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Sweet and swirled Iced Lemon Loaf. Better than any coffee shop, this bread melts in your mouth. Doughy lemon loaf cake with just the right amount of lemon, sweetened with honey, and made fluffy. It’s extra special with a swirl of cream cheese and finished simply with a thick and creamy lemon glaze. This lemon loaf has such a nice spring vibe, plus it’s easier than you’d think to make.
I’ve definitely said this before, but sometimes I let recipes sit on my idea list for far too long before actually attempting to make them. It’s silly, because the reason I let them sit there is simply because I fear they’re not going to be “special” enough.
In reality, it’s me second guessing myself. Again it is silly. But here’s the upside, I let them sit, but I tend to always come back to them, usually adding something that really does make them extra special.
I’ve had an iced lemon loaf on my list for at least 2 winters now. I wanted to recreate the Starbucks loaf, but at home. So many of you have messaged me asking for a homemade version, but I just wasn’t sure.
Anyway, I finally gave in and I made the loaf. But with a few adaptions to make it more wholesome, less sweet, and even more delicious.
There’s a subtle swirl of lemony cream cheese that really makes this so GOOD.
Details
The first step is to cream the butter with lots of lemon zest and honey. I love to use honey, not only for a little added flavor, but because it’s better for you than using white sugar. And I always find you can use less sweetener that way too.
Eggs, yogurt, and lemon juice follow. What I will note is, at this point, the batter is going to look like it’s curdled. That’s only because it’s more liquid than butter. Don’t freak, it comes together once you add the flour.
Once all the wet ingredients have been mixed in, simply beat in the flour and the remaining ingredients.
Now the special part (that Starbuck’s loaf is really missing) is a pretty swirl of lemony cream cheese. It might not seem like much, but trust me it really does make this loaf just that much more delicious.
Mix the cream with lemon zest, then simply swirl it into the loaf pan full of batter.
While the cake bakes, make the glaze.
While the cake is so good on its own (really, it is), the glaze seals the deal. Literally.
It’s just powdered sugar, lemon juice, and then I love to add honey for a perfect glossy texture. It’s sweet, creamy, and simple.
And that’s it…simple, pretty, perfectly sweet, extra moist, and SO GOOD! Every bite is bursting with sweetness and lemony flavor.
Happiest Tuesday night baking to you all! Hope you guys all enjoy this iced lemon loaf as much as I do!
Looking for other sweets? Here are a few to try:
5 Minute Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Mug Cake
Dirty Horchata Tres Leches Cake
Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake
Coconut Banana Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Lastly, if you make this Iced Lemon Loaf be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Iced Lemon Loaf
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 538 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons juice
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces cream cheese, melted
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a (9×5 inch) loaf pan.2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, honey, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest until combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, then add the lemon juice, vanilla, and yogurt. It's going to look curdled. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until just combined. 3. In a bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. 4. Spoon 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Dollop teaspoon size amounts of the cream cheese over the batter, using half the cream cheese. Gently swirl the cheese using a paring knife. Spoon over another 1/3 of the batter, then swirl in the remaining cream cheese, then spoon the remaining batter over. It's OK if all the cream cheese is not covered. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is just set. If the cake is browning, cover with foil to finish baking. 5. Let cool completely before frosting.6. Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and honey. Pour the glaze over the loaf. Let set 1 hour (or so), slice and eat
Notes
Note: If you had trouble making originally with almond flour, I have edited the recipe to use regular flour for a better result. I am so sorry for anyone who struggled!
This post was originally published on February 22, 2022
Would this be good with chocolate chips?
I didn’t notice the flour was changed until I was already deep into making this. I’d suggest keeping the almond flour and adding the all purpose suggestion next time- hopefully it was the same measurement for both ?
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Stevie!!
Love the lemon flavour. Not crazy about the cream cheese in it but I can see that others may like it.
Hi Denise,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
Hi Marie,
If you like lemon/chocolate chips together. I would personally choose blueberries for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this last night!! I wish I had taken a picture. The kids devoured it. I loved it. Just the right amount of sweet. My son asked me to save the recipe for when he’s grown up and has his own place… he’s 5.
Hey Jennie,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! LOL what a little cutie! xT
Absolutely delicious!
In a use-what-you-have mode, I had to make quite a few adjustments. I used some honey/some maple syrup, and only had a very old lemon so I had to do a lemon/orange juice and zest hybrid. Still. Freaking. Delicious.
Couldn’t wait for the loaf to cool before glazing and it was super tasty. I’ll make it with all lemon next time because I’m such a lemon fan. ? Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Ashley,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xT
This is yummy!! I used the all purpose flour and half a cup of sugar instead of the honey. I was impatient and put the icing on when it was warm, and it turned into a lovely glaze.
Hi Tricia,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
I really want to make this recipe but I’m so nervous with the reviews! I saw her video on IG and it came out perfectly. Has anyone made it with regular all purpose flour or gf all purpose flour and had success? I don’t want to waste ingredients.
Hi Giovanna,
The recipe as been fixed, you can follow it has is and it should turn out well for you!! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
My two loaves burned on the top and spilled over while baking. I wish I would’ve read the comment regarding using regular flour is best BEFORE I tried this recipe. ? I’m surprised because I love all her recipes!
