Jevay Lemon has the unique ability to be an ingredient that can be used all year long. Lemon is, in fact, one of my favorite ingredients. I would even say that it reigns supreme. Now, I know that there’s cinnamon, and ginger and they get their shine time. But lemon sits on the table all year and there’s never a time to turn down a lemon dessert. And why would you even want to? Lemon is the star in many of the desserts that we love and this iced lemon loaf is no different.
This iced lemon loaf is quite literally perfect. It’s moist, has a tender crumb, and can be served warm or cold! Oh and it can be made in one or two bowls- so there’s less dishes to wash. Who would say no to that?
The star of the show for this lemon loaf is the lemon! I used about two tablespoons of fresh lemon zest AND lemon juice in this recipe. At this point you’re probably asking if I’ve gone overboard on the lemon flavor, but I promise I haven’t! The oil from the lemon zest is what really brightens up this loaf. The juice is just the supporting actress and helps to keep the cake moist. So, cool your jets!
To get the moist tender crumb I used a mix of all purpose flour and cake flour. Cake flour helps to distribute the fat in a cake batter resulting in a finer and softer crumb. I would say that’s the perfect texture for any cake.
I decided to go for a glaze that would set on the top of the cake! This glaze would need to be comprised of powdered sugar, lemon juice and a wee bit of milk. The consistency of this glaze is great if you want it to run off the sides and then harden – similar to a honeybun. Could you eat this loaf without a glaze? Sure. But you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life!
This iced lemon loaf comes together quite easily as well! I added all of the dry ingredients together in one bowl and combined the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl. In about 10 minutes, I had a wet batter that was ready for an oven set on 350F.
Though we won’t swap out the glaze for this cake, here are some ingredient swaps that would work in this loaf:
- Brown Butter: This loaf calls for melted better. If you’re looking for a deeper flavor you can brown the butter.
- Milk: I used Fairlife milk for this recipe. However, I have tried unsweetened almond milk and even oat milk for this recipe. All of them work in this recipe, but may alter the taste slightly.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: vanilla bean extract and vanilla bean paste can be used interchangeably at a 1:1 ratio. If you want this lemon loaf to have those beautiful black specks, then you should use vanilla bean paste.
- Cream Cheese Glaze: the tanginess of cream cheese pairs incredibly well with lemon. If you want a cream cheese glaze I would add about 2 ounces of cream cheese to icing. You’ll need to spread it with an offset spatula or use a piping bag.
I hope that you try this iced lemon loaf cake! It would perfect as a breakfast snack, or a dessert after dinner.
Happy Reading, Happy Eating.
-jevay
Iced Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter melted
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup cake flour
- ¾ cup AP Flour
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- 1 tbs heavy cream or whole milk *any milk will suffice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper.
- Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, zest your lemons, and mix it in the sugar. Squeeze those same lemons for fresh lemon juice.
- Melt your butter and add it to the sugar mixing until combined.
- Add the remaining wet ingredients mixing until combined. Then add the dry ingredients mixing until combined.
- Transfer the loaf batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for at least 45 min. You will know your loaf cake is done when the top is golden brown and an inserted knife comes out clean.
Glaze
- Add all of the ingredients in the bowl and mix. Pour onto a warm cake.
