Satisfy your lemon craving with this moist and slightly sweet iced lemon loaf! Bursting with bright citrus, with a hint of sweet almond.

This bread was so full of bright, lemon flavor! Loved the hint of almond too- such a nice compliment. #spon #whitelily

Iced lemon loaf on a wood cutting board with lemons in the background.

This is a sponsored post, written by me, and created in partnership with White Lily Flour.  All opinions expressed herein are straight from my heart.

*This post originally published on January 19, 2016. I thought it was about time the pics and recipe were updated. So, the photos you see here now are new and improved! I’ve also improved the recipe and added more answers to some frequently asked questions. Hopefully you’ll enjoy this iced lemon loaf as much as my family and I do.*

Hey, hello! I’m bringing you another spring favorite today- iced lemon loaf!

Really, I think lemon works at just about any time of year. It’s great during the winter because it’s so sunshine-y and cheerful (unlike the weather outside, lol!), but it’s great in spring and summer too because it’s so light and refreshing.

I’ve got lots of great lemon treats on this site, like lemon bars, lemon poppy seed muffins, and lemon cupcakes. I love them all! But this bread slash cake is definitely a top favorite. It’s great for bringing to parties! In fact I plan on bringing it to my friends house tomorrow night.

The cake itself is infused with lemon juice, and after it’s baked, a lemon-y syrup is spooned all over the warm loaf.  It soaks right in and intensifies the flavor even more.  Then, the whole thing is blanketed in a thick glaze that reinforces the tart citrus flavor.  The icing has lots of fresh zest, along with lemon juice, Greek yogurt, and just a hint of almond extract.  I really think that sweet, fruity flavor adds something so special!

Good morning, my friends!  I hope you are keeping warm on this icy January day!

I am bundled up in several layers over here, trying my best to type with stiff, cold fingers!  For some reason, our furnace does not seem able to keep up with these frigid temps.  It’s trying!  But it just can’t warm things up to where they should be.  The only way to really warm up the house these days is to turn on the oven.  It’s a good motivator for me to keep baking!

This bread was so full of bright, lemon flavor! Loved the hint of almond too- such a nice compliment. #spon #whitelily

Slices of lemon loaf cake stacked on a wooden plate, with a text overlay reading "Iced Lemon Loaf."

HOW TO MAKE ICED LEMON LOAF

This recipe has three main components:

  1. A lemon syrup that gets drizzled and soaked into the cake
  2. The lemon cake itself
  3. The topping: a sweet, lemony glaze

I’ll take you through each one step-by-step!

THE LEMON SYRUP

The lemon drizzle couldn’t be simpler, but it will lend so much bright, lemony flavor to your cake!

Overhead shot of ingredients for making a lemon simple syrup.

Just combine some freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar in a small pot. Cook the liquid over medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. Then set the syrup aside to cool, while you get going on the loaf.

Overhead view of lemon simple syrup in a small pot.

THE LEMON LOAF

To make the cake, start by whisking the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a big bowl.

Top-down view of all the ingredients needed to make lemon loaf cake.

Then add in the soft butter and mix everything together until the mixture looks sort of like damp sand. This should only take about a minute or so.

Dry ingredients and butter for making lemon loaf.

Next, add in the eggs. It’s important that you mix the eggs in one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition.

Once that’s looking nice and smooth, stir in the Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract. Beat the batter on medium-high speed for around 60 to 90 seconds, to aerate it and build the cake’s structure.

Greek yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice added to lemon cake batter.

Transfer the batter to a lightly greased loaf pan, and bake it for about an hour. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.

Lemon cake batter in a loaf pan.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then slip it out and onto a sheet pan. At this point, you can spoon that sweet lemon syrup all over the cake. It will soak in and make your lemon loaf so incredibly moist, with a really tangy, citrus-y flavor!

Drizzling lemon syrup over loaf cake.

THE LEMON ICING

Once the bread has cooled completely, it can be glazed with a thick layer of icing. It’s made from powdered sugar, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and just a hint of almond extract.

Ingredients needed to make lemon icing.

Bowl of smooth lemon glaze.

Just stir these ingredients together in a little bowl until smooth, then slather it all over the top of the bread, allowing it to drip tantalizingly down the sides. It looks so tempting!

I whipped this Iced Lemon Loaf up over the weekend, and we’ve been enjoying it ever since.  I always crave citrus at this time of year.  I think that sunny flavor somehow just makes me feel warm all over.  If you love lemon as much as I do, this bread will not disappoint!

