This lemon loaf cake is everything we were yearning for. Not too sweet, not too tart, perfectly moist with a sturdy crumb, and topped with that irresistible thin layer of crunchy white icing dripping gently down the sides. Perfection! Plus, the icing only contains two ingredients: lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar.

I come from a long line of lemon lovers. My grandfather and my father would pick something lemony above all other desserts. This cake is the perfect snacking cake, breakfast cake, or dessert. Serve with Fruit Salad, maybe a Peach and Plum Smoothie. And do give Orange Cake a try — another citrusy marvel.

Lemon Loaf Cake

I use lemons and lemon zest CONSTANTLY in my recipes, which you may or may not know yet. Almost everything benefits from a touch of acidity, and I think lemon is the brightest and most appealing option in most cases. I like lime, and I also use a lot of orange, but I’m always 100% Team Lemon. And yes, there are many vinegars with many wonderful uses for sure, and I love playing with all of them, but I do not want a vinegar cake.

Lemon cake is often made in a loaf pan. I think there is a very concrete reason for this: cake made in a loaf pan is absolutely appropriate for snacking at all hours of the day, whereas cakes baked in round pans seem geared towards dessert. Hey, I don’t make the rules, I just call them as I see them. Also, this lemon cake is very moist with a lovely crumb, kind of pound-cakey in texture, and pound cakes are almost always made in loaf pans. So there you have it — a non-scientific explanation from a non-scientist.

You can double this recipe, bake two lemon loaf cakes, and give one to a friend, which is always a wonderful thing to do.

This lemon cake tastes definitively of lemons, bolstered by a combination of juice and zest. Some lemon cake recipes call for a lemony simple syrup (a mixture of sugar and water) to be poured over the baked cake while still hot. I feel like this is just one extra step that I’m not in the mood for, and also sometimes can make the cake too sweet.

And if you are wondering if you can use baking powder instead of baking soda, and vice versa, the answer is yes, with these modifications.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour 
• Baking powder and baking soda – The baking soda interacts with the buttermilk, neutralizing the acidity, which contributes to browning and also helps the cake rise.
• Buttermilk – Offers a subtle tanginess and brings a nice moisture to the crumb.
• Fresh lemon juice – Fresh makes all the difference.
• Unsalted butter – At room temperature.
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs 
• Finely grated lemon zest – Lemon zest is filled with natural oils that produce a more intense lemon flavor.
• Vanilla extract

2-Ingredient Icing

The white icing, or glaze, is non-negotiable. It is literally a blending of lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar, so it takes about 60 seconds to stir together.

• Confectioners’ sugar – Powdered sugar dissolves into the lemon juice, providing sweetness and smoothness.
• Fresh lemon juice

Once you have it blended, it should be somewhat runny, but once you pour it over the cake, it will harden up as it spreads. Make sure to let the glaze run over the sides of the loaf in that gorgeous drippy way. Just nudge it over the edges of the top of the cake in spots, and let it do its thing.

How to Make Lemon Loaf Cake

1. Combine the dry ingredients: Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Prepare the buttermilk mixture: In another small bowl, combine the buttermilk and 1/3 cup lemon juice.
3. Cream together the base: Blend the butter and sugar in a mixer until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the lemon zest and vanilla.
4. Alternate pouring in the wet and dry ingredients: Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend just until combined. Add half of the buttermilk mixture and beat until combined, then a third of the flour. Continue alternating between the flour and buttermilk mixture, mixing after each addition. Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan.

5. Bake: Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan and continue cooling it completely on the wire rack, top side up.

6. Add Glaze: When the cake is cool, make the lemon glaze: mix the confectioner’s sugar with the lemon juice. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing some to drip down the sides.

Storage

Store covered or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to a week (if it lasts that long). You can also store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container if your kitchen is warm. It’s best brought to room temperature before serving.

Easy Cake Recipes You’ll Love

Chocolate Banana Cake

Orange Cake

Apple Coffee Cake

More Lemon Desserts

• Lemon Squares
• Lemon Curd
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Atlantic Beach Pie