This Single Serve Lemon Pound Cake recipe is a super small batch pound cake recipe that is not only easy to make, but serves just 1-2 people! It is super moist, loaded with lemon flavor, and even has an easy lemon glaze on top.
⭐Why I Love It:
- Super Small Batch Pound Cake Recipe - I love that this single serve pound cake recipe makes just enough for 1-2 servings so I can satisfy my craving without having to make an entire cake. Other favorite single serve lemon recipes to try is this Single Serve Lemon Bar and Single Serve Lemon Cookie.
- No Mixer Needed - Because it's such a small amount of batter, you can easily mix it all up by hand instead of needing to use an electric or stand mixer.
- Super Moist - Adding our sour cream to lemon pound cake not only adds a slight tang that balances the sweetness but it also adds moisture for a moist texture.
🥘Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter - I used unsalted, but if you use salted butter, just reduce the amount of salt by half. When measuring the butter, I prefer to cut from the middle of the stick since the tablespoon markers at the ends of the stick can be off. For a small recipe, it's extra important to be accurate with measurements.
- White Granulated Sugar
- Egg Yolk - Using only the egg yolk helps keep the recipe super small and it also gives the cookies their chewy/fudgy/almost gooey center.
- Vanilla Extract - For flavor!
- Lemon Zest - When measuring lemon zest, you want to loosely pack it into the measuring spoon. I like to grate a little extra zest to sprinkle on top of the glazed cake. For a full batch lemon recipe to try, I love this Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake.
- Lemon Juice - You can get it from the same lemon you zested.
- Sour Cream - This makes the pound cake extra moist. Plain greek yogurt can also be swapped in! We also use a little sour cream in this Single Serve Coffee Cake!
- All-Purpose Flour - When measuring flour, make sure to use the 'spoon and level' method. This is where you spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level off the top. Instead of dipping the measuring cup directly into the flour bin which can lead to over measuring.
- Baking Powder - This is the leavener for the bread to help it rise.
- Kosher Salt - I like the Diamond Kosher Salt. A small amount of salt is so important to balance the sweetness in cookies. If you use table salt, then I would cut the amount by half.
- For the Lemon Glaze - Powdered Sugar, Lemon Juice, Heavy Cream or Milk
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🔪How To Make a Single Serve Lemon Pound Cake
This recipe for Single Serve Lemon Pound Cake is not only easy to mix up in one bowl with no mixer and is topped with an easy 3-ingredient icing!
Photo 1 - Cream together the softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest then mix in the egg yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and finally the sour cream. The mixture may look almost 'curdled' - that is normal.
Photo 2 - Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Photo 3 - Add the batter to a well greased ramekin.
Photo 4 - Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick comes out with just moist crumbs, no wet batter. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before glazing.
Photo 5 - Mix together the glaze ingredients until smooth.
Photo 6 - Remove the pound cake from the ramekin while still slightly warm and allow to finish cooling then top with the glaze.
💭Recipe Tips
- Ramekin Size - I used one large ramekin (10 ounces to the rim and ~4.25 inches wide) but you can use a bigger ramekin or smaller ramekins and just adjust the bake time. This is the large ramekin I use (note - it is labeled as a 7 ounce but it is 10 ounces to the rim).
- Well Grease the Ramekin - In order to remove the lemon pound from the ramekin after baking, make sure to grease it very well. I like to use softened butter to do this. It's also easiest to remove when the cake is still slightly warm.
- Use 'Spoon and Level' Method When Measuring Flour - When measuring flour, make sure to use the 'spoon and level' method. This is where you spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level off the top. Instead of dipping the measuring cup directly into the flour bin which can lead to over measuring.
👩🍳Recipe FAQs
Using only the egg yolk helps keep the recipe super small while still having a tender texture. You can use the leftover egg white to make this Single Serve Pancake recipe and Single Serve Vanilla Cupcake recipe.
The spoon and level method is best for measuring flour because it reduces the risk of over measuring. Start by fluffing up the flour int the container then use a spoon to spoon it into the measuring cup and use a knife to level off the top. This is much more accurate than scooping the flour directly from the container with the measuring cup.
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PrintRecipe
Single Serve Lemon Pound Cake (with Glaze)
This Single Serve Lemon Pound Cake recipe is a super small batch pound cake recipe that is not only easy to make, but serves just 1-2 people! It is super moist, loaded with lemon flavor, and even has an easy lemon glaze on top.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 1-2 servings
- Category: Dessert, Single Serve, Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Batter
- 2.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temp.
- 2.5 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon loosely packed lemon zest (if you LOVE lemon flavor, you can increase this to ½ teaspoon)
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons sour cream, or plain greek yogurt
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt.
Glaze
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- Prep - Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a large ramekin with butter.
- Wet Ingredients - In a medium bowl, use a fork or rubber spatula to cream together the softened butter and sugar (I like to ‘smoosh’ it on the side of the bowl to really cream them together). Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla to combine then mix in the lemon juice and zest before finally mixing in the sour cream. (It may look almost ‘curdled’ and not be smooth, that is okay. It will come together when you add the flour).
- Add Dry Ingredients - Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined. Do not over mix and the batter will be thick.
- Add to Ramekin - Pour into the greased ramekin and spread into an even layer.
- Bake - Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (adjust for your ramekin size). The pound cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
- Glaze - While the cake cools slightly, mix together the icing ingredients (you can adjust the amount of powdered sugar and milk/lemon juice) if you want a thicker or thinner icing.
- Enjoy - Remove the pound cake from the ramekin while still warm (this makes it much easier to pop out) and pour over the icing. Enjoy!
Notes
Ramekin Size - I used one large ramekin (10 ounces to the rim and ~4.25 inches wide) but you can use a bigger ramekin or smaller ramekins and just adjust the bake time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ pound cake with glaze
- Calories: 331
- Sugar: 27.1 g
- Sodium: 88.6 mg
- Fat: 17.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 40.7 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 133.2 mg
Kathleen Hansen says
I love the texture of this pound cake and the lemon glaze on top makes it even better!