I used White Lily‘s new Whole Wheat and Almond Flour blend, which gives the cake a great moist texture, and a hint of nutty flavor.  I just love the combination of lemon and almond- it’s a flavor match made in heaven!  And this flour blend can sub cup-for-cup with regular all-purpose flour, so it’s really easy for you to incorporate it into any of your favorite recipes.  The Almond Flour Blend is the newest of their Premium Flour Blends.  You can check out the whole line here.  I really love that everything is certified non-GMO, and they’ve teamed up with Shepherd’s Grain, a group of wheat farmers who all really care about the way they grow and harvest their crops.  Every bag even has a special code where you can look up exactly who grew the wheat that was milled to make your flour.  It’s this kind of traceability that lets you know you are working with a product of the highest possible quality.  You can read lots more about my visit to Shepherd’s Grain, and how the tracing code works, here.

This bread was so full of bright, lemon flavor! Loved the hint of almond too- such a nice compliment. #spon #whitelily

I DON’T HAVE GREEK YOGURT- IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE I CAN USE?

If you don’t keep plain Greek yogurt on hand, that’s ok. There are other ingredients that will work very well in its place.

  • My top choice would be sour cream. It’s very similar in taste and texture to Greek yogurt.
  • Or you could use buttermilk. It’s got the same, slightly tangy flavor, but it’s not quite as thick. So if you do use buttermilk, you may notice that your batter looks a little runnier.
  • In a pinch, you can make your own buttermilk. Stir 2 tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice into 2/3 cup of whole milk. Allow this mixture to sit for about 5 minutes, and it should thicken up slightly and look almost curdled.

Top-down view of iced lemon loaf cake on a cutting board, with a slice of cake on a plate and a yellow printed napkin.

CAN THIS LEMON BREAD BE MADE AHEAD?

This is a great recipe for making ahead. In fact, I think it gets even better as it sits. The lemon syrup has a chance to really soak in and permeate its flavor and moisture all throughout.

Keep it wrapped tightly so it doesn’t become stale. It can stay out at room temperature for a day or so, in the fridge for 5 to 7 days, or in the freezer for a month or two.

This bread was so full of bright, lemon flavor! Loved the hint of almond too- such a nice compliment. #spon #whitelily

This post contains affiliate sales links.

Horizontal shot of iced lemon cake on a wooden board with lemons and teacups in the background.

Next time your kitchen is calling your name, think about making this yummy lemon loaf! It’s such a treat to have around, for brunch, or snacks. I especially love it with a cup of tea!


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Iced lemon loaf on a wood cutting board with lemons in the background.
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Iced Lemon Loaf

Servings: 10 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Satisfy your lemon craving with this moist and slightly sweet iced lemon loaf! Bursting with bright citrus, with a hint of sweet almond.
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Ingredients

For the Lemon Syrup

  • 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) lemon juice, (juice of 1 lemon)

For the Lemon Loaf

For the Lemon Icing

Instructions
 

To Make the Lemon Syrup:

  • Cook the sugar and lemon juice in a small pot over over medium-low heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, or until the sugar has completely dissolved. 

To Make the Lemon Loaf:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and mist a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.
  • Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir together on low speed. 
  • Add the butter and mix on low speed for about 1 minute, or until the mixture resembles damp sand. 
  • Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition. 
  • Add the Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract, and mix on medium speed for about a minute.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a bamboo skewer inserted in the thickest part of the bread comes out clean.
  • Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the slightly cooled bread from the pan and place it on a on a sheet pan.  
  • Spoon the lemon syrup all over the warm bread. 
  • Allow the bread to cool completely, then transfer to a wire rack set over a sheet pan, and drizzle with lemon icing. 

To Make the Lemon Icing:

  • Place the powdered sugar, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and almond extract in a small bowl and stir together until smooth.

Notes

Love lemon? Check out these other great citrus-y recipes:
Calories: 393kcal, Carbohydrates: 60g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 219mg, Potassium: 111mg, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 475IU, Vitamin C: 4.6mg, Calcium: 47mg, Iron: 1.5mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Tried this recipe?Mention @bakingamoment on Instagram or tag #bakingamoment.
This bread was so full of bright, lemon flavor! Loved the hint of almond too- such a nice compliment. #spon #whitelily

Author

  • Allie

    Allie is the creator and owner of Baking a Moment. She has been developing, photographing, videographing, and writing and sharing recipes here since 2012.

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