Learn how to make the best lemon loaf cake with this easy recipe. This lemon cake is moist and tender because it's made with cake flour and sour cream. It gets the most lemon flavour by incorporating lemon zest in the cake batter, brushing it with lemon syrup after baking when it's still hot, and finishing with lemon icing.
A lemon loaf cake is a classic for most bakers and guests always enjoy a slice! This recipe is a twist on the classic, made with sour cream and cake flour, and includes both a lemon syrup and icing to ensure the most lemon flavour with every bite!
If you'd like to make a lemon poppy seed cake, start with this glazed orange poppy seed cake recipe, replacing the lemon juice and zest with that of an orange.
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Ingredients to Make Lemon Cake
If you want to make a lemon bread, you will need the following ingredients:
- sugar—you will need both granulated sugar and icing sugar (powdered sugar), but they are not interchangeable. The granulated sugar is for the cake batter and the lemon syrup. Do not use brown sugar because it would add a molasses flavour that may overpower the delicate lemon flavour of the cake. Stick to granulated or caster sugar for this cake! The icing sugar is to make the icing to drizzle on at the very end.
- lemon—you will need fresh lemons for the lemon zest and the juice, which adds lemon flavour to the batter without adding extra liquid. You will mix the zest with the sugar first to help draw out the lemon oil from the peel to flavour the cake (this is how you make lemon sugar!)
- butter, preferably unsalted butter because you will add salt to the batter, but if you have salted, it will work. Just adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly, otherwise your cake may be too salty
- large eggs—don't use smaller eggs because your cake may be too dry, but don't use extra large eggs because they could affect the texture of the cake. Sometimes eggs can toughen a cake!
- vanilla extract is a great complement to lemon flavour, but you could also try lemon extract or even lemon oil to bring even more flavour to the cake
- flour—I tested this cake with all-purpose and cake flour. I preferred the texture with cake flour, which is lower in protein and higher in starch. Cake flour gives the cake a delicate, finer, more even crumb.
- leavening agents—baking powder and baking soda are needed in this recipe. The baking soda is a base (alkaline) and balances out the acidity of the sour cream in the batter, while baking powder helps the cake rise up. Read up on baking soda vs baking powder if you are unsure the difference
- salt is really important to balance out the sweetness. Don't skip it. I like to use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but table salt will work, though the cake will be a touch saltier and you may want to halve the salt in that case.
- sour cream (full-fat) helps tenderize the cake and also the fat contributes to preventing the cake from going stale so quickly
- lemon juice (freshly squeezed) is the secret to bringing the mouth-puckering tanginess we expect from lemon desserts. While the zest is added to the cake batter to bring lemon flavour to the crumb, we use lemon juice in a simple syrup that you brush onto the hot cake to help infuse the crust with a burst of flavour.
- icing sugar is needed to make the icing for this cake. You can't replace it with regular white sugar because it's too coarse and we need a fine powdered sugar to make a smooth icing.
Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- yogurt—you can replace the sour cream with yogurt, preferably Greek yogurt with a higher fat content to ensure the cake is moist and not dry
- lemon flavour—there are four main ways of infusing baked goods with lemon flavour. I used a lot of lemon zest and lemon juice in this recipe. Use fresh lemons for these! Do not use bottled lemon juice because the taste isn't great. You can also enhance the lemon flavour with lemon oil or lemon extract, but I haven't tested either of these so proceed with caution!
- flour—I tested the recipe with both bleached all-purpose flour and cake flour. I preferred cake flour but both work in this recipe.
Special Tools and Equipment
Loaf cakes and quick breads don't require anything special. We are using the creaming method to make this lemon cake. Using a stand mixer makes it easier for you to mix the ingredients well and incorporate more air into the batter, leading to a finer crumb.
This recipe will fit in any 6-cup cake pan. You can use an 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan or even a 9" x 5" (1 pound loaf pan). For the photos, I used a fluted loaf pan from NordicWare. It has an elaborate pattern, reminiscent of bundt pan shapes. By all means, use the loaf pan you already have in your cupboard, but the look will be different.
You will also need a pastry brush to brush the syrup onto the surface of the hot cake.
How to Make a Lemon Loaf Cake with Sour Cream
A lemon loaf cake is a weeknight staple for breakfast, snacks, or even dessert. Like most quick breads, you can use the creaming mixing method to combine the ingredients. This allows you to incorporate more air into the batter, creating a more delicate crumb.
Step 1—Start by creaming the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together (image 1) until light and fluffy before adding the eggs one at a time and the vanilla (image 2). Mix the batter to incorporate lots of air at this stage so it is light and fluffy (image 3).
Step 2—Sift the dry ingredients into a separate bowl (image 4) and then add them to the cake batter (image 5) alternating with the sour cream (image 6).
Tip: remember when alternating wet and dry ingredients, always begin by adding a third of the dry ingredients first, then half the wet ingredients, then another third of the dry ingredients, the last half of wet ingredients, and finally the last of the dry. Always begin and end with the dry ingredients to ensure the ingredients are properly mixed!
Step 3—grease your loaf pan with softened butter. Since I used an ornate loaf pan, I used a pastry brush to make sure there is a thin and even layer in all the nooks of the pan (image 7). Dust the pan with flour (image 8).
Step 4—Transfer the lemon cake batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top and making sure the batter is even (image 9), then bake until set and golden brown on the edges (image 10). Use a cake tester to check the centre is baked.
Step 5—While the cake is baking, prepare a simple lemon syrup, combining lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan (image 11) and heating it on the stove until the sugar dissolves (image 12). Brush the cooled syrup on the hot cake after unmoulding it onto a wire rack (image 13).
