Lemon Loaf

Perfectly moist and bursting with lemon flavor, this Lemon Loaf is better than Starbucks! It’s super easy to make at home, and you know exactly what is going into it.

In the mood for some baking with lemon? Give these Lemon Bars or Glazed Lemon Cakes a try!

Anyone that knows me knows of my love of lemon. I will choose a lemon anything over any other flavor.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.

This Lemon Loaf passes all of my lemon tests.

It’s moist. It’s lemony. It’s irresistible.

Now, I’m not a Starbuck’s aficionado, but I would dare say this is even better than their very popular lemon loaf. And the thing I like the best about it is that I know exactly what is going into it.

Be careful, though – I can never stop at one slice!

Ingredients

• Sugar: This is just granulated sugar.
• Lemons: You’ll need about 2 large lemons. You’ll use both the zest and the juice. Make sure you zest the lemons before you juice them.
• Butter: I use unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, just cut back on the amount of salt you add to the loaf.
• Eggs: I always use large eggs.
• Lemon Extract: I have made this with and without the lemon extract. If you want lots of lemon flavor, you’ll want to use the lemon extract. If you want more of a subtle lemon flavor, you can sub in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
• Sour Cream: The sour cream not only keeps this bread nice and moist, but it also gives the bread a great texture.
• Flour: I use all-purpose flour.
• Baking Soda: I only use baking soda. I like a tighter crumb instead of super light and fluffy.
• Salt: The salt balances out the flavors.
• Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar, this is for the icing.
• Cream: You’ll use both cream and lemon juice for the icing. I start with 1 tablespoon of each, and add more until I’d have my desired consistency.

How to Make this Lemon Loaf

1. Start with this trick I learned back when I first made this French Lemon Cream Tart: take the sugar and rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers. This infuses the sugar with the oils from the zest. It’s an extra little step, but totally worth it!
2. To that lemon sugar, add the melted butter, then mix in the eggs, lemon juice, and lemon extract. Fold the sour cream into the mixture.
3. Add the dry ingredients – the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gently mix this all together. The batter will be thick.
4. Add the batter to a 1 pound loaf pan. Bake the loaf until a tester inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean – you’ll want just a few moist crumbs on it. Let the loaf cool completely.
5. Once the loaf is completely cooled, make the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and cream. You want it to be thick, thin enough that you can spread it on the loaf. Let the icing dry, then slice and serve the bread.

Tips and Tricks

I have tested this recipe with 2 eggs and with 3 eggs. And while I ended up going with 2 eggs, if you want extra moistness, or if your loaf is too crumbly, you can add in a third egg.

I actually prefer this bread on the second day versus right after it is done. I like to bake it and let it cool, then wrap it in plastic wrap overnight. Then the next day, add the icing. I think the flavor and texture develops really wonderfully overnight.

You can serve this without the icing, but it does add a sweet and tart layer to the bread.

Don’t overmix the batter, or the bread will end up tough instead of tender.

A 1 pound loaf pan is usually 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches. You could also use a 9×5-inch loaf pan, but your loaf will be shorter.

Storing and Freezing

If you want to make this ahead of time, I’d suggest waiting to add the icing until you are ready to serve it.

If you do ice the bread ahead of time, make sure the bread is in an airtight container. The icing will most likely get a little sticky and runny. You can also wrap the loaf in plastic wrap once the bread has been iced, but some may stick to the plastic wrap.

The bread will be good at room temperature, covered, for 3 to 4 days. I don’t recommend refrigerating the bread because it can dry it out.

You can freeze the entire loaf, or freeze individual slices. Either way, wrap them in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer safe container. You can freeze it for up to three months.

More Lemon Recipes

Lemon Cheesecake
Lemon Cream Pie
Lemon Chess Pie
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze
Lemon Meringue Pie

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Lemon Loaf

5 from 2 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Cooling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 loaf, 12 servings

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

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Perfectly moist and bursting with lemon flavor, this Lemon Loaf is better than Starbucks! It’s super easy to make at home, and you know exactly what is going into it.

1x2x3x

Ingredients

Loaf:

• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ Zest of 2 lemons (about 2 tablespoons)
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter melted
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• ▢ Pinch of salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 1 lb loaf pan with parchment, then spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• To a large bowl, add the sugar and the lemon zest. Use your fingertips to rub the lemon zest into the sugar. The sugar should become super fragrant and moist.
• Add the butter and stir to combine. Add in the eggs, lemon juice, and lemon extract. Stir to combine. Fold in the sour cream.
• To the bowl, add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir just until everything is combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake until a tester inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean, with just a few moist crumbs, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool for about 30 minutes, then remove from the pan to completely.
• Once cool, make the icing: In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and cream. If needed, add more lemon juice or cream to make the icing the right consistency. It should be pourable, but still pretty thick.
• Pour the icing over the top of the bread and if desired, you can spread to make it even. Let the icing set up before slicing and serving the loaf.

Recipe Notes:

If you don’t have lemon extract, you can use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. It won’t have quite as much lemon flavor, but it is still delicious!

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 295kcal (15%), Carbohydrates: 47g (16%), Protein: 3g (6%), Fat: 10g (15%), Saturated Fat: 6g (38%), Cholesterol: 61mg (20%), Sodium: 194mg (8%), Sugar: 34g (38%)

Keywords: lemon cake, lemon loaf, starbuck’s lemon loaf