This easy lemon pound cake recipe has a generous amount of buttery Chardonnay that gives it a unique, mellow flavor. This homemade pound cake is made from scratch – no cake mix needed. I made them into personal sized, mini pound cakes so they are summer picnic perfect!
This unique recipe was created in partnership with one of our favorite Restless Chipotle sponsors, CK Mondavi and Family. All opinions are my own.
Ingredients you’ll need: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, sour cream, CK Mondavi and Family Chardonnay, butter, eggs, lemon, lemon extract (optional)
Table of Contents
- Lemon Pound Cake Is Perfect for Summer Picnics
- Chardonnay and Lemon Pound Cake
- Homemade Lemon Pound Cake Ingredients
- White Wine and Summer
- Win a Trip to Napa!
- Keeping Up with the Mondavis
- More Recipes with CK Mondavi and Family Wines
- More Picnic Food!
- More Lemon Desserts
- Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
- Share Your Own Images
Lemon Pound Cake Is Perfect for Summer Picnics
One of the best things about summer is the time you can spend outdoors doing all of the things. Long afternoons at the pool or the lake, cook-outs in the backyard, and picnics at the park are just some of the ways to make those family memories.
The thing about picnics is that you have to make food that’s easy to transport. No one wants something saucy sloshing all over the backseat, right?
That’s why I created these personal sized Chardonnay & Lemon Pound Cakes. They can be made ahead of time – they’re actually better the day after you bake them – and they are easy to pack in your picnic basket.
In fact, they freeze really well so you could double this lemon pound cake recipe and freeze what you don’t need now.
Chardonnay and Lemon Pound Cake
This wine cake recipe is delicious with berries and all kinds of summer fruit. The lemon makes it tangy while the Chardonnay softens the flavor and makes it almost buttery.
It honestly tastes like nothing you’ve ever had before – people will be asking you what the secret ingredient is!
You can make it in a full sized bundt pan, of course. I prefer the individual sized cakes because they are awfully cute and there’s no cutting or other preparation required. Just unwrap them and dig in!
Homemade Lemon Pound Cake Ingredients
The ingredients are simple – you’ve probably got most of them at home. I’ve added the option of using a little lemon extract in your cake because I know that some people love a tangier lemon flavor than others.
The Chardonnay has lemon and citrus flavors which enhance the flavor of the cake but overall it gives the finished pound cake a softer citrus flavor, more velvety than tangy. If you like a more puckery lemon experience you’ll want to use the lemon extract for sure.
Sauvignon Blanc would also be a good choice for the liquid in this recipe.
- All-purpose flour works just fine in this – no need for cake flour because you want a more dense texture.
- Baking powder adds the “lift” that helps make the cake a little lighter than many pound cake recipes.
- Eggs give the cake moisture and help bind the other ingredients. The more vibrant the yolks the prettier the cake will be so try to go with local eggs from pastured chickens.
- Butter adds moistness to the cake as well. Since there’s no milk in the batter the extra butter adds the fat that the cake needs for flavor and texture.
- Sour Cream adds richness.
- Granulated (white) sugar adds sweetness and helps the cake maintain its moist quality. You can cut back by about 1/4 cup if you wish but I wouldn’t cut back more.
- Lemon provides the flavor from both the fresh juice and the zest. You’ll get more juice if you microwave the while lemon a few seconds before you cut and squeeze it.
- Chardonnay is the liquid needed to create the perfect consistency of the batter. Since there’s no fat in it we’ve added extra fat by using extra butter and sour cream.
White Wine and Summer
I have a preference for fruity, full bodied red wines but in the summer you just can’t beat a chilled Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay! The whites are so refreshingly crisp.
CK Mondavi and Family creates my very favorite white wines and their Chardonnay is the one I reach for the most. It’s buttery and smooth which is why I chose it specifically for this wine cake recipe.
You can take a look at all the different wines on the CK Mondavi & Family website along with the flavor profiles and suggested pairings.
Win a Trip to Napa!
How would you love to pit your Bocce skills against the Mondavi family’s? Just click here for a chance to win a trip for two to Napa to play bocce and drink wine with the Modavis!
Keeping Up with the Mondavis
Follow CK Mondavi and Family on social media to keep up with all the news, new wine releases, contests, and more!
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More Recipes with CK Mondavi and Family Wines
This is my second year working as an ambassador for CK Mondavi and Family and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve created a variety of recipes during that time!
- Roast Quail and Camembert Cheese Grits is an easy dish. The lavender balsamic glaze gives it a citrus flavor that cuts the richness of the Camembert cheese grits nicely. It’s a romantic dinner that can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.
- Grilled Fried Green Tomato Pizza is not just unique – it’s delicious! It combines a healthy, whole wheat pizza crust with smoked cheese, and my favorite recipe for fried green tomatoes to create a truly unique pizza recipe that’s Southern all the way.
- Blackberry Merlot Cobbler is full of plump berries and sweet dumplings that simmer along with a red wine blend until they come together in a thick, sweet compote. The red wine blend enhances the flavor of the berries and keeps this classic southern dessert from being too sweet.
- Lemon Bars with Gingersnap Crust is extra lemony, tart, and tangy! Creamy lemon filling is made with extra lemon juice and baked atop a gingersnap crust.
More Picnic Food!
- This strawberry rhubarb salad from Grumpy’s Honeybunch is sugar free and it would be fantastic alongside these chardonnay pound cakes!
- Cucumber salad is my kryptonite and this one from Having Fun Saving looks especially yummy.
- Mediterranean Salad from Epicurista is definitely going on my picnic menu this summer.
- Don’t forget the sandwiches! These grilled ham and cheese sandwiches from Dish Our Town look fantastic!
More Lemon Desserts
If you’re looking for more lemon desserts you may like these as well –
- No Bake Lemon Ice Box Pie is a classic! creamy and refreshing.
- Lemon Cream Cake is so easy and perfect for potlucks. You make it in a 13×9 inch pan and just frost it with the creamy whipped lemon frosting right in the pan.
- Lemon Layer Cake with White Chocolate Ganache is perfect for summer parties.
- Lemon Lavender Truffles are creamy, rich candies that are stupid easy to make.
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This picnic set is very similar to mine and comes with plates, wine glasses, tableware, napkins, and more. Bring back the picnic tradition this summer!
Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
This easy Chardonnay and Lemon Pound Cake recipe is SO easy that anyone can do it. There’s no need to use boxed mixes here! Just a quick note – if you use a full sized pan there are 16 servings.
It also fits into 12 small bundt pans. Sorry for any confusion.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars!
Chardonnay and Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Print Add to CollectionEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chardonnay, I prefer Ck Mondavi and Family Chardonnay
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 5 eggs
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour a bundt pan (6 mini bundt pans were used in this recipe) and set aside. I find that if your bundt pan is very detailed or ornate spraying with non-stick baking spray is the best choice.
- In large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt.
- Stir together the chardonnay, lemon juice, and sour cream – set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer beat the sugar and melted butter until well combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
- Beat in lemon extract if using and continue to beat on medium high for about 5 minutes, or until thick and light.
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating on low just until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add half the wine, sour cream, and lemon juice mixture, beating just until combined.
- Repeat with 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining wine mixture, and then the remaining flour mixture.
- With rubber spatula scrape batter into prepared pan.
- Bake 50 to 55 minutes for full size bundt cake pans, or 15 to 20 minutes for the mini pans or until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.
- Cool in pans 15 minutes.
- Turn out to cool completely.
- Dust with Confectioner's sugar before serving, if desired.
Nutrition
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Sandi
You had me at lemon! What a delicious pairing idea.
Marye
Thanks Sandi!