Hi Nikki,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry for the trouble!! I hope you will try it again with the all purpose flour!! My mistake! xTieghan
Yup this definitely looks like lemon pudding when made with almond flour:( Not worth the effort or expense
Hi Zena,
I am SO SORRY!! This was my mistake, the recipe is best with all purpose flour. I hope you will give it another try! xTieghan
Just pulled the bread out of the oven. I used almond flour since my family is gluten free. It was a little done on top but the corner I tasted was yummy. I appreciate that you are using almond flour when baking. I really love the honey instead of sugar. Since the bread is already so good I’m considering not making the icing for the top just to keep from adding sugar to the top.
I’ve made the peanut butter twix bars several times since you posted them. They last for days in the fridge.
Thank you for the yummy recipe and thank you for the alternative flours too!
Hi Jennifer,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
I so want to make this as I love lemon anything, but I am afraid to waste ingredients. Question: If this was baked at high altitude, no adjustments should be needed at 5900 feet where I live. Could the issues be that the recipe was not tested at both sea level and high altitude? Curious if anyone had good results baking this at high altitude. Thank you.
This was baked around that same altitutde or higher! Tieghan lives in CO, so you should be perfectly fine making this at your altitude as well.
Hey there,
I have fixed the recipe, you should be able to follow it as is without any adjustments. Please let me know if you give it a try!! xTieghan
Looks delicious I love lemon I did look through comments I apologize if I missed it but can you sub regular sugar for honey and how much?
Hey Sharon,
Yes, you can use 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in place of the honey. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Mine not only looks awful, kinda concave in middle but went on early am to make icing, which dissolved into the cake… Guess it will be store bought for my brunch?
I had exact same bad experience in results. Also needed to bake longer, recipe should say chill before removing from loaf pan, refrigerator chill before icing for it to “stick”.
The icing ratio is too much lemon juice. Need much less lemon juice.
I now see All Purpose Flour in ingredients and yet the instructions still reference almond flour. Definitely doesn’t work well with almond flour.
All in all, an expensive experience not to be repeated.
She does correct the ingredient list and apologizes (in a comment below) for listing the wrong ingredient. It is still in the instructions though, as you mention.
If she does have a staff working for her, they need help in testing and proofreading skills ! LOL Also, I do have an issue with ingredient lists for 2 of the things I have made–Just as in the peanut butter oatmeal bars… if there is a separate layer, list those ingredients separately, so there isn’t any confusion.
Hi Sharon,
So sorry for any confusion and the trouble!! We are human over here and mistakes do happen:) I hope you love the recipe if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Martha,
So sorry for the trouble! The recipe had a typo, for best results, all purpose flour should be used. You will want to allow the loaf to fully cool before adding the icing, but the lemon juice measurements are correct. I hope you will give it another try! xT
Hi Pam,
So sorry for the trouble. You will want to allow the cake to cool before adding the icing. Also, try using the all purpose flour next time instead of the almond flour, that should work better for you!! xT
This looks delicious, but it’s not gluten free! I subbed in ground almonds instead of flour, and used gluten free baking powder to make it coeliac friendly! It worked well! In the UK we can also get gluten free flour mixes which work well when combined with ground almonds to make up the correct weight.
Hi Sue,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback! xTieghan
I want to use almond flour. How much do I use. I only see all purpose regular flour on the recipe.
Hi Shirl,
For best results, I would recommend using all purpose flour. If you can’t use that, I would try a GF flour blend. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This is not a good recipe unfortunately. Sadly I used a 1/2 cup plus of locally sourced honey.
That said, I have enjoyed many recipes by Half Baked Harvest. I recommend you take this recipe down (it was in my email today).
Hey Megan, I AM SO SORRY. This is my fault. It’s the almond flour. I had a typo in the recipe, this is best made with regular flour. I had ingredients all mixed up. So, so, so sorry. My mistake! Thank you for being so kind and understanding. xT
Can I use a sugar substitute?
Hi Mary,
Yes, you can use 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in place of the honey. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
I love the Starbucks lemon loaf so I was really looking forward to this. I followed the recipe completely but it didn’t turn out well at all. I do think the instructions need to be refined in order for it to work correctly. I have made a lot of your recipes so I was really disappointed in this. Just feedback as you asked if we made it to leave a comment. Not a criticism.
I agree!!! I do not think that this one was recipe tested enough. Idea was good, sounded soooo good. But in reality it just wasn’t close to a lemon loaf. Super strange result.
Hi Kristin,
I am so sorry!! I had a typo in the recipe, for best results all purpose flour is what you will want to use. I hope you will give the recipe another try! My mistake!! xT
Hmmm this didn’t quite work for me either. Followed recipe exactly, other than using Meyer lemons in place of regular. Admittedly I don’t use almond flour often and I treated it like wheat flour, loosely filling the cup, but perhaps I should have packed it. Would be nice if recipe included weight instead of / in addition to volume. The batter looked thin but I went with it anyway. Baked 40 min and the center was sunk, edges blackened. Also had a hard time creating a cream cheese swirl and ended up with unappealing looking lumps or curds. The texture is a bit odd but the flavor is good. My kids will definitely eat it but I would never serve this to guests as written.
Hi Lindsay,
So sorry to hear this, the recipe works best with all purpose flour, I made a mistake and fixed the recipe. I hope you will try it again! xTieghan
Hi Lynn,
I am SO SORRY! For best results, you will want to use all purpose flour for this recipe. That was my mistake and I had a typo. I hope you will give it a try again with the correct flour! xTieghan