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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 recipe with almond flour, as per your recipe I found on line. I noticed the one here did not mention almond flour? Anyway, my results were terrible, using only almond flour. Very disappointed.
Hi Dorothy,
So sorry to hear this. I made a mistake with the recipe, it is best using all purpose flour. I hope you will try it again:) xTieghan
Love it…. So yum and lemony?
Hey Penny,
Awesome!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xx
The cake was delicious … a lemony rum baba… my icing was more like a simple syrup than an icing… not the prettiest looking loaf but taste trumps appearance!!
Hey Rosa,
Awesome!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xx
I made this recipe yesterday and it was easy and turned out perfect. I’m making another today. It is a perfect gift to give to a neighbor or friend.
Hi Mary,
Awesome!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xx
This recipe probably works well for others but it did not work for me.
It was dense, so “loaf” is an appropriate label.
After applying the cream cheese as directed, during baking, the cream cheese all floated to the surface forming one big lump of cream cheese off to one side of the loaf.
I let the loaf cool overnight. Then I applied the icing. After a few hours the icing soaked into the loaf creating a dense soggy loaf.
My wife and I each tried two slices before giving up and tossing the remaining loaf.
The flavor is awesome but the texture…
Hey there,
So sorry to hear this. Did you swirl the cream cheese into the loaf? You could always skip the cream cheese next time. Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Tasty! My icing was also much runnier than yours like the other commenters. But I also found it super sweet. I think if I’m make this again I’ll just forgo the icing. I think the loaf on it’s own is delicious.
Hi Candace,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xxT
This looks so delicious! I do have a question before making, recipe says 4 oz cream cheese but when watching the video it looks like you use a whole block?
Would it be fine either way? 🙂
Thank you!
Hey Julia,
I only used 4 ounces of cream cheese, but if you want more you could totally add more! Let me know you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I made two loafs. One in a glass loaf pan and one in a cast iron loaf pan. Very moist but the almond flour made the cake fall apart. In cast iron after being totally cooled fell out in pieces. I was disappointed . I will try with flour and i did and one tablespoon of butter and used 1 1/2 cups of powder sugar to get the consistency for the glaze. Kinda tasted like a cornbread with lemon!?
Hey there,
So sorry about this! I hope you will try is again with all purpose flour, it should turn out much better for you!! xTieghan
Had to buy $$$ almond flour for the recipe as originally posted and because I am trying to work on GF recipes for family members. I think originally the original description claimed that almond flour actually created a desirable texture? Sadly it was such a fail. I followed the recipe exactly and am so disappointed. My husband loves my baking but even he could not finish a slice. Do you have any suggestions for how to use the loaf in another way? Cubed into a trifle? Anything!? I hate to throw it out!
Hi Karla,
So sorry to hear this! I made a mistake when I originally wrote the recipe, this loaf works best with all purpose flour. A trifle would work for sure! Again, so sorry, that was my fault! xTieghan
Is this recipe missing sugar in the cake? I made it today and it’s not very sweet. Love the recipe But looking for some more sweetness
Hey there,
The sweetness comes from the honey in the loaf, I wanted to use a natural sweetener but you can certainly use granulated sugar if that is something you would like better:) xTieghan
Should you refrigerate it afterwards or leave out at room temp when storing?
Hey Taylor,
You can keep at room temp. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
While the cake itself was moist I found it on its own was not lemony at all. You really need to add the glaze to get the lemon punch. Also, the glaze was very runny. I googled other lemon glaze recipes and it looks like most of them use double the amount of icing sugar to basically the same amount of liquid, perhaps a type o, 1 cup instead of 2?
Hey Charlene,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, as with all icings, you can add more powdered sugar as needed until you get the right consistency:) xT
What about making it lemon poppyseed?
Hi Macy,
Sure, that would work for you!! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Is it possible to Veganize this recipe. It looks so yummy.
Hi Linda,
So sorry, I have not tested this recipe with vegan ingredients, you could certainly use a dairy free yogurt and cream cheese, but the eggs and butter are what might be tricky. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Although icing was thinner than in the photos, the flavor of the cake and icing is delicious and very lemony. So as not to waste, I did use zest in the icing too. I think 45 mins was a little too long in my oven but the cake was still great.
Hi Steph,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend:) xT