Iced Lemon Loaf Recipe

Perfect mix of tart and sweet! This tender lemon cake is topped with a lemon syrup and icing! This Iced Lemon Loaf recipe is a must make recipe for lemon lovers!
During the cold, dark winter months, there’s nothing like the bright flavor of lemon to add a little sunshine to your day! You can decide just how lemon-y you want your loaf to be.

This iced lemon loaf isn’t overly lemon-y by itself; instead, it’s more of a sweet, tender lemon vanilla cake. The glaze has a hint from the zest and adds another layer of lemon flavor.

If you really want to amp up the lemon, use the syrup. The combination of the syrup, cake, and glaze gives this loaf a nice tart tang and makes it perfect for adding a little sunshine to any blah winter day!

How to make an iced lemon loaf cake

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk vegetable oil, sour cream, and sugar together until combined.

Whisk in eggs. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract; whisk until well-combined.

Whisk in dry ingredients until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes.

While loaf is cooling, whisk together sugar, lemon juice, and water. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.

Boil for 2-3 minutes, or until sugar has dissolved. Remove to wire rack, and lightly brush syrup over warm bread.

Let bread cool to room temperature. Whisk powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and lemon zest together.

Add in additional milk as needed to get thick but pourable consistency. Pour over the top of cooled bread.

Let icing set before slicing.

Tips

• Flour: Properly measuring the flour makes a huge difference in baked goods. To properly measure flour, either weigh it or stir/sift it to break it up. Lightly spoon it into the measuring cup and level.
• Vegetable oil: Any neutral oil, like canola, will work.
• Sour cream: I’ve used regular and low-fat sour cream in this recipe. Both have worked well. I don’t recommend using fat-free sour cream.
• Make ahead: Feel free to make this cake ahead of time. The lemon flavor will intensify as bread sits.

How to make ahead

The flavor of this cake improves after it has had a chance to sit for a day or so. To make the cake ahead of time, make the bread through step 14.

Wrap the bread in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight. Before serving, make the icing and serve.

Storage

This cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days. Since the cake is very moist, you may find that it keeps better when stored in the fridge.

More lemon recipes!

• Lemon Coconut Cookie Recipe
• Lemon Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
• Lemon Blueberry Muffins

If you’ve tried this iced lemon lemon loaf recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!

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