Ritz Carlton Hotel Lemon Pound Cake
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The Famous Ritz Carlton Hotel Lemon Pound Cake has a fine crumb texture and bright lemon flavor. This classic lemon pound cake is supremely moist & tender! It’s the perfect finale to dinner!
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Famous Ritz Carlton Hotel Lemon Pound Cake
I found this recipe in a stack of recipes that were my grandmother’s and have no idea if it actually was served at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Furthermore, I couldn’t find it on any of their menus now. But, being #PoundCakePaula as one reader put it, I have been wanting to test this Famous Ritz Carlton Hotel Lemon Pound Cake for my Pound Cakes Reviewed Series for a long time.
Believe me, I wish I had sooner. This is one of my favorite pound cakes now.
When given a choice between chocolate and lemon I will choose lemon every time. I know that seems bizarre to most people. Lemon is bright and fresh. It’s tart yet sweet.
The lemon flavor is intense. The texture is buttery with a small crumb. It’s tender on the inside crusty on the outside. However, the top did not yield that crusty layer that my Coconut Pound or Whipping Cream Pound Cake does.
Between the golden crust and the lemon flavor, I did not feel this cake needed any frosting or glaze. I do have this wonderful Lemon Glaze if you prefer your Famous Ritz Carlton Hotel Lemon Pound Cake to be sweeter.
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Pans and such
I bake my pound cakes on a cookie sheet to bake. Setting the pan on a cookie sheet may affect the baking time. As well, using a light versus a dark tube pan will affect baking times. For my cakes, I bake in a light pan on a round cookie sheet.
Your
I’m not a fan of non-stick spray for pound cakes. Some of the sides always stick pulling off that crust that I worked so hard to create. Instead, I like to use solid vegetable shortening and follow that with a dusting of granulated sugar. (Yes, sugar. Sugar doesn’t leave any white areas on the cake.) Alternately, I like the Wilton cake release. (When I started this pound cake series, I did use non-stick spray. However, after making so many and trying other methods, I do not use non-stick spray for cakes now. I have tried to go back and update those posts, but may have missed some.)
HOW TO MEASURE FLOUR CORRECTLY
Measure all the ingredients carefully, especially the flour.
How do you measure flour?
To correctly measure flour, first, sift the flour. Then using a spoon or scoop lightly scoop flour out of its container into a measuring cup. Continue filling the cup until it is overflowing, then using the back of a butter knife level the flour. Scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour to fill can result in up to 25% more flour than lightly spooning the flour into the measuring cup. More flour in a recipe will make it dense and dry.
Pound Cake Tips
It’s very important when making this cake to start with room temperature ingredients. Don’t rush the mixing process, make sure each ingredient is combined well before moving to the next one.
As well, sift and measure your flour carefully.
Please read this post for more tips on How to Bake the Perfect Pound Cake.
I can’t stress enough to calibrate your oven. Everyone thinks their oven is the correct temperature, but ovens really need to be calibrated every year. For more information, please read How to Calibrate your Oven.
Below are a few pound cake recipes that I’ve reviewed. Click the photo for the recipe. You can get all of the recipes here: Pound Cakes Reviewed.
Ruby Red Grapefruit Pound Cake
Sour Cream Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Classic Ricotta Pound Cake
Praline Glazed Pumpkin Pound Cake
Million Dollar Pound Cake
Shop Ritz Carlton Hotel Lemon Pound Cake
- I recommend Crisco solid vegetable shortening and White Lily or Martha White flour. Pans and more recommendations are here.
- I have found solid vegetable shortening and sugar instead of flour to be the best for coating the pan to prevent sticking. By using sugar instead of flour, you won’t have white patches on the cake. You can use flour if you prefer.
- If you use a bundt pan instead of a tube pan, make sure it’s a taller bundt, about 5 inches tall.
- I couldn’t do without my stand mixer for baking!
Equipment
More recipes you’ll enjoy
- Ritz Krispie Treats Recipe
- TRAVEL ON THE CHEAP
- BAKED SEASONED RITZ BITS
- CHEESY RANCH RITZ BITS
- RITZ BITS CHURROS RECIPE
Famous Ritz Carlton Hotel Lemon Pound Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup Crisco shortening at room temperature
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 6 tablespoon fresh lemon juice fresh
- zest of one lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt.3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugar.3 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup Crisco shortening
- Add eggs one at a time beating until the yellow is incorporated before adding the next egg. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides, beat again.6 large eggs
- With the mixer on low, add dry ingredients alternating with the heavy cream and milk. (Add 1/3 dry ingredients, add heavy cream, add 1/3 dry ingredients, add milk, add last 1/3 dry ingredients.½ cup whole milk, ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Mix in lemon juice and zest. Stop the mixer and scrap down the sides of the bowl. Mix again.6 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, zest of one lemon
- Spoon into prepared pan.
- Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until done. Cooking time will vary depending on your oven and the color and size of the pan you're using. Watch it closely the first time you bake this cake and make notes.
- Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes before inverting on a cake plate.
- Cool completely before covering.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
Made your lemon pound cake today. All the right ingredients, followed the recipe to the T. Used Crisco vegetable shortening (solid) to coat the angle food cake pan, with sprinkling of sugar.
Baked it 65 minutes plus another 5 minutes.
Flavor was great, sunk like a rock. Any suggestions?
I don’t think it was cooked through and fell. It takes my oven 85 minutes to cook a pound cake.
My memories of pound cake go back to 1943 when I was a student in a boarding school in England. One of the boys lived on a farm close by, now and then his mother would give him a madeira (pound) cake to share with his friends at school. I can close my eyes and taste that slice of cake even now. I could taste eggs and butter and maybe vanilla, I’ve carried that taste and that memory all these years without being able to equal it. Well here I am at 91 years old, living by myself in Canada, I’m teaching myself how to cook. I don’t have a tube pan or the other one (memory loss for name), I do have three bread tins. My questions are 1. Will the recipe fit in two or three of the tins, 2. How high should I fill them and 3. At what temperature and for how long should they be baked.
Thank you for your help, now if I could just remember that I have asked for help. Sometimes when I get busy I forget that I forget.
I think it’s wonderful that you’re teaching yourself to cook! Yes, the bread tins will work, fill them no more than 3/4 full. Bake them at 325 degrees F…. Not knowing exactly what size your pans are it’s hard to know the time they will take so watch them and when they are browned on the top test with a toothpick. Stick the toothpick in the center and when it comes out clean or with dry crumbs it’s done. Good luck!!
I can’t wait to try this. I love lemon, too! Please explain ‘ I couldn’t do with my stand mixer for baking!“
Thank you
Hi Paula
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I have medium eggs though. Can I use those? If so, how many?
Thanks
Add 7 medium eggs
Hi! Made this today after following all instructions except that my recipe for this same cake called for 5 eggs n also I used 2 tbsp vanilla instead of 6 tbsp of lemon juice..just made it plain. ..love the recipe without the lemon..
Can I use coconut oil instead of Crisco?
It won’t be exactly the same. I find using coconut oil makes them a little tougher/not as tender.
Could you use cake flour instead to lighten the cake up a bit?
YOu can sub cake flour in pound cakes.
Does this cake freeze well?
Yes. Wrap airtight in plastic wrap then aluminum foil. It’ll keep in the freezer 8 to 10 weeks. If I’m freezing it for ourselves (and not a party) I’ll cut into 4 or 5 large chunks so that I can remove it to serve without having to thaw the entire cake.
This is one of the loveliest lemon cakes I have ever made. I always look forward to bring it to any gathering be cause everyone loves it