bake at 300ºF for 60-70 minutes. For reference, my small lemon cream cheese pound cake was ready to come out at 70 minutes.

Questions on this bake

What size bundt cake pan did you use?

I used this 6-cup bundt cake pan from Nordic Ware.

Can Use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?

For this method and my original lemon cream cheese pound cake recipe, it's best to use cake flour because it's lighter than all-purpose.

My lemon cream cheese bundt cake is a nice golden brown on the outside but has streaks of cake that looked underbaked.

The streaks you're seeing are fully baked. The reason this is happening, according to King Arthur Flour, is caused by over creaming the butter and sugars together at too fast of a speed with your mixer. It should be done, at most, at medium speed. The eggs and dry ingredients should be mixed in at the lowest speed on your mixer.

What's the best way to store lemon cream cheese pound cake?

The pound cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can also be stored in the freezer, double-wrapped in plastic wrap with an aluminum foil cover for up to 1 month. Let it come to room temperature before serving.