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!
Prep Time
- Preparation Time: 15 minutes
- Cooking Time: 50 minutes
- Type: Dessert
- Style: American Cuisine
- Total Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Ingredients
When making the best lemon loaf cake, make sure to have fresh and high-quality ingredients that will give your cake a taste that you have never experienced.
Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps create a tender crumb.
Zest of Lemons: Adds intense lemon flavor and aromatic oils.
Large Eggs: Provide structure and richness to the cake.
Vanilla: Enhances overall flavor and complements the lemon.
Lemon Extract: Intensifies the lemon flavor for a more pronounced taste.
Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the loaf.
Vegetable Oil: Contributes to a moist and tender texture.
Whole Milk: Adds moisture and richness to the batter.
All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base structure of the cake.
Cornstarch: Lightens the texture and makes the cake tender.
Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent to help the cake rise.
Baking Soda: Helps with leavening and enhances the yellow color.
Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the other flavors.
Sour Cream: Adds moisture and tanginess, creating a tender crumb.
Fresh Lemon Juice: Provides a fresh, bright lemon flavor.
Butter: Creates a central split for even baking (optional).
Icing Sugar: Sweetens the icing and creates a smooth texture.
Lemon Juice: Adds tartness and enhances the lemon flavor in the icing.
Cream: Adds richness and helps achieve a smooth consistency in the icing.
Directions to Make the Lemon Loaf Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325F (conventional) and grease an 8.5×4″ loaf pan with butter and parchment paper.
- For a stunning lemon zest cake, combine sugar and lemon zest in a bowl, then rub together for 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
- Mix in eggs, vanilla, and lemon extract, then whisk with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer for 3-4 minutes until light and ribbony.
- Heat butter, oil, and milk in a saucepan on medium heat until melted and simmering.
- Slowly pour the hot butter mixture into the egg and sugar mixture while whisking continuously.
- Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the batter, then gently fold until combined.
- Gently fold in sour cream and lemon juice until combined, being careful not to overmix
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Optional: Pipe a thin line of softened butter down the middle of the loaf pan to control cracking as the cake rises.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, checking with a toothpick at the 45-minute mark for moist crumbs attached to come out (not wet batter). Timing may vary based on your oven and pan. Allow the cake to rest for 20 minutes until the lemon loaf recipe cools down.
- While waiting, combine the ingredients to make the icing.
- Once the cake has cooled, gently take the loaf cake recipes out of the pan and generously apply the lemon icing, finishing the best lemon cake off with a sprinkle of lemon zest. Then, cut a slice and savor the deliciousness.
What makes this the best lemon loaf cake?
I think a fantastic lemon loaf cake should possess four key qualities, and this recipe fulfills all of them.
Bold Lemon Flavor With A Perfect Balance – This Lemon loaf cake is undeniably a lemon cake when you take a bite. Yet, it doesn’t overwhelm your taste buds but the taste is flawlessly harmonized, striking a perfect balance between the zesty and refreshing lemon notes, and the delightful sweetness of sugar.
Tender And Moist Texture That Improves Over Time – It is unbelievably soft and moist and keeps improving as time goes by. I was amazed to discover that on the second and third days, the cake felt even more moist, unlike most cake recipes that tend to dry out over time.
Visually Appealing Loaf Cake With A Golden Crust – Wow, this loaf cake is a real stunner! The height is just right, giving it a lovely dome shape with a crack in the center, and that light golden crust is gorgeous. And just wait until you see it with the lemon icing drizzled on top!
Easy Recipe With Common Ingredients – This recipe is super easy, and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already.
How To Achieve A Strong Lemon Flavor
Through extensive testing, I discovered that the zesty lemon taste is a result of two key ingredients, with lemon juice surprisingly not being one of them!
- Lemon zest is the key! It’s where the concentrated lemon flavor and scent are found in natural oils.
- Lemon extract is a game-changer. Just a small amount can add so much more lemon flavor than lemon juice.
- Lemon extract is made from the concentrated oil inside lemon peels, making lemon loaf cake recipe a powerful ingredient for enhancing lemon flavor.
How To Achieve A Soft And Moist Texture
Here’s how we achieve the ideal texture for this lemon loaf cake in a few different ways:
- Use vegetable oil instead of butter for moist cakes.
- Substitute some all-purpose flour with cornstarch for a cake flour texture.
- Incorporate sour cream and lemon juice for a moist and tender cake.
- Bake at 325F for a lighter and nicer texture.
- 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.
Try Out My Other Recipes!
I am sure that you’ll also like my other recipes. Give them a try and you’ll find them a perfect treat for your family and friends:
Oreo Mug Cake
Baked Tiramisu Cheesecake
Best Strawberry Cheesecake
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a substitute for sour cream?
Having trouble finding sour cream? No worries! You can whip up a batch at home with this simple recipe I have.
What is a substitute for eggs?
Eggs play a crucial role in this recipe as they are whisked to add air to the batter and also give the cake a healthy touch. That’s why I wouldn’t suggest substituting them. However, if you really have to, you can use flax-seed eggs instead. Just keep in mind that you don’t have to whisk the eggs and sugar mixture for 3-4 minutes, only until they are well combined.
Can I skip the lemon extract?
I highly suggest incorporating lemon extract as the best lemon loaf recipe can be quite difficult to achieve a robust lemon flavor without it. Nevertheless, if you are unable to find it, you can omit the best loaf cake recipe and increase the amount of lemon zest instead.
How do you store this lemon loaf cake?
You can store this lemon loaf cake in an airtight container at room temperature (as long as it’s not too warm) for 3-5 days. If you plan to keep lemon cake loaf for a longer period, it’s best to refrigerate lemon loaf recipes and let easy lemon loaf cake with oil come to room temperature before enjoying.
Best Lemon Loaf Cake Recipe – Bursting with Lemon Flavor
Ingredients
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
Instructions
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.
Video
Notes
- For optimal results, it’s recommended to use eggs at room temperature.
- Ensure that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh and not expired.
- Make sure to check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda for the best baking results.