The Best Lemon Loaf

Table of Contents

This recipe for lemon loaf cake has been in the works for a very long time. For years, I’ve been attempting to produce an exact replica of Starbucks lemon loaf. I have tried, tried, tried, and failed at it so many times I can’t even begin to count. So far.

You already know how delicious Starbucks’ Lemon Loaf is if you’ve ever had it. It is thick, deep, moist, and bursting with lemon flavor. I shouldn’t want to learn how to make anything that wonderful at home, but I couldn’t leave it alone long enough.

Some of the lemon pound cake recipes I’ve tried online were “fine,” but not quite perfect, while others were complete failures. And using a cake mix was not something I wanted to do.

Ingredients:

Loaf with Lemon
Three huge eggs
One cup of sugar granules
One cup (8 ounces) of Greek yogurt or sour cream (light is fine)
Half a cup of vegetable or canola oil
Two tablespoons of lemon zest
One to two tablespoons (not teaspoons) of lemon extract, to taste
One and a half cups of all-purpose flour
Two tsp baking powder
To taste, add half a teaspoon of salt.
Glaze with Lemon
One cup of powdered sugar
Three tablespoons of lemon juice, or more if consistency is required.

Getting ready:

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, or spray with floured cooking spray; leave aside.

Prepare the Loaf:

Add the eggs, sugar, and sour cream to a large bowl and whisk rapidly until smooth and well blended.
Whisk to mix, then drizzle in the oil.
Whisk together the lemon essence and lemon zest. Note: Since the loaf doesn’t contain any real lemon juice, I added two tablespoons of lemon essence, which I felt was essential for a strong lemon flavor. However, you can adjust the amount to your preference.
Don’t overmix; add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir just until incorporated. It’s acceptable for there to be some lumps; try not to stir them smooth.
Using a spatula to gently smooth the top, pour the batter into the prepared pan.
A toothpick inserted in the middle crack should come out clean or with a few wet crumbs but no batter, and the top should be domed and set after about 50 to 52 minutes of baking. To avoid too much browning on the top and sides of the bread before the middle cooks through, tent the pan with foil during the final ten minutes of baking (loosely drape a sheet of foil over the pan).
Before glazing, let the loaf cool in the pan on top of a wire rack for at least half an hour (I let it cool for four hours). Then, turn it out onto the rack to finish cooling.

Prepare the Lemon Glaze:

Add the confectioner’s sugar to a small bowl, whisk to mix, and then gradually pour in the lemon juice. To get the right consistency and flavor, you might need to adjust the amounts of sugar and lemon juice a little.
Before slicing and serving, evenly distribute the glaze over the bread.
Spreading extra glaze on the bread’s cut surface, similar to how you would spread butter on toast, allows it to sink in and make the loaf even more moist and lemony. If you’re not like glaze, you can also cut the glaze recipe in half.
Have fun!