This Simple Lemon Loaf Cake is the ultimate easy quick loaf to make! It’s soft, fluffy and loaded with tart lemon flavor. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy every bite!
Happy Wednesday, y’all! I am SO excited to share this recipe with you all today because I kid you not, Benjamin and I ate this entire loaf within one day. It is SO so good.
It’s the perfect Mother’s Day treat to bake up for the special lady in your life.
Why You’ll Love This Treat:
First of all, if you’re a lemon fan….this is the cake for YOU! It has fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and a lemony glaze. With all of this fresh lemon, it truly has the perfect blend of tart and sweet that makes every bite irresistible!
The cake itself is incredibly fluffy. Each bite is so soft and lovely.
Oh, and did I mention the lemon glaze?!?!
This cake has a super simple glaze that you whip up with SO much flavor. Not to mention, when you let the glaze set, it sets on top of the loaf almost like a glazed donut…which adds an incredible texture to the otherwise super soft loaf cake.
It’s perfect to serve for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon tea or dessert….or a midnight snack 😉
So let’s get into what you need to make it!
Ingredients You Need:
- All Purpose Flour, Baking Powder – dry ingredients needed for this cake! This baking powder will help it rise.
- Whole Milk – you can also use a non-dairy milk like almond or oat.
- Lemon Juice – freshly squeezed is the way to go here! You will need the juice for the cake itself and the glaze.
- Lemon Zest – adds SO much flavor in this cake. Highly recommend it!
- Light Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar – sweetener for the cake, so good!
- Vanilla Extract – for added flavor in the cake.
- Melted Butter – I like using salted for this recipe, but you can always use unsalted if desired.
- Powdered Sugar – use for the glaze on top!
How to Make Lemon Loaf Cake in 5 Simple Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9×5 glass baking loaf pan and set that aside! Slice your lemons in half (I did 2 total), and using a citrus juicer or your hands, squeeze about a little more than 1/2 cup of juice out into a jar. Zest about 1-2 tbsp as well for the inside of the cake.
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In a large bowl, melt the butter and let it cool. To this, add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk together until combined.
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To the bowl with the butter/sugar mixture, add in the whole milk, the lemon juice, zest and vanilla extract. Whisk together until combined. It makes it look a little odd but don’t fret! Add the flour and baking powder and gently stir into the bowl until combined.
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Pour the loaf batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the middle and comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then carefully remove from the pan onto a cooling rack to let it cool fully.
- Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, lemon juice, zest and a splash of milk until desired consistency is reached. Generously drizzle over top of the bread. Slice and enjoy!
Best Baking Tips:
Be sure that your oven is fully preheated by the time you pop the loaf in.
Another tip? I always butter the loaf pan VERY WELL or use parchment paper to ensure that it comes out easily without sticking. Extra pro tip….I actually butter the pan and then add parchment paper, ha!
Don’t overbake the loaf! Be sure to poke a toothpick or even a butter knife in the very middle of the loaf to check to see if it has baked through. A few crumbs on the toothpick are fine…it will continue to cook as it cools in the pan.
Speaking of cooling, be sure to let the loaf FULLY cool before you glaze it or else the glaze will just roll right off of the warm loaf cake.
Recipe Substitutions:
I personally think that fresh lemon juice is best, but if you’re in a bind, you can always use store bought. I do think that the lemon zest can’t be replaced though…so you must have fresh lemons for that!
Like I mentioned above in the ingredient list, you can sub a non-dairy milk for the whole milk used in this recipe.
You can also use unsalted butter in place of the salted butter.
Storing Leftovers:
Store the baked loaf cake in a tightly sealed container – I stored mine at room temperature and it worked fine. It will be good for up to 3 days….if it lasts that long, haha!
I hope you all enjoy this delicious loaf cake! Happy Mother’s Day!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few more you might like:
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Simple Lemon Loaf Cake
This Simple Lemon Loaf Cake is the ultimate easy quick loaf to make! It’s soft, fluffy and loaded with tart lemon flavor. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy every bite!
Ingredients
Lemon Loaf Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (plus more for garnish, if desired)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) melted salted butter, cooled
Lemon Glaze
- juice of 1/2 lemon, squeezed
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
Baking the Loaf Cake
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9x5 glass baking loaf pan using either cooking spray or parchment paper. Set aside for now.
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Slice the lemons in half (I did 2-3 large lemons total), and using a citrus juicer or your hands, squeeze about a little more than 1/2 cup of juice out into a jar. Zest about 1-2 tbsp as well for the inside of the cake.
-
In a large bowl, melt the butter and let it cool. To this, add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk together until combined.
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To the bowl with the butter and sugar, add in the whole milk, ½ cup of the freshly squeezed lemon, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Mix together until combined. It makes it look a little odd but don’t fret!
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To the bowl, add in the all purpose flour and baking powder and stir them into the bowl with the wet ingredients a little at a time until they are combined, and you can see no more flour pockets.
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Pour the loaf batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the middle and comes out clean.
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Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then carefully remove from the pan onto a cooling rack to let it cool fully.
Lemon Glaze
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To a bowl, add the powdered sugar. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a large lemon in the bowl. Add about 1/2 tsp of fresh lemon zest as well. Add a splash of whole milk and whisk until you reach your desired consistency (it will be thicker the more powdered sugar you add, and thinner the more milk you add).
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Once the cake is fully cooled, generously glaze it. Top with extra lemon zest. Slice and enjoy!