Easy Lemon Loaf Cake
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Lemon Loaf Cake is exceptionally delicious, with bright and lemony flavors all wrapped up in a buttery, soft and tender crumb. It’s a simple loaf cake to make when you’re craving all things lemon and sweet.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get delicious new recipes from us every Friday!
Sometimes, simplicity is all that’s needed. This easy lemon pound cake is simply that—easy and delicious. It’s simple and straightforward, using ingredients you may already have on hand.
What you taste is simply… lemon. Pure and simple. The combination of freshly squeezed lemon juice and freshly grated lemon zest creates a lemony flavor that is pure and sweet enough to balance.
In fact, we don’t even add the sweet lemon syrup common to many lemon loaf recipes. We think the lemon glaze icing makes it sweet enough. Most importantly, we wanted to eliminate a couple of steps and make it live up to its name: a simple and Easy Lemon Loaf Cake.
If you love simple cakes, our almond cake recipe is a favorite with readers; it is made with equally simple ingredients and is utterly delicious, which makes it perfect for any occasion.
Lemon Loaf Ingredients
Gather these simple ingredients (exact measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post):
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs
- Lemon (for zest and juice)
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and salt
- Evaporated milk
For the Glaze:
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice
How to Make Lemon Loaf Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour an 8 x 4 loaf pan.
Step 1: Cream the butter
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients and milk
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the flour and evaporated milk alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Step 3: Bake the loaf
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs.
More Recipes You May Also Enjoy
SAVE THIS AND PIN IT FOR LATER!
If you are not already, you can follow me on Pinterest and keep up with me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. If you make this recipe, I would love it if you would tag me in your photos and leave a star rating below!
To be notified of new recipes, subscribe to my e-mail list. It’s free, and you’ll also receive a free e-book of our reader’s favorite recipes.
A Simple and Easy Lemon Loaf Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- zest of 1 medium lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk 5-ounce can
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioner sugar
- 1 – 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice depending on how thick you want your glaze
Instructions
for the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 x 4 loaf pan.
- Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, followed by the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the flour and evaporated milk alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs.
for the glaze:
- For the icing glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
how much lemon juice for the glaze?
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice. I didn’t make that very clear – I’ll update the recipe. Thanks!