Do you love the taste of fresh lemons? Then you will adore my best lemon loaf cake. This cake is moist, flavorful, and perfect for any occasion. Making it is a breeze and it never fails to impress a crowd! You can find a lot of recipes on the internet but I recommend you to give a try to this recipe and you’ll never disappoint.
Ready to impress your friends and family? Follow my simple steps to create this best lemon loaf cake. This recipe uses basic ingredients but delivers a rich lemon flavor that everyone will love. It is very simple but I can bet that this one is better than Starbucks. Let’s get started!
Loaf Cake: – 1 cup sugar 220g – Zest of 3 large lemons or 4-5 small ones – 2 large eggs – 1 tsp vanilla – 1-2 teaspoon lemon extract if you like a strong lemon flavor, go for 2 tsp! – 5 tbsp unsalted butter 70g – ¼ cup vegetable 55g – ¼ cup whole milk 60g – 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour 215g – ¼ cup cornstarch 40g – 1 tsp baking powder – ¼ tsp baking soda – ½ tsp salt – ½ cup sour cream 120g – check out my recipe for homemade sour cream – ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 60g – Optional: 1-2 tablespoon butter to piping down the middle of the loaf Lemon Icing: – 1 cup icing sugar sifted – 2 tbsp lemon juice – 1 tbsp cream
Preheat the Oven and Prepare the Pan: – Preheat your oven to 325°F (conventional). – Grease an 8.5×4-inch loaf pan with butter and line it with parchment paper. Make the Cake Batter: – In a bowl, mix together sugar and lemon zest until it becomes fluffy. – Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon extract. Use an electric mixer to whisk the mixture for 3-4 minutes until it becomes light and thick. – In a separate saucepan, melt butter, oil, and milk over medium heat. – Slowly pour the hot butter mixture into the egg mixture while whisking.
– Add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold the mixture gently until combined. – Add sour cream and lemon juice. Fold gently until combined, avoiding overmixing. Bake the Cake: – Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. – If desired, pipe a thin line of softened butter down the middle of the loaf pan to control the crack as the cake rises. – Bake for 45-55 minutes, checking at 45 minutes with a toothpick. The toothpick should come out with moist crumbs attached.
Cool and Assemble the Cake: – Let the cake cool down for 20 minutes. – Prepare the lemon icing by mixing the ingredients. – Remove the cake from the pan carefully. Spread the lemon icing on top and garnish with more lemon zest. – Slice and enjoy your delicious lemon cake.
I think a fantastic lemon loaf cake should possess four key qualities, and this recipe fulfills all of them.
Here’s how we achieve the ideal texture for this lemon loaf cake in a few different ways: 1. Use vegetable oil instead of butter for moist cakes. 2. Substitute some all-purpose flour with cornstarch for a cake flour texture. 3. Incorporate sour cream and lemon juice for a moist and tender cake. 4. Bake at 325F for a lighter and nicer texture. 5. Add ingredients at the end for better rise and moisture.
Best Loaf Pan Choosing the right loaf pan can greatly impact how your cake turns out. I suggest trying the 8.5 x 4.5″ loaf pan by USA Pan for best results. What I like about this pan is its ideal height and perfectly straight edges, giving your loaf cake a polished appearance.
Having trouble finding sour cream? No worries! You can whip up a batch at home with this simple recipe I have.