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Enjoy zesty, tangy citrus flavors in this delicious Lemon Loaf Recipe. Made with Greek yogurt, it’s packed with extra protein and topped with a mouth watering lemon drizzle icing!
Easy and quick lemon loaf bread
What’s better than enjoying your cup of coffee alongside a piece of fluffy lemon bread? Not much!
Today, I’m showing you how to make one of my all time favorite lemon recipes. Made with typical baking ingredients plus a few swaps and extras, this lemon loaf bread takes the cake (pun intended) for the perfect morning or afternoon treat. It’s even sweet enough to be considered a post-dinner dessert!
It’s made without butter and without vegetable oil, instead incorporating Greek yogurt for a protein-packed loaf and coconut oil for a perfectly textured final result. Whether you’re aiming for a Starbucks lemon loaf copycat, or you just like lemon baked goods, you’re in for a treat with this recipe!
Ingredients in this lemon loaf recipe
When it comes to ingredients, this recipe uses common baking items like eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour, and baking powder. Two ingredients, Greek yogurt and coconut oil, contribute extra nutrients to the recipe and help to create the perfect loaf.
After the loaf, we’ll use two ingredients to create the delicious lemon drizzle!
Loaf
- Eggs: This recipe begins with 3 eggs.
- Sugar: 1 cup of sugar will create a nice and sweet loaf.
- Greek yogurt: Thicken up the recipe and add protein by including 1 cup of full fat Greek yogurt. If preferred, sour cream works too.
- Coconut oil: 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil serves as the cooking oil in this recipe. It helps all of the ingredients combine properly and prevents the loaf from winding up dry.
- Lemon zest: Add some tangy lemon flavor with 2 tbsp of lemon zest.
- Lemon juice: Then, follow the zest with 3 tbsp of fresh lemon juice.
- Vanilla: Add vanilla extract to the recipe in the amount of 1 tsp.
- Flour: Finally, for the main dry ingredient, use 1.5 cups of all purpose flour.
- Baking powder: Add 2 tsp of baking powder to help the loaf bake properly.
- Salt: Finish off the loaf with the addition of 1/2 tsp of salt.
Icing
- Powdered sugar: The icing is made with a base consisting of 1 cup of powdered sugar.
- Lemon juice: Create the icing texture by adding 2-3 tbsp of lemon juice.
Tool needed to make lemon loaf cake
Ready to dive in? Before getting started, gather the following kitchen tools:
- 9×5 loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand mixer
- Medium bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring cups: 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, 1/2 cup, 1 cup
How to make a lemon loaf with lemon juice icing
Making this lemon loaf cake recipe is quite simple. It comes together much like a cake โ we’ll mix the wet ingredients, combine them with the dry, and then bake! The total prep time is around 10-15 minutes, and the total time sits around an hour.
First, preheat the oven to 350ยฐF and grease a 9×5 bread loaf pan. I also like to add parchment paper to the bottom.
Then, use a large bowl and combine the eggs and sugar. A hand mixer is recommended, but a whisk will work if needed.
Next, beat in the yogurt, coconut oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until the mixture becomes creamy. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Slowly mix the dry flour mixture in with the wet until everything is combined.
Pour batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool
While the loaf cools, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice to create the lemon glaze. Once the loaf is totally cooled, pour the icing over the top.
Storing leftovers
Ready to store leftover lemon loaf? You can keep this loaf right on the counter at room temperature, or you can store it in the refrigerator. Either way, be sure to transfer the extra slices to an airtight container in order to lock in the fresh flavors. Storing in plastic wrap will work too.
Recipe Tips
Why does lemon cake taste so good?
Between the sugar, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla, this lemon loaf is to die for! The Greek yogurt creates a super moist cake texture, and the other ingredients contribute to the delicious flavor. It’s made complete with the addition of a lemon juice icing!
What is lemon drizzle cake made from?
The drizzle for this lemon loaf is made with just two ingredients: powdered sugar and lemon juice. Together, these make a delicious icing!
How do you increase lemon flavor in a cake?
If you’re aiming for a very lemony loaf, feel free to add an extra tsp or tbsp of lemon juice! A little bit goes a long way.
What can I add to this lemon loaf?
Want to add some more mix ins to your lemon loaf? Go for fruit! Everything from strawberries and raspberries to blueberries would taste delicious when added to the bread.
If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!
Want to try some more mouth watering loaf recipes? Here are some ideas! From blueberry and orange to poppyseed and gingerbread, there are so many options to try.
- Lemon Blueberry Loaf
- Orange Olive Oil Loaf
- Orange Poppyseed Cake Loaf
- Healthy Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
All recipes by Erin Morrissey and Photos by Sierra Inn
Lemon Loaf Recipe
Enjoy zesty, tangy citrus flavors in this delicious Lemon Loaf Recipe. Made with Greek yogurt, it’s packed with extra protein and topped with a mouth watering lemon drizzle icing!
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup full fat Greek yogurt (or sub sour cream)
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease bread loaf pan (9×5). I also like to add parchment paper to the bottom.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Using a hand mixer is recommended here.
- Beat in yogurt, coconut oil, lemon zest & juice, and vanilla until creamy. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet until all combined.
- Pour batter into greased loaf pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool.
- While cooling, whisk together icing ingredients. Once loaf is totally cooled, pour icing over top.
- Enjoy!
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Aleksandra says
This recipe is amazing. So easy & so delicious! I made a few small tweaks (kinda combined/pulling from the other lemon/blueberry loaf recipe on the ELW website) but it turned out incredible! I used King Arthurโs gluten free all-purpose baking mix, and swapped butter instead of coconut oil, and added a dash of cream of tartar to hopefully give a boost for the GF. My husband said it tastes like a mix between angel food & pound cake. Even without the icing, this is so yummy. Definitely will be making again soon!! Thank you for this recipe!
Erin says
Hi Aleksandra, so happy you both loved it and made it your own!! ๐