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.
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups AP flour
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, room temp
- 2 whole eggs plus 1 yolk, room temp
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup half and half
Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp half and half
Instructions:
- 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.)
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together, then set aside.
- 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.
- Add your eggs and the extra yolk one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add in the canola oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Turn the mixer to low, add half of the flour, then all of the half of the half, then the other half of the flour, mixing until just combined.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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!)
Sweet & Moist Lemon Loaf Recipe
EQUIPMENT (Amazon Associate Links)
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups AP flour
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, (room temp)
- 2 whole eggs plus 1 extra yolk (room temp)
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup half and half
Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp half and half
Instructions
- 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.)
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together, then set aside.
- 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.
- Add your eggs and the extra yolk one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add in the canola oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Turn the mixer to low, add half of the flour, then all of the half of the half, then the other half of the flour, mixing until just combined.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.
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!)
Notes
- 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 30 minutes to set before serving.
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