Yuzu Pound Cake

Nov 7, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Easy

A fine-crumbed butter pound cake perfumed with yuzu zest and juice, brushed with yuzu syrup while warm and topped with a thin yuzu glaze. The Japanese bakery trick of slashing the top during baking gives it a neat split crown. Makes 10 slices in about 4 hr 40 min.

Prep 25 min

Cook 60 min

Cooling 3 hr 15 min

Total 4 hr 40 min

Yield 10 slices

Ingredients

Adjust yield

slices

1 cup (200 g)unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200 g)granulated sugar, for the batter
1 tbsp (6 g)yuzu zest, finely grated, from about 2 yuzu
4 (200 g)eggs, large, room temperature, beaten
1 ¾ cups (200 g)cake flour
¾ tsp (3 g)baking powder
1 pinch (1 g)fine salt
1 tbsp (15 ml)yuzu juice, for the batter
2 tbsp (30 ml)yuzu juice, for the syrup
2 ½ tbsp (30 g)granulated sugar, for the syrup
⅔ cup (80 g)powdered sugar, sifted
1 tbsp (15 ml)yuzu juice, for the glaze

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Butter the loaf pan and line the bottom and long sides with parchment.
Beat the unsalted butter, granulated sugar and yuzu zest with a mixer on medium-high until pale and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the beaten eggs a spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition, about 4 minutes in all. If the batter starts to look curdled, beat in a spoonful of the cake flour.
Sift the cake flour, baking powder and fine salt over the bowl and fold in with a spatula until almost combined. Add the 15 ml yuzu juice for the batter and fold until smooth and glossy.
Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth it, making it slightly lower in the center. Bake 10 minutes, then quickly cut a shallow line down the center of the top with a buttered knife.
Continue baking until the cake is deep golden, the split looks dry and a skewer in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes more.
While the cake bakes, simmer the yuzu juice and granulated sugar for the syrup in a small pan until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.
Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, lift it out onto a rack and brush the top and sides with all the warm syrup. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
Whisk the powdered sugar and yuzu juice for the glaze until thick but pourable. Spread it over the top of the cooled cake and let it set, about 15 minutes, before slicing.

Tips

Have the butter and eggs at room temperature so the batter stays smooth and the crumb stays fine.
Bottled 100% yuzu juice works well; if you cannot find fresh yuzu for zest, use lemon zest and keep the yuzu juice.
The flavor is best the day after baking, once the syrup has settled into the crumb.
Good with sencha green tea or a cup of black coffee.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make yuzu pound cake?

Plan on 25 minutes of prep and 1 hour of cooking, plus 3 hours 15 minutes to rest. The recipe makes 10 slices.

How should I store yuzu pound cake?

Wrap well and keep at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze unglazed up to 1 month.

Can I make yuzu pound cake ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Butter pound cakes are a staple of Japanese bakeries and cafés, where they are often flavored with yuzu, the fragrant Japanese citrus, and finished with a yuzu syrup and glaze. Serve it with sencha green tea or a cup of black coffee.

Variations

Kuri (chestnut): fold 100 g (2/3 cup) drained, chopped kuri kanroni (chestnuts in syrup) into the batter at the end; bake 5 minutes longer.
Honey-yuzu: replace the syrup sugar with 30 g (1 1/2 tbsp) honey; baking time unchanged.
Mini loaves: divide among three 5 3/4 x 3-inch (15 x 8 cm) mini loaf pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes in total.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 10 servings this recipe makes.

371 Calories / serving

21.1g Fat

43.3g Carbs

3.6g Protein

38.5g Sugar

Whole recipe (10 servings): ~3710 cal · 211g fat · 433g carbs · 36g protein · 385g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.