Say hello to your new favorite lemon loaf cake recipe! Consisting of a moist lemon-infused cake finished with a flavorful lemon glaze, this loaf cake is irresistibly delicious. Each bite of this cake is like biting into a fragrant lemony cloud of deliciousness! If you are a lover of lemon bakes and desserts, then you NEED to try this recipe. So yum!!
What makes this is lemon cake recipe so good?
- Incredibly moist cake texture packed with the fresh, vibrant flavor of lemons in each scrumptious bite
- Perfectly sweet and tart lemon glaze that adds an extra pop of lemon flavor
- Super easy cake recipe that will leave you wanting more
How to Make the Best Lemon Loaf Cake
Citrus flavored cakes are one of my favorite bakes to make and this lemon infused loaf cake surely did not disappoint! To ensure that you are getting the fresh flavor of lemons in each bite, I used both the zest and juice of fresh lemons in the cake. Oh, but I did not stop there! The cooled loaf cake is topped with the most scrumptious lemon glaze.
To make this recipe, you will need:
Key Ingredients
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest
- Vanilla Extract
- Unsalted Butter
- Neutral Flavored Oil
- Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar
Tips for Making a Lemon Infused Loaf Cake from Scratch
- Use the Juice and Zest of Fresh Lemons – for the best tasting lemon cake naturally infused with the flavor of lemons, it is best to use both the juice and zest of fresh lemons.
- Infuse the Lemon Zest into the Sugar – infusing the lemon zest into the sugar will result in a more prominent lemon flavor as the oils are released from the zest. To make lemon sugar, simply use your fingertip to message the zest into the sugar until the sugar becomes fragrant with the aroma of lemons and appears light yellow.
- Use Fresh Lemon Juice in the Glaze – for an additional layer of lemon flavor, I always glaze the cooled cake with a glaze consisting of powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. The lemon glaze is the perfect finishing touch that helps to bring together the overall lemon flavor in the cake.
How to Store
Sliced and stored in an airtight container, this lemon cake will stay fresh at room temperature for upto 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for upto 4-5 days or in the freezer for upto 1-2 months.
When ready to serve frozen cake, thaw in the fridge overnight to re
Recipe Notes and Tips
- This recipe can be easily doubled to yield two loaves.
- This lemon loaf is even better the next day as the lemon flavor develops in it over time. I recommend tightly wrapping the cooled loaf in plastic wrap and storing at room temperature or in the fridge overnight. The next day, prepare the glaze and pour it over the cake before serving. If you stored the cake in the fridge, allow it to come back to room temperature before topping with the glaze.
- For a beautifully baked loaf with a nice golden brown exterior, I recommend using an aluminum steel baking loaf pan over a glass or ceramic pan.
- In place of the sour cream, you may use yogurt. I would suggest using Greek yogurt as its consistency is more similar to that of sour cream.
- To make a lemon olive oil loaf cake, simply omit the butter and increase the amount of oil used in the recipe to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or any olive oil of your choosing. Please keep in mind that the texture and appearance of the cake will differ from one made with butter and oil as in the original recipe.
Looking for More Scrumptious Eats, Checkout the Links Below:
If you make this recipe, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram or by leaving a comment in the comment section down below so I can find out how this recipe turned out for you! If you have any questions, ask away! I would love to answer your questions! Happy baking!
PrintLemon Loaf Cake
Fragrant lemon loaf cake infused with the tangy and zesty flavor of lemons makes for a purely delightful treat.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 60 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Lemon Loaf Cake
- 2 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 3/4 Cup Raw Cane/Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
- 5 Ounces (1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons) Plain Yogurt, Full-Fat, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup Flavorless Oil, i.e. Vegetable/Grapeseed Oil
- 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Zest (1) Large Lemon
Lemon Glaze
- 1 1/4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Zest (1) Large Lemon
Instructions
Lemon Loaf Cake
- Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease a standard loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Lightly whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of stand mixer, add the cane/granulated sugar and the zest of (1) large lemon. Use fingertips to incorporate zest into sugar until sugar become fragrant and takes on a slight yellow appearance, about (30) seconds.
- Add the oil, yogurt and vanilla extract into bowl with lemon sugar. At medium speed (4 on stand mixer), mix ingredients together for (1) minute. Batter will take on the appearance of thickened hollandaise sauce.
- Beat eggs into liquid mixture one at a time. Take care to ensure that each egg is fully incorporated into batter before the next one is added.
- With the mixer running at low speed (2 on stand mixer), slowly pour in half of the flour mixture into batter, followed by the lemon juice and ending with the second half of flour mixture.
- Stop mixer and with a spatula scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to help incorporate any unmixed ingredients into batter.
- Mix lemon loaf cake batter for an additional (30) seconds at low speed.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes. Lemon loaf cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow cake to rest in pan for at least (10) minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Lemon Glaze
- Use a fine-mesh sieve to sift powdered sugar into a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the zest of (1) large lemon into sifted powdered sugar.
- Whisk lemon juice a little at a time into sugar-zest mixture until a thick but pourable consistency is achieved. I ended up using 1 tablespoon + 2 Teaspoons of fresh lemon juice.
Assembly
- Transfer lemon glaze into a measuring cup or large mug/cup.
- Place cooled lemon loaf cake onto serving platter.
- Evenly pour lemon glaze over lemon loaf cake.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- Lining the loaf pan with parchment paper will make removable of cake more seamless.
- Use fresh lemon juice as this will provide the most natural lemon flavor in lemon loaf cake.
- Add lemon juice a little at time when making lemon glaze, whisking after each addition. The goal is end up with a thick but pourable glaze that will coat the top of lemon loaf cake.
- Placing a piece of parchment paper on serving platter before adding lemon loaf cake will protect the surface of platter and catch any of the glaze that drips off cake.
- Lemon loaf cake is even better the next day. Leftover cake maybe stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to (1) month if sliced and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.
- Looking for more lemon deliciousness, check out my recipe for Lemon Curd Cupcakes.
Leave a Reply