This lemon loaf is about as simple as baking gets! It has a sweet lemon flavor topped with a sweet-tart drizzle. The batter is ready for the oven in 15 minutes and it is made with yogurt which makes it so tender and delicious. Even the crumbs will disappear.
I few years ago I was on a girls weekend and happened to try the famous Starbucks Lemon Loaf. It was very good – lemony and by bakery standards a great treat. But frankly it just does not compare to my homemade lemon loaf cake. Sorry Starbucks, you lost this round.
How to Make Lemon Loaf At Home
Lemon Loaf is an easy, fail-proof baking recipe for people new to baking or who have been baking for years!
The recipe is simple. Mix the dry ingredients. Rub sugar and lemon zest together (which makes your fingers smell AMAZING!) Add the wet ingredients. Stir and bake! Use the delicious drizzle to glaze the cooled cake. I think that is about as simple as baking gets! You don’t even have to cream anything!
This lemon loaf recipe is sometimes also called lemon loaf cake, yogurt cake or lemon yogurt cake. The first version I ever saw was called French Yogurt Cake and was billed as a beginning baking recipe. I made it for my in-laws at a Graduation Brunch for my husband and it was a huge hit.
How to Zest a Lemon
The only skill that might be new to you is zesting a lemon! Thankfully this is easy to do. I suggest this Microplane zester. Just gently rub the lemon down the microplane to remove the zest (yellow part) off of the pith (white part) of the lemon peel.
More Recipes for Lemon Lovers
I consider myself a SERIOUS true blue lemon lover. I pretty much always have fresh lemons around. One of my favorite treats to offer visitors is fresh squeezed lemonade. And if I’m having a cocktail chances are good is a Lemondrop Martini! If this sounds like you check out some of my other lemon loving recipes…
- Lemonade Icebox Pie with Golden Oreo crust
- Mixed Berry Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
- Secret Ingredient Lemon Snowflake Cookies
- The Perfect Lemon Drop Martini
Drizzled Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsps. finely grated lemon zest from 1-2 lemons Meyer Lemons preferable
- ¾ cup whole-milk Greek yogurt I use cheap brand of Honey Greek Yogurt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tsp vanilla
For The Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
- zest from one lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Coat a standard loaf pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Dust with flour. Tap out excess.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Using your fingers rub 1 cups sugar with 1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest from a Meyer Lemon in a large bowl until sugar is moist. Dump unto flour mixture
- To flour mixture add yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs, 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice and vanilla; stir to blend.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 45 - 50 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert unto rack. Let cool completely.
- Whisk together ingredients for the glaze and drizzle over loaf.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in April of 2016. It was updated for content and clarity.
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