Name: Lemon Loaf with Icing
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 cup sugar; 2 Tablespoons lemon zest; ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt; ½ cup buttermilk; ½ cup vegetable oil; 4 Tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 3 eggs (room temperature); 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar); 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 1 teaspoon heavy cream or half & half, (more as needed)

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This iced Lemon Loaf Cake is for all of you lemon lovers out there!

Are you one of the many who love the iced lemon loaf at Starbucks? We definitely are, so we wanted to recreate it at home for you. You're going to LOVE it!

This Lemon Loaf recipe is super moist, infused with tart lemon juice, lemon zest, and topped with an easy lemon icing. It's an easy and delicious recipe that can be put together in just 15 minutes. Sour cream, buttermilk, and oil ensure a tender, moist cake.

Lemon season is in full swing, so now is the ideal time to bake this quick citrus bread recipe. Let's get baking (and snacking)!

Ingredients Needed for Lemon Loaf Cake:

Lemons - Of course! We need them for their zest and also for the juice for both the loaf and the icing
Dry Ingredients - Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar
Sour Cream and Buttermilk - These are key ingredients for making this loaf so tender
Canola or Vegetable Oil - Using oil in place of butter keeps the cake moist for days
Eggs - This is the binder that keeps the loaf together
Vanilla - We use our pure vanilla extract, but you could also use vanilla bean paste
Lemon Icing: powdered sugar, lemon juice, and cream or half and half

How to make the perfect Lemon Loaf

Room temperature ingredients work best. Use a handheld or stand mixer for the fastest results; however, you can also mix the batter by hand.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven
Generously grease a 9"x5" loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Lining is optional, but it makes clean-up a breeze and acts as a sling to easily remove the baked loaf from the pan.
Zest the lemons and squeeze the juice. Set aside 2 Tablespoons of the juice for the icing. We use a Microplane rasp grater for zesting.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.

lemon zest, lemons with zester and a juicer

In a stand mixer or other large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. This mixing helps release the oils in the zest, resulting in more lemon flavor.
Add the sour cream, buttermilk, oil, lemon juice, and vanilla, and mix until just combined.
Mix in the eggs and again mix until just blended.
Add the flour mixture in 2 additions and mix on low until everything is combined. Be careful not to overmix. Overmixing can cause the cake to be tough.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

batter with eggs in silver bowl and blue spoon

lemon cake batter in loaf pan lined with parchment

Baking:

Bake for about 55-65 minutes. Baking time can vary with each oven. Check on the lemon loaf at the 45-minute mark, and if it's browning too much, tent the pan loosely with foil.
Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The tester should come out mostly clean with a few crumbs. You can also test with an instant-read thermometer. The internal temperature should read 200˚- 205˚F.

Cooling:

Remove the loaf pan from the oven, place it on a cooling rack, and let the cake cool in the pan for about one hour.
Remove the loaf from the pan. It will still be slightly warm. Let the loaf cool completely before icing.

Icing the Lemon Loaf

Sift the powdered sugar into a medium-sized bowl.
Add the lemon juice and half of the cream or half and half, and blend until smooth.
The icing should be thick but spreadable. If needed, add the remaining cream.
Once the loaf is completely cool, drizzle the lemon icing over the top.
Let the icing set for 15 minutes before serving.

Storage Tips:

Room Temperature: Wrap the cake and store it for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Wrap the loaf, without icing, in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and then ice the loaf.

Tips and Ingredient Substitutions:

Swap the sour cream for plain full-fat Greek Yogurt.
Use 1 cup of sour cream and omit the buttermilk.
Want even more lemon flavor? Add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract to the batter.
The batter will be smoother if all of the wet ingredients are at room temperature.
Be careful not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can make cakes tough.
Metal or Glass Pan? Metal pans will result in a darker crust, and the cooking time will likely be shorter. Glass pans will produce a lighter crust and can take longer to bake.

More citrus recipes you'll love 💛🧡

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Lemon Loaf with Icing

This Lemon Loaf with a zesty lemon icing is fluffy, moist, and bursting with a sunny flavor.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Cyndy Ufkes ~ The Art of Food and Wine

Equipment

1 Loaf Pan 9" x 5"

Ingredients

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup vegetable oil
4 Tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs room temperature

Lemon Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 teaspoon heavy cream or half & half, more as needed

Instructions

Preparing the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan, and line it with parchment if desired. The oven rack should be in the lower third of the oven.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a hand-held mixer) add the sugar and lemon zest and mix to combine.
Add sour cream, buttermilk, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and vanilla, and mix for 30 seconds to combine. Add the eggs and beat lightly, but do not overmix.
Add the flour mixture in 2 additions, mixing gently each time until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 55-60 minutes. Check halfway through baking, and if the loaf is browning too quickly, tent the loaf loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over- browning.
Test with a toothpick. The lemon loaf is done when the toothpick comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs. The internal temperature should be 200-205℉ in the center.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a baking rack for about an hour, and then remove from the pan. The loaf may still be slightly warm. Allow it to finish cooling completely before icing.

Preparing the Icing and Icing the Lemon Loaf:

In a small bowl, sift in the powdered sugar. Add the lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of cream, half & half, or whole milk.
Whisk to combine, and if needed, add a little more cream until you reach the desired consistency. Add more lemon juice if you want a tangier icing. The icing should be very thick, but spreadable
Once the cake is completely cooled, pour or drizzle over the top of the loaf cake and allow it to set for about 15 minutes before slicing.
Store the cake covered at room temperature for 3 days.
If freezing, we recommend freezing the cake without the icing and then icing once ready to serve. Freeze tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, and then sealed in a bag, for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.

Notes

Calorie count does not include optional icing, which is an additional 50 calories per slice
Icing tips: For a thicker icing, use cream or half & half. For a thinner icing, use milk.
Wet ingredients should be at room temperature.
Storing Lemon Loaf:
- Room Temperature: Covered for up to 3 days
- Freeze: Wrap the loaf, without icing, tightly, and store in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature. If desired, add icing and serve.

Nutrition

Lemon Loaf Cake