Lemon Loaf Cake
This lemon loaf cake is soft, moist, and bursting with fresh citrus flavor. A tangy cream cheese glaze takes it from simple to irresistible. Bake it once and you’ll find yourself reaching for the recipe again and again.
Servings 8 Slices
Ingredients
- 1½ Cups Flour all-purpose
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs large
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- Fresh Lemon Juice (about 1 lemon)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Lemon Glaze
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the batter mixture, alternating with the sour cream, olive oil, and lemon juice. Start and end with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for about 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze. Mix 2-3 tablespoons of hot water with a half tub of cream cheese frosting.
- When the cake is completely cooled, drizzle the lemon glaze over the top.
Notes
Helpful Tips
Don’t overmix. Once you add the dry ingredients, stir gently until just combined. Overmixing = dense loaf.
Check early. Every oven runs differently. Start checking for doneness about 5–10 minutes before the recipe time says.
Rest the batter for 5 minutes. It lets the flour hydrate and gives a slightly more tender crumb.
Let it rest overnight. The lemon flavor actually gets stronger after a day, so it’s even better the next morning.
Slice with a serrated knife. It makes cleaner cuts without squishing the soft crumb.