Step 6—Once the cake has cooled completely, prepare the lemon icing, sifting the icing sugar to eliminate any lumps (image 14), then whisking in hot lemon juice until smooth (image 15). Drizzle the lemon icing over the cooled cake before serving (image 16).
Please note the lemon icing will harden and form a crust on the surface as the cake sits. This is normal!
Trick for Thick Icing
For simple icings that are made of mostly powdered sugar (icing sugar) with a liquid, the key is to add very little liquid so that they don't become runny. For 60 grams (½ cup) of icing sugar, we only add 15 mL (1 tablespoon) of lemon juice. The icing is so thick that you have to spoon it onto the top of the cake. Then to achieve decorative drips, you have to nudge it over the edges.
The amount of liquid really doesn't seem like enough when you are mixing it with the icing sugar. However, if you use a small whisk, you can achieve a very smooth consistency. Make sure to work the two ingredients together until they form a thick paste.
Lemon Cake Baking FAQs
Loaf cakes will last several days at room temperature if you store them on a board, wrapped in aluminum foil. For longer storage, the freezer is your best bet. You can store the loaf, without icing in the freezer for several months (up to 3 months). Unwrap the frozen cake and then defrost it in the fridge overnight to avoid the surface becoming gummy. Then make the icing the next day to decorate it.
I brushed this lemon loaf cake with lemon syrup and then topped the cake with a lemon icing for a double punch of lemon flavour. You could also serve it with homemade lemon curd or lemon custard ice cream.
Other Loaf Cakes to Try
Loaf cakes are a real treat during the week. They come together quickly. You can dress them up to make them fancy for a dinner party or family dinner. If lemon cake isn't your favourite, try this chocolate loaf cake or a classic chocolate and vanilla marble cake, topped with vanilla bean ice cream. Or, during the fall, make this delicious pumpkin bread with cranberries!
If you tried this recipe for lemon loaf cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Loaf Cake
Ingredients
Lemon loaf cake
- 190 grams cake flour
- 5 mL baking powder
- 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
- 1.25 mL baking soda
- 173 grams unsalted butter
- 250 grams granulated sugar
- 30 mL finely grated lemon zest equivalent to the zest of 2 big lemons
- 2 large egg(s)
- 5 mL pure vanilla extract
- 180 mL sour cream (14% fat)
Lemon syrup
- 60 mL fresh lemon juice equivalent to juice of 1½ lemons
- 50 grams granulated sugar
Lemon icing
- 63 grams icing sugar
- 15 mL fresh lemon juice heated in the microwave (equivalent to juice of ½ lemon)
- 140 grams Fresh raspberries optional garnish
Instructions
Lemon loaf cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Brush with softened butter and flour an 8½x4½ inch (21.5x 11.5 cm) loaf pan OR a 9x5 inch (23x12.5 cm) loaf pan or a fluted 6-cup (1.5 L) loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. If the flour seems lumpy, you can sift it through a metal sieve to get out all the lumps!
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest for at least 5 minutes until light and fluffy and well mixed. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often to ensure the mixture is evenly whipped.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, mixing in between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat the mixture until very fluffy and light.
- Add the sifted flour mixture, alternating with the sour cream, while stirring it in on low. You may want to finish mixing with a spatula to make sure the ingredients are all combined and to make sure there isn't any butter and sugar stuck to the bottom of the bowl.
- Transfer the lemon loaf cake batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake the cake on the middle rack until baked through. You'll know it's done because it will have cracked a little in the middle, it will pull away from the edges of the pan, a cake tester will come out clean, and the internal temperature will register around 100 °C (212 °F). It takes about 60 to 65 minutes to bake this cake in my experience.
Lemon syrup
- While the cake is baking, make the syrup ahead of time so that it cools down.
- In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice and the 50 grams (¼ cup) of granulated sugar. Heat it until all the sugar is dissolved and it comes to a boil, then remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool at room temperature.
- Let the cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minute to firm up, then invert it onto a wire rack.
- Using a pastry brush, immediately brush the cooled syrup on the hot cake, all over the top and sides. Use all the syrup. If you want you can poke a few holes on the surface to encourage the syrup to soak in further.
- Let the cake cool completely before icing and slicing (at least 2 to 3 hours).
Lemon icing
- When the cake has cooled completely, make the icing.
- In a small bowl, whisk the icing sugar with 15 mL (1 tablespoon) lemon juice. You can adjust the consistency with more juice or more icing sugar as needed. Pour it on top of the cake and use a spoon to nudge the icing gently so that it drips down over the edge decoratively.
- Serve plain or with fresh raspberries (optional).
Notes
- For this recipe, I used a fluted loaf pan from Nordic Ware, which has an elaborate pattern, reminiscent of bundt pan shapes. It has a 6-cup capacity, like most 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pans.
- I used 2 large lemons for this recipe: I used the zest of both lemons in the cake batter (starting by making lemon sugar), and then most of the juice was used to make the syrup, holding back 15 mL (1 tablespoon) to make the icing. You may need more or less lemons, depending on the season and how big they are.
- For the flour, I tested this recipe with both cake flour and regular bleached all-purpose flour. Both work. I found the texture is a little softer and finer with cake flour.
- You can serve this lemon loaf as is, or with spoonfuls of homemade lemon curd, scoops of lemon ice cream, or even sweetened whipped cream.
Georgina says
Delicious! Made this today, followed the recipe to a T, other than added 1 tbsp of poppy seeds. Moist, tender and lemony. Batter was thick and rose beautifully. Thank you!