Lemon is one of my favorite fruits – I keep a Costco size bag of lemons on hand all the time because it brings a bright, delicious flavor to just about anything you squeeze it in to!  I especially love a good Lemon Loaf, but I’m a bit fussy when it comes to my lemon loaf.  It absolutely can’t be dry, it has to have a good amount of lemon in it, (NOT lemon extract but actual lemon zest and juice), and it has to have a beautiful, thin, mouth puckering lemon glaze running over the top.  

This lemon loaf has a super soft, moist texture, with a sweet but tangy lemon flavor running through the whole thing and a punch of zingy, lemony glaze dripping over the top and down the sides.  Ask any of my family how many lemon loaves they had to eat before I was happy with this recipe and they will tell you it was way too many.  But the end result was completely worth it!  I can’t keep a loaf of this on the counter.  It’s demolished every single time.

A couple of tips for this recipe:

• You can substitute full fat milk or buttermilk for the half and half in a pinch.
• Use fresh lemons for this loaf.  Using lemon juice from a bottle or any lemon extract is going to affect the flavor and quality of your final product. Two large lemons usually give me all the juice and zest I need!
• If you forget to take your eggs out of the refrigerator early to get them room temp, just place them in a bowl of warm water for 1-2 minutes before cracking.
• If you forget to take your butter out to get to room temp, just microwave it on power level 4 for 30 seconds at a time until it is soft but not melted.
• This is a thin glaze – just how I like it.  If you want a thicker icing type of topping, just add additional powdered sugar to the glaze and stir together well until it is the right consistency for you.
• Let the glaze sit on the cake for 15-30 minutes to set before serving.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a loaf pan with non-stick baking spray (with the flour in it.)  (You could alternatively line with parchment paper.)
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together, then set aside.
3. In your mixer bowl, mix the sugar and lemon zest together for a minute.  Add the butter and cream it with the lemon sugar mixture for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add your eggs and the extra yolk one at a time, beating after each addition.
5. Add in the canola oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
6. Turn the mixer to low, add half of the flour, then the 1/2 cup of half and half, then the other half of the flour, mixing until just combined.
7. Remove the bowl from your mixer and gently stir, scraping the bottom to make sure everything is combined, then spread the batter in to the prepared loaf pan.
8. Bake the loaf for 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out just about clean, (there might be a few moist crumbs.)
9. Remove the loaf from the oven, let it cool for 10-15 minutes, then loosen the loaf around the edges, remove the loaf from the pan and place it on a cooling rack until it is cool.
10. To make the glaze: In a small mixing bowl add the powdered sugar, then whisk in the lemon juice and half and half. Drizzle the icing over the loaf and let set for 15-30 minutes before serving.  (I like to garnish with additional lemon zest!)