This light Lemon Loaf Cake drizzled with a sweet and tart lemon glaze has a tender buttery crumb and is full of bright citrus flavor. This easy loaf of quick bread is perfect for breakfast, a snack and even dessert.
If you are wondering what to make with a bunch of lemons, this Lemon Blueberry Cake and my grab and go Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are some of our favorite lemon recipes!
I love lemon, probably more than I love chocolate. Lemon desserts, lemon breads, sweet and savory lemon recipes, they are all my weakness (equally delicious).
The Perfect Lemon Loaf Cake
My love for everything lemon is so strong that I used to stop at Starbucks on my way to work every morning but instead of getting a latte, I would just order a slice (or two) of their delicious lemon loaf.
Starbucks lemon loaf is moist, dense and buttery without being greasy. Their lemon pound cake is bursting with lemon flavor and has the right amount of sweetness. I knew I could make an equally delicious loaf cake at home after all, there is nothing quite like a loaf of homemade bread coming out of the oven and as an added bonus, no more trips to Starbucks and one less expense to budget for!
Lemon Loaf Recipe Ingredients
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour to make this lemon pound cake recipe.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar.
- Eggs: I use large eggs at room temperature.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter at room temperature. Room temperature ingredients bond together easily that produces uniform texture throughout the lemon loaf.
- Baking Powder: Used as leavening. Many people have asked if I use both baking powder and baking soda for this recipe. The answer is no. Baking soda is commonly used in baked goods that contain an acidic ingredient like buttermilk in the batter. However, not all recipes with an acidic ingredient need baking soda. This recipe has been tested and tried with baking powder only. The loaf you see in this photo was made with baking powder only. As you can see, it works.
- Lemons: Fresh lemon juice is the only option! Nothing quite compares to the flavor of fresh lemon juice. You’ll also need quite a bit of lemon zest.
- Vanilla and Salt: Both are use for flavoring. I use Kosher salt or sea salt for baking but table salt can also be used.
- Buttermilk: At room temperature. Buttermilk produces and incredible moist loaf cake.
Lemon Syrup and Lemon Glaze Ingredients
- Confectioners’ Sugar
- Lemon Juice
How To Make This Lemon Loaf Recipe from Scratch
- Preheat the oven and grease a loaf pan. You can use an 8×4 inch or 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with an electric mixer), beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
- With the mixer on low-speed, add the eggs one at a time, add the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat on medium-high speed until combined.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Put the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.
- Prepare the lemon syrup by combining together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Remove the lemon loaf from the pan and set it on a rack. Brush the syrup over the lemon cake while warm.
- Make the icing by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and milk. Add additional juice if needed.The icing should be thick.
- When the loaf is completely cool, pour the icing over the loaf.
You have questions? We have answers!
Is This A Starbucks Copycat Lemon Loaf Recipe?
This Lemon loaf cake is much better than Starbucks lemon pound cake! This lemon cake recipe is moist, tender, rich, citrusy and wonderful!
Lemon Pound Cake Glaze
The icing drizzled over the top of this lemon quick bread adds another layer of flavor that compliments the smooth tender cake. Sweet, tart and thick, I always like to save the best for last!
Add additional lemon juice or confectioners’ sugar to reach the right consistency. This lemon icing is a bit thick but you should still be able to drizzle it over the loaf. in other words, its not like cake icing that you need to spread with a spatula.
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions
I prefer freezing the lemon loaf cake without the icing. Cool the loaf completely and wrap it tightly. You can place the loaf in an airtight container or a freezer safe resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before glazing or serving.
You can store leftovers covered at room temperature for 2-3days or in the refrigerator for about a week.
Lemon Loaf Recipe Tips
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing 1/2 cup of milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature ingredients bind together easily producing a uniform texture throughout the cake.
Are you wondering what can you make with a bunch of lemons? Here are a few lemon recipes for you:
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Lemon Poke Cake
- Lemon Drop Martini
- Pasta with Asparagus in Lemon Cream Sauce
- Greek Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs
Recipe adapted from Plated Cravings
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Lemon Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
For the Lemon Syrup
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted (more if needed to reach the right consistency)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (more if needed to reach the right consistency)
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an (8×4 inch or 9×5 inch) loaf pan with cooking spray
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with an electric mixer), beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy and pale, about 4-6 minutes. With a spatula, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low-speed, add the eggs one at a time, add the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. With the mixer on low, add the flour and buttermilk alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Put the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.
- Prepare the lemon syrup by combining together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Remove the lemon loaf from the pan and set it on a rack. Brush the syrup over the loaf while warm.
- Make the icing by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and milk. Add additional juice, if needed. The icing should be thick.
- When the loaf is completely cool, pour the icing over the loaf.
Chef’s Tips
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing 1/2 cup of milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature ingredients bind together easily producing a uniform texture throughout the cake.
- Recipe adapted from Plated Cravings.
Anna says
Thank you for the receipt! Made this cake twice. Delicious, but unfortunately didn’t rise well both times.
Kathy says
Hi Anna, I’m sorry the cake didn’t rise equally well both times. Have you calibrated your oven lately? I had issues with my oven recently and one of the recipes I make often didn’t rise well either. That could be the issue?
Louise Ibbotson says
I made this today and it was a disaster. I’m sure ite tastes great, but it stuck to the pan, even though I sprayed it generously. I didn’ rise well either. Dipped in the center..
Kathy says
Hi Louise, I am sorry the loaf didn’t turned out well for you. Did you use baking powder and buttermilk? The combination of both make the loaf rise beautifully. The only thing I can think of is an error in measuring the ingredients and/or not greasing the pan well. If you baked the loaf at the right temperature, for the right time, there is very little chance that the loaf would stick to a well greased pan. Like all of our recipes, we have tested this loaf several times. We also ask others to test for us before publishing. Once again, sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you.
Melissa says
This recipe needs to be modified in the way that it’s explained. First of all the image has baking soda. Nowhere in the recipe does it mention baking soda. Secondly, step # 3 is not clear. What buttermilk “mixture”? You never said when to add the buttermilk so I’m not sure what mixture you’re referring to.
Kathy says
Hi Melissa, You are absolutely right. I mislabeled the photo and had the additional word “mixture” in the recipe card that wasn’t caught prior publication.Thank you so much for catching those editorial issues. We had so many readers/pinners making this recipe with great success. I hope you give it another shot!
Jo says
This was absolutely perfect.
gloria Osmond says
Thank You !!!
gloria Osmond says
Thank You! this looks great!
Kathy says
You are welcome! Enjoy!!
Donna Watson says
Delicious! I can’t see something with lemon and just scroll by, this is going to my bookmarks for sure uhah thank you!
Kathy says
Thank you Donna!!! I love lemon too!!