Limoncello Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Limoncello Cream Cheese Pound Cake. A fantastic loaf of sour and sweet. Perfect for snacking or after dinner.

I love lemon, anyway I can get it. But I especially love a good lemon tea loaf/pound cake. I almost always order one form Starbucks when I want a treat. I decided to try and make something better, especially when it has been hard to get a piece during the pandemic. I had some Limoncello that a friend had given me and a bunch of cream cheese just begging me to use up in the fridge, and this is what I came up with.

I have found several recipes online for a lemon pound cake.  But almost none of them were just for one loaf. As I am stuck at home, I really didn’t want to have two loaves tempting me, so I came up with this one loaf version. I think it came out moist and delicious. Traditionally a pound cake is a pound of butter, a pound of eggs, and a pound of sugar. This recipe is none of those things…lol

Limoncello is a lemon liquor that comes from the southern regions of Italy. Traditionally, Limoncello is made from the zest of Femminello St. Teresa lemons, also known as Sorrento or Sfusato lemons. The oil of the lemon rinds is extracted by soaking them in a strong alcohol and then combined with a simple syrup. Because of the oil in the liquor, it has a cloudy appearance. Limoncello is quite often sipped very cold after dinner in a chilled little glass. Limoncello is the second most popular liqueur in Italy after Campari. I sometimes find it a bit sweet for my taste after dinner, but it is marvelous poured over this cake.

The glaze is very thick, and It is so good I could eat it with a spoon. This would be wonderful to serve as an afternoon treat or after a lovely dinner. It actually got better the second day; if you are willing to wait, I wasn’t to cut into it. If you need a loaf pan, this one from Amazon is excellent. (I get a small tiny commission from the sales from any link on this page, and it doesn’t cost you anything extra )

Let me know in the comments below what your thoughts are on this cake. I wonder if I added blackberries? Or maybe almonds? Oh, the mind wanders!

5 from 1 vote

Print

Limoncello Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

55 mins

Total Time

1 hr 10 mins

 

Limoncello Cream Cheese Pound Cake Limoncello, cream cheese, lemon rind flavored loaf of pound cake. Tart, sweet and tasty.

Course: Baking

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Angel Food cake, Baking, cream cheese, desserts, Lemon, limoncello, pound cake

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest from about 1 large lemon
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons limoncello
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 4 oz cream cheese removed from fridge 15 minutes before using

Glaze and finishing:

• ¼ cup Limoncello plus more below
• 1 cup powdered' sugar
• ¼ cup limoncello
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice plus more as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Spray a 5 x 9-inch loaf pan with baking spray. Line the pan with a piece of parchment paper that covers the bottom and long sides. There should be an inch or so extending past the top of the pan. (these will be the "handles" to lift the loaf out of the pan). You can just butter and flour the loaf pan, but the paper makes it easier to lift out.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together well the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light-colored and fluffy. This should take about 3 minutes, don't wimp on it!
5. Add the eggs one at a time and beat in well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed.
6. Beat in the softened cream cheese.
7. Stir together the lemon zest, lemon juice Limoncello, and vanilla.
8. With the mixer on low, add 1/2 of the flour mixture.
9. Then all of the lemon mixture to the butter mixture, followed by the remaining flour. Try not to overbeat it, this can be done by hand.
10. Scrape into prepared loaf pan and level the batter.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Place the pan on a rack. Immediately poke a bunch of holes all over the top with a toothpick. Pour over the hot cake still in the pan with ¼ cup of Limoncello.
13. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife along the short ends and use the parchment paper edges to lift and remove from pan.
14. Place the still hot loaf on a rack to cool.
15. While loaf is still a little warm, prepare the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, and the Limoncello adding enough lemon juice to make a very thick glaze.
16. Place a baking tray under the cooling rack to catch any drips and spoon glaze slowly over the top of the loaf, allowing it to drip down the sides a bit. Cool completely, then slice and enjoy.