Easy Lemon Loaf Cake

Delicious and moist Lemon Loaf Cake is made with kitchen staples. Topped with a tangy lemon glaze this loaf cake is hard to put down. Great for a breakfast treat, brunch platter or afternoon pick me up! Step-by-step photos teach you how to make this delicious loaf cake. This is Lemon Loaf Cake is also the perfect Sunday afternoon bake. 

Lemon is so refreshing, so tangy, yet sweet. Lately, I have been on a banana bread obsession and I think this lemon loaf is changing that obsession to lemon loaves! This Lemon Loaf with a Lemon Glaze was the perfect treat for me!

This cake is so moist and has a great lemon flavor. One of my favorite loaf cakes. another lemon cake I adore is this lemon olive oil cake recipe.

The lemon glaze is sweet and tangy, it goes perfectly with the moist lemon loaf. Growing up my mom always made this lemon drizzle cake loaf, eating a slice of this brings back the best childhood memories.

Let's get to the recipe.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Can you double
• Craving More Lemon Recipes
• Recipe Card
• Recipe Ratings & Comments

Ingredients

Let's begin with the ingredients needed for this recipe.

• All-Purpose/ Plain Flour. Make sure you measure your flour properly. Too much or too little flour can drastically alter the structure and texture of the cake.
• Baking Powder. This will give the cake its lift. Make sure your chemical leavening agent is fresh.
• Salt. Just a bit helps enhance the lemon flavors and balances out the sweetness.
• Granulated/ Caster Sugar. Good old regular sugar is needed.
• Unsalted Butter. Make sure your butter is fully softened to room temperature so that it can cream properly with the sugar and lemon.
• Lemon Zest. Mixing the lemon zest with the butter and sugar gives the oils of the lemon zest more time to combine with each sugar granuale creating a stronger lemon flavor.
• Large Eggs. Your eggs will need to be at room temperature to properly combine and incorporate into the butter and sugar mixture. You can bring your eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes before using them.
• Fresh Lemon Juice. Adding fresh lemon juice helps flavor the cake along with the lemon zest.
• Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream. You can use sour cream or Greek yogurt becuase they have similar textures. Ideally use full-fat Greek yogurt. And again this should be at room temperature.

Now you could leave the lemon loaf as is OR you can top it with a glaze.

• Powdered/ Confectioner's Sugar. Make sure you push the sugar through a metal sieve. Sifted powdered sugar will ensure a smooth, lump-free frosting.
• Lemon Juice. I like to roll my lemon against the countertop to help get the most juice out of lemon, I also use a fork to prick the inside when I squeeze the lemon to try and get the most out of it.
• Lemon Zest. Adding a bit of zest really ensures that the glaze has a strong lemon flavor.
• Splash of Milk or Cream. I like to add just a smidge to create a creamier glaze.

Instructions

First things first you need to properly preheat your oven to 350F/180C and grease and flour a 9X5 loaf pan. I like to use the "baking" sprays, I love Baker's Joy it already has flour in the spray. Some people like to line the loaf pan with parchment paper overhanging on the edges to easily remove the loaf but I never have any problems so I don't bother.

Make sure your oven has enough time to heat up fully, otherwise you risk a failed bake!

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or large bowl with a handheld electric mixer combine lemon zest, butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.

We want a really light and fluffy mixture, this is crucial for the texture of the cake.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. If you add both eggs at the same time the butter will not be able to incorporate them properly, so take your time!

In a small bowl mix together the lemon juice and sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Gently fold the in dry ingredients until just almost combined then fold in creamy lemon yogurt.

You don't want to overmix the batter, doing so could create a tough, hard cake.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack until completely cool before glazing.

When the cake is almost done cooling, prepare the lemon glaze.

In a bowl combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon rind, and a splash of milk.

You want a thick glaze that drips. If your glaze is too thin then sift in some more confectioners sugar to thicken it up, if your glaze is too thick then add a little more lemon juice or cream.

Drizzle on top of the cooled cake. Let glaze set for a few minutes before serving.

Can you double

Yes, you can definitely double the recipe. On the recipe card below press the 2X button to increase the recipe ingredient quantities to double.

Craving More Lemon Recipes

• Lemon Zucchini Cake . This easy cake is a great way to sneak in some veggies, you would never know!
• French Lemon Cream Tart. This has got to be one of my readers favorite recipes, everyone loves this lemon cream tart!
• Lemon Curd Cheesecake. This is a show-stopper cheesecake, make it for the next party!
• Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake. Raspberries and lemon are a match made in heaven!
• Lemon Pound Cake Recipe. This cake is similar but has a higher ratio of butter and has a lemon sugar syrup brushed on to the cake, I truly love both versions!

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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This post was originally published on February 15, 2013 as of January 11, 2021 the recipe and photos have been updated.