Recreate the goodness of Starbucks' Lemon Loaf in your kitchen! This foolproof recipe brings you a moist, lemony cake with a rich, zesty frosting that's perfect with a cup if Earl Grey or your favorite coffee. Call it a pound cake or call it a quickbread - it's SO good!
1-2tablespoonscream as needed for right consistency.
Instructions
Lemon Loaf
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour an 9x5-inch loaf pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Set aside.
Beat the granulated sugar and eggs with the mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Mix in the melted butter and the oil.
Mix in the vanilla, lemon extract, lemon zest and lemon juice until combined.
Add in the buttermilk and mix well.
Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix well.
Continue adding flour until all the dry ingredients are mixed into the wet mixture but don’t over mix.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It will register 200F with an instant read thermometer.
Cool completely.
Once the loaf is cool cover with glaze.
Lemon Icing
Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon extract, lemon juice, and cream until smooth.
Stir in more powdered sugar or cream as needed for desired consistency.
Notes
Storage:Store leftovers of your citrusy loaf in an airtight container for up to four days. Don’t refrigerate lemon loaf since it will dry out the cake.However, this lemon cake recipe freezes well! If you’ve already frosted your lemon loaf, flash-freeze the whole loaf or individual slices on a sheet pan for 2-3 hours.Then, wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and aluminum foil and transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag. (You can skip the flash-freezing step if your lemon loaf is unfrosted. Simply wrap and store.)This loaf will keep frozen for up to six months. Thaw frozen lemon loaf in the fridge overnight or set it out at room temperature.Tips:
Let the eggs and buttermilk warm to room temperature and the melted butter cool slightly before mixing them with the rest of the ingredients. This helps prevent the batter from curdling.
Use a neutral oil like vegetable oil or canola oil. Olive oil will change the flavor of your lemon loaf and make it taste weird.
My copycat recipe uses a 9x5-inch loaf pan. An 8x4-inch loaf pan will create a thicker loaf that'll need a bit longer baking time.
Your lemon loaf is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, the top feels firm to the touch, and it has an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.
Wait to drizzle the glaze over the top of the loaf until it has cooled completely so it doesn’t melt off.