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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
I made this basically exactly as stated, though didn’t have quite enough honey, so subbed a tablespoon of sugar. The loaf texture (with all-purpose flour) was great, though I really didn’t taste any lemon in the loaf itself, so next time I would increase the amount of lemon zest a bit. But once I added the icing the overall taste was very nice.
Hi Erin,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
Complete fail for me with the almond flour. After 45 minutes it looked like it was burning. After letting it cool for for 20 minutes it was raw and uncooked getting it out of the pan.
Hey Tricia,
So sorry about this! This recipe works best with all purpose flour. Let me know if you give it another try! xTieghan
Hey T, can I used greek yogurt instead of cream cheese? There’s a national shortage (as of Spring 2022) it seems
Hey David,
Sorry, I would probably just skip the cream cheese, the greek yogurt is not going to give you the same results. Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
I found this to be very dry.
Hey Linda,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Is the glaze more of an icing like texture when you pour? How do you get it to stay on top so there is a layer vs. run over the sides? Thanks!
Hey there,
Sounds like you may have needed some more powdered sugar. It should be a layer like shown in the photos, but it will also drip down the sides. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I was so excited to try this recipe and immediately printed to bake the same day. Of course, it was a mess due to the almond flour. When I reread the recipe online it had been corrected so I tried it again. Taste was great, but my cream cheese sunk to bottom even though I had about 3/4 batter in pan. Also, my glaze absorbed directly into a completely cooled loaf. Would love suggestions to resolve these issues. Thanks!!
Hey Valerie! First off, I am SO SORRY for the huge mistake on my part. I feel horrible you wasted your time!! Thank you so much for being understanding!
For the cream cheese, instead of layering 2 times, try layering just once towards the top. I think that will really help! And for the glaze, just add 2-4 tablespoons additional powdered sugar to help thicken it up!
Hope this helps you! THANK YOU! xT
Hi Tiegan made this yesterday after seeing it on your Instagram. Absolutely delicious and so light. My only issue was all the cream cheese swirl sank to the bottom of the cake. Any advice on how to avoid this in the future. Thanks ?
Hey Lorraine,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! I would say maybe swirl it a little less next time. Have the best day:) xx
This turned out so well and was liked by everyone!
Hey Lauren,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
I’m going to have top try this again because it came out too salty, not sweet enough and the icing looks nothing like your photo. I love all the ingredients to stick with it!
Hey Cynthia,
Thanks for trying the recipe, so sorry to hear this, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xT
saw this when i was craving something sweet, wasn’t up for baking so i decided to make a mug cake version. used a third of the recipe and omitted the cream cheese. surprising even me, it worked out great! fluffy, moist, and delicious.
Made this tonight mainly for my wife and she loved it! I don’t really care for lemon but I actually loved it too! Definitely reccomend!
Hi Jacob,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
Just pulled this out of the oven, poured on the icing and devoured. Soooo good! I have Celiac, so subbed for flour for gluten-free 1-1 all purpose flour and it turned out great. Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
Hey Andrea,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
I just made the “updated” version made with all-purpose flour, and I must say this is a SOLID lemon loaf! Moist and not too sweet. Icing on top just makes it 🙂 Followed the directions to a T. Keep in mind, at 45 minutes my toothpick was dry in some areas, moist in others – from the cream cheese dollops. I still took it out, set for over 1hr and it was perfect. All icing sugar icings will melt on a warm cake, you must wait for it to cool before adding!
I don’t have a microwave so my cream cheese wasn’t fully melted from low heat on my stovetop – but I was able to still manage with dollops throughout the loaf – a very nice twist!
If I were to add in 1-2tbsp poppy seeds, would that alter the moisture balance (similar to how chia seeds would for example)?
Thanks so much Tieghan, this was super fun to bake while taking study breaks over my afternoon, and a reward at the end of my day! 🙂
Hey Sherry,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! You should be totally fine to just add the poppy seeds right in. Have the best day:) xx
My family inhaled this! Only change I made was I swapped the 1/2 c of honey for 1/2 c of sugar. Turned out perfect! I did follow the updated recipe using AP flour, and my loaf was done around 40 min. Will definitely make again!
Hey Lorin,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
Really really good! She corrected the recipe so don’t let the other reviews scare you! I love that she often uses honey to sweeten instead of sugar. I made without the icing and it’s just as delicious with great lemon flavor. Next time I’ll try with the icing. Been making HBH recipes for years and this is one of the best!
Hey Olivia,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
Could you use all purpose gluten free flour instead of almond flour?
Hi Shannon,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan