This iced lemon loaf cake is perfect to serve as a dessert or to enjoy as a mid afternoon snack with a cup of tea or coffee. Easy to make, this cake is bursting full of fresh flavors and topped with a tangy and sweet icing.
There is never a bad time to have a slice of cake! I love how quick and easy it is to put this loaf cake together, and it’s perfect to enjoy when it’s grey and cold outside!
How to Make This Iced Lemon Loaf Cake
For this recipe I used Bob’s Red Mill’s Unbleached White All Purpose Organic Flour. This product is a STAPLE in our kitchen and the only flour I use if we are using all-purpose flour. Bob’s is also my go-to if we want to use Wheat Flour of Gluten Free Flour.
Bob’s products are SECOND TO NONE and I trust them completely. If you haven’t seen their line of foods you need to immediately. There’s just no one on the market that’s quite like the quality of Bob’s Red Mill.
I also used Bob’s Red Mill Baking Powder. I love the resealable bag and trusted name. If Bob’s makes a product, I use it whenever possible!
An easy recipe for the perfect loaf cake
There’s nothing complicated about this recipe, and every time I have made it comes out perfectly! You just need simple pantry ingredients and you will end up with a moist and light cake that’s full of fresh and tangy flavor. I baked this cake in a 9×5″ loaf tin and it makes enough to easily feed a crowd.
How long will this cake keep?
Once the cake has been baked and iced, and cooled in the fridge, transfer it to an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and foil. It will keep well in the fridge for about 3-4 days. It’s a good idea to keep the iced lemon loaf cake well covered so that it doesn’t take on the odor of any other food you may have in your fridge.
A loaf cake recipe from scratch
It can be so easy to just grab a box of cake mix when the cake cravings hit, but it really doesn’t take much longer to make a cake from scratch. They always taste so much better and isn’t that the beauty of baking? Making something delicious from raw ingredients?
Loaf cakes like this also make great gifts around the holidays for friends and family. Wrap them in some cellophane with a gift tag and some ribbon and you have the perfect homemade food gift!
Top Tips To Make This Lemon Loaf Cake Recipe
- Be sure to line your tin with parchment for easy removal.
- The cake will take around 60 minutes to bake, check for doneness slightly before this time by inserting a toothpick into the loaf; if it come out clean it’s done.
- Allow the cake to cool slightly before adding the lemon syrup.
- Be sure that the cake has fully cooled before icing it.
For more tasty cake recipes:
- Hummingbird Cake Recipe with Dried Pineapple Flowers
- Glazed Lemon Cranberry Bread
- Chocolate Cake Recipe with Vanilla Frosting
- Skillet Carrot Cake Recipe with the Best Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Buttermilk Cake Recipe
- Chiffon Cake
Iced Lemon Loaf Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- 9x5-inch loaf pan
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour 306 grams
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar 250 grams, divided
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder 4 grams
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda 3 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil 100 grams
- 2 large eggs 100 grams
- ⅔ cup sour cream 151 grams
- 2 tablespoons lemon extract 24 grams
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest 6 grams, from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup lemon juice 57 grams, from 2 lemons
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar 113 grams
- 1 tablespoon sour cream 14 grams
- 1½ teaspoons lemon juice 7 grams, plus more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overheang on the sides so that you can remove the bread once baked (see video).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together on low until just combined.2¼ cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour, 1¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the vegetable oil and mix until fully combined.½ cup vegetable oil
- Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl if needed.2 large eggs
- Add the sour cream, lemon extract, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well combined.⅔ cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons lemon extract, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes in the pan.
- While the bread is cooling, heat the remaining ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup lemon juice in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved.¼ cup lemon juice
- Once bread has cooled 15 minutes, remove from the loaf pan and transfer to a parchment lined cooling rack.
- Spoon the lemon/sugar syrup over the bread, allowing it to soak in.
- Allow the bread to cool completely.
- Stir together the powdered sugar, sour cream, and lemon juice until smooth. Add more lemon juice if you need to make the mixture thinner.1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1½ teaspoons lemon juice
- Once bread is fully cooled, drizzle completely with the icing. Place in the fridge until set. Slice and serve!
Video
Becky's Tips
- Be sure to line your tin with parchment for easy removal.
- The cake will take around 60 minutes to bake, check for doneness slightly before this time by inserting a toothpick into the loaf; if it come out clean it's done.
- Allow the cake to cool slightly before adding the lemon syrup.
- Be sure that the cake has fully cooled before icing it.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
In the steps, the adding of the flour is missing. Also you have 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar.
Doesn’t make sense.
It should be in the first step! Thanks for bringing that up to me!
This lemon cake is amazing! It’s the perfect blend of sweet and tart, super moist and has a ton of flavor. Perfect for any lemon lover.
I’m glad you enjoyed it so much!!
Where is the recipe for the lemon cake? Please?
Near the top of the page should be a link that says “Jump to Recipe” that will take you right to it!
In the recipe directions you forget to mention putting in the lemon juice and flour into the batter… pretty key ingredients. I caught the flour, obviously but missed the lemon juice ugh very annoying
In step 5 you add the lemon zest!