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My easy Lemon Loaf is the perfect Starbucks copycat recipe! With simple easy-to-find ingredients, whip this deliciously soft lemon loaf with a creamy lemon glaze in just 1 hour. In fact, we think our homemade recipe is even better than Starbucks!
Lemon Loaf
If you’ve ever had Starbucks’ Lemon Loaf, you know how good it is. Full of lemon flavor, moist, dense, and rich! This easy lemon cake is perfectly moist while still being fluffy. If you like lemon desserts, you have got to give this cake a try! It is the perfect cake for every occasion.
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Ingredients:
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter (at room temperature)
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs
- Sour cream
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Lemon extract
- Nonstick spray
Supplies:
- 4×8 inch or 5×9 inch loaf pan
- 2 mixing bowls
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
- Spatula
- Spoon
- Grater
- Toothpick
- Optional: parchment paper
Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Using medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together until light. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, and lemon extract
Whisk in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir the batter cake dough together until completely combined.
Pour the batter mixture into a 4×8 or 5×9 inch loaf pan prepared with non-stick spray. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The tender bread will make your kitchen smell delicious.
While the lemon cake is baking, it’s time to whip up the delicious lemon glaze topping!
Lemon Glaze Ingredients
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice
- Milk
- Melted butter
Lemon Glaze Recipe
The lemon glaze could not get any easier. Simply whisk together the powdered sugar, citrus juice, milk, and melted butter in a medium mixing bowl. The smooth texture forms in seconds!
Once the loaf is done baking, remove it from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges of the loaf from the pan with a butter or icing knife, and turn the loaf onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Drizzle the lemon flavor glaze over the cooled lemon loaf, and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Serve in thick slices! With minimal prep time, every moist crumb will be loved! We suggest giving slices wrapped in plastic wrap to neighbors and coworkers!
Serving Suggestion
We love eating this with our favorite dairy, like a cold glass of milk or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Storage
This delicious lemon loaf can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days. We do not recommend keeping it in the refrigerator as it will dry the cake out faster!
Lemon Loaf Freezer Recipe
This lemon bread freezes very well. However, be sure to freeze the glaze separately and then glaze the bread after it has thawed. It can be frozen for up to 6 months.
More Easy Bread Recipes
Lemon Loaf Recipe
Lemon Loaf
Equipment
- 4×8 inch or 5×9 inch loaf pan
- 2 mixing bowls
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
- spatula
- spoon
- Grater
- Toothpick
- non-stick spray or parchment paper
Ingredients
For the Lemon Loaf
- 1â…“ cup flour
- 1¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- â…” cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1½ tablespoons lemon zest (roughly the amount you get from one lemon)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon extract (not lemon oil!)
For the Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325º
- Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside
- Cream butter and sugar together until light
- Beat in eggs, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract
- Add flour mixture and stir together until completely combined
- Pour into a greased 4×8 or 5×9 inch loaf pan and bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes
- Loosen the edges of the loaf from the pan with a butter or icing knife, and turn the loaf onto a wire rack to cool completely
- Combine glaze ingredients until smooth
- Drizzle glaze over cooled lemon loaf, and spread with the back of a spoon
- Slice and serve!
This looks fantastic!
sounds delicious. gonna throw in some poppy seeds too!
Because of health concerns, I’ve started going gluten free. I experiment with recipes and wanted to test this one. I was very pleased with the result. It came out like your post’s photos and the taste was amazing. (not always the result w/GF attempts) I used my usual go to GF flour (Namaste). I didn’t have lemon extract, so I used almond extract. I will definitely be adding this to my favorites and to my Easter menu this year.