Soft, tender lemon loaf with bright citrus flavors and the perfect lemon glaze. This dessert is the ultimate balance of sweet and tart, with the perfect loaf texture. It’s a MUST for brunch!

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Guys, this week has been hard. I’m in the middle of research paper season with my students, which is so draining because no one cares about ethical research or reliable source anymore. Anywhere. It’s making it so hard for students to know what’s reliable and what’s not. And don’t get me started on how dry this already is and how hard it is to get them to care in the current world.

And since I apparently love punishing myself, I’m also teaching the book Night. So important. So poignant. So hard to read and even harder to teach. I’m ready to be done explaining why a certain thing in the Holocaust happened—like death by one of many methods or prisoners turning on each other.

There’s a reason the Jewish word for the Holocaust is shoah. Great catastrophe. The great tragedy.

Which is why I changed all of my plans and decided to share this bright, sunny, cheery lemon loaf with you today. I needed some sunshine in my life.

And wow is this loaf sunshine in edible form. It’s light yet moist. It’s soft and tender with just a bit of a yummy crunch to the crust. And the glaze is both sweet and tart and I may or may not have used a spoon to eat the extras.

Why this recipe works

The use of both oil and melted butter work together to create a fluffy yet moist loaf. I also use extra lemon zest (because why not) and replaced some of the yogurt with lemon juice, in order to make it a bit less dense and very, very lemony. And the glaze. Oh my word. Lemon juice in a glaze is far superior to using water or milk. The lemon flavor is just so vibrant, and you get this perfect balance of sweet and tart. It also helps keep the loaf nice and moist, since the crust can get a bit crunchy (which I love, but some may not).

Key ingredients

Flour. Be sure to spoon then level this so it’s not packed in, and also sift it for a fluffy loaf.

Baking powder. Make sure it’s fresh! No expired baking powder or your loaf won’t rise.

Salt. Sea salt is ideal, as it gives a great flavor.

Lemon zest and juice. For the zest, be sure to use a fine zester or else chop it a bit so it’s not stringy. Also, be sure to strain the juice of any pulp or seeds.

Sugar. Mixing the zest with the sugar is key to getting a bright lemon flavor, as it releases the oils from the zest.

Eggs. Use fresh, room temperature eggs.

Oil. I prefer avocado or grape seed, but vegetable or canola will work, too.

Melted butter. Try to use European style, which has less water.

Greek yogurt. Whole fat, room temperature is best. Sour cream can be substituted.

Powdered sugar. For that unbelievable glaze. Mmmmmm…

How to make luscious lemon loaf

1. Zest and juice your lemons and melt your butter.

2. Sift then whisk the dry ingredients.

3. Whisk the sugar and zest until fragrant.

4. Combine the wet ingredients. Stream the butter and lemon juice in last to prevent scrambling or curdling.

5. Whisk in the sugar. Be sure it’s whisked well and mostly dissovled.

6. Stir in the flour (there will be lumps).

7. Bake.

8. Make the lemon glaze.

9. Glaze the loaf cake once it’s cooled.

Enjoy!

Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe

Use finely grated lemon zest

I love this microplane zester my mother-in-law gave me. It makes it much easier to avoid the pith (see next tip) and gets the zest nice and fine. There’s nothing worse than having to chew your zest while eating lemon loaf.

Don’t zest the pith

It won’t be the end of the world if you get some pith, but it’s best to zest lightly to avoid the white pith. It’s rather bitter and won’t add any extra lemon flavor.

Spoon then level your flour

Don’t scoop your flour! I never knew this until I started blogging, but it seriously makes a big difference. You will end up with roughly 25% more flour than the recipe called for if you just doonk (official baking term right there) your measuring spoon into the flour container and scoop. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. Trust me! It makes a difference.

Increase recipe for a 9x5 pan

*This also works in a 9x5 pan, but may be a little shorter. You can increase the recipe by 50% (or multiply each ingredient by 1.5) to get a full-to-the-top 9x5 loaf. That would equate to the following amounts (the glaze recipe will cover either sized loaf):

2 ¼ cups (306g) all-purpose flour, spooned then leveled
2 ¼ teaspoons (9g) baking powder
¾ teaspoon (4g) salt
2 tablespoons (12g) grated lemon zest
½ cup (115g) esh lemon juice, room temperature
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons (84g) avocado or vegetable oil
1 cup (226g) full fat plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, room temperature
6 tablespoons (84g) melted butter

My loaf tools

Here are my must-have tools I use for making this loaf. Affiliate links provided.

Stand mixer or handheld mixer

Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a fluffy cake)

8x4 loaf pan or 9x5 loaf pan

Microplane zester

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Lemon & Mascarpone Cake

Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake

Lemon Curd Vanilla Cupcakes

Luscious Lemon Loaf

Print recipe

prep time: 5-10 minutes
bake time: 45-50 minutes
total time: 1 hour

servings: 8-12

Ingredients:

for the loaf

1 ½ cups (204g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 ½ teaspoons (6g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3g) salt
2 tablespoons (12g) grated lemon zest
⅓ cup (77g) lemon juice, room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
4 tablespoons (56g) avocado or vegetable oil
⅔ cup (150g) full fat Greek yogurt or sour cream, room temperature
4 tablespoons (56g) melted butter

for the lemon glaze

1 cup (200g) powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoon (28-56g) lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease and flour an 8x4 loaf pan (see note for making in a 9x5 pan). If it’s prone to sticking, you can line it with parchment as well.
Prep your ingredients by juicing your lemons and melting your butter.
Using a large fine mesh sieve, sift then whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk the sugar and lemon zest until fragrant.
In another, larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and yogurt until well mixed. Slowly stream in the melted butter while whisking quickly (this prevents scrambling the eggs). Slowly whisk in the lemon juice.
Add the sugar to the wet ingredients and whisk for about 1 minute.
Add the flour mixture and stir gently until fully combined. It should still have some lumps in it, but it shouldn’t look separated, chunky, or dry in spots.
Pour into your prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes (longer if using a 9x5 pan), until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with some moist crumbs. Check early so it doesn’t over bake. If it starts to brown too quickly, tent the pan loosely with foil. Let cool in pan at least 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely (at least 1 hour). Slicing a too-warm loaf will make it gummy and dry.
While the loaf cools, make the glaze. Mix the lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. If the glaze is too thin, add a little powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add some lemon juice in small splashes.
Pour over cooled (or slightly still warm) loaf. You can optionally put the loaf back in the pan to glaze, so you have a place to store it. I'm lazy and prefer this method, as it creates fewer dishes. :) Slice and serve.