Y’all my lemon loaf cake puts the Starbucks one to shame! Plus you can make it without a stand mixer or hand mixer. Just a little elbow grease and you can mix this up in a flash. I keep it super moist and also a bit light because I use oil and Greek yogurt instead of butter. And the lemon flavor is over the top because I add in lemon juice, zest and extract. Pucker up boos and get into it.
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How to Make Lemon Loaf Cake
Step 1: Mix the Cake Batter
- Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
- Whisk them together until mixed.
- Combine the eggs, sugar, zest, juice, oil, yogurt, and extracts in a large bowl.
- Whisk everything together until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Stir with a whisk until a thick batter forms. Do not over-mix.
Step 2: Bake It
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.
- Bake until the cake is golden brown on top and it starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. You can also check with a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It should take about 50-55 minutes to cook. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes and then remove to finish cooling.
Step 3: Mix the Lemon Glaze and Top Your Lemon Loaf
- Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, zest, juice, and milk in a bowl until smooth.
- Pour the glaze over the cake once completely cooled. Let glaze set, slice, and enjoy!
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Lemon Loaf Cake Recipe
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I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt plain
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Place rack in the middle position. Prep a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk together.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, zest, juice, oil, yogurt, and extracts and whisk together until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and whisk together until a thick batter forms. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until cake is golden brown, starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan to continue cooling, about 30 minutes.
- Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, zest, juice, and milk until smooth. Pour over cake once completely cooled. Let glaze set, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
Allow it to cool completely and then wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or store it in an airtight container. How long will lemon loaf cake last?
Store your cake at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week. Can I freeze lemon cake?
Yep, you sure can! For best results, I recommend freezing the cake before you add the glaze.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Zesting Your Lemon: Avoid the white pith that lies right under the surface of the yellow outside. It is too bitter and doesn’t taste great.
- Avoid Mixing Too Much: Too much mixing of the dry ingredients and your loaf may end up dense and tough.
- Cool the Cake: If the cake is warm, the glaze will slide right off or won’t set properly.
Recipe Help
I have made a version of this lemon cake using olive oil. My only caution is that olive oil has a very distinct flavor which does distract from the lemon flavor.
Yep! You can even enjoy it plain with just a powdered sugar dusting or it tastes great with basic buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting.
More Favorite Lemon Cake Recipes
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Lemon Layer Cake
- Best Lemon Cupcakes
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Thanks for the healthier lemon cake recipe! I reduced the sugar to 3/4c and replaced the icing with pure lemon juice – we love lemons, obviously. The trouble is that it is hard to limit ourselves to one slice 🙂
Oh I totally know what you mean Juliet! This cake goes fast!
I am trying out this recipe right now! I don’t have lemon extract, so we’ll see how that turns out..
Good luck Karine. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Going to try this, looks delicious! Would plain yoghurt work? Would rapeseed oil work instead of olive oil? Haven’t got baking soda, just baking powder, would that still work? Going to use just honey instead of sugar as its healthier I think. Not got lemon extract but plenty of fresh lemons!
Hi Bekah, so glad you found this! Yes, you can use plain yoghurt and you can also try grapeseed oil though the texture and taste might have a slight difference. I believe in experimenting in the kitchen so definitely try it out and see what you think!!
What kind of olive oil do you use so that the flavor isn’t pronounced??
Hi Lupe, I try to use mild flavored olive oils for cakes. They are usually paler in color which means the flavor is weaker.
Looks amazing!! Do you think the the flour could be replaced with almond flour instead?
I believe so. Let me know how it goes!
I’m going to try this, and replace the olive oil with coconut oil. Can’t wait to taste this!!
Great Amber! I can’t wait to see how it turns out for you! Let me know how it is with the coconut oil!