Spring is finally here! When life gives you lemons, skip the lemonade and make my Glazed Lemon Loaf! This loaf cake is bright, moist, soft, sweet and tender. It’s bursting with big lemon flavour and feels like sunshine on a cloudy day!! This sweet treat makes for the perfect dessert or snack to celebrate the start of the Spring season!
My Glazed Lemon Loaf uses lemons in 2 ways - lemon zest and lemon juice! Lemon zest combined with granulated sugar adds brightness and sweetness to the loaf batter. The secret to getting maximum flavour from your lemons is massaging the lemon zest into the sugar! The coarse nature of granulated sugar serves as an abrasive and breaks down the lemon zest, releasing lemon oil into the sugar. This simple process imparts the sugar with tons of lemon flavour and distributes it evenly throughout the loaf. Lemon juice is added to the batter and glaze to reinforce the lemon flavour. The result - a prominent lemon flavour without the pucker!
This loaf recipe uses a combination of butter and sunflower oil to produce a cake, that really is the epitome of the best of both worlds - moist, tender and soft! The butter adds complex and rich flavours and gives the loaf a denser texture, while the oil works to produce a moist and tender crumb. Milk and eggs are added to the mix, yielding incremental moisture and flavour to this already flavourful batter.
Now for the dry ingredients - gluten-free multipurpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gluten-free multipurpose flour keeps this Lemon Loaf gluten-free. Who doesn’t love an easy and tasty gluten-free dessert?! The baking powder and baking soda serve as leavening agents giving this loaf some loftiness and height. To balance out the flavours, a pinch of salt is added to the mix. There you have it - a Lemon Loaf recipe that couldn’t be more satisfying and one that is good to the very last bite!
If you’re looking for a simple dessert that is chalk full of flavour, then you’ll have to give this Glazed Lemon Loaf recipe a go! This recipe couldn’t be easier to make, uses a handful of fresh and simple ingredients and comes together in just over an hour. Whether you enjoy a slice for breakfast, as an afternoon snack or for dessert, you really can’t go wrong! So, let me show you how it’s done. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me!
For more quick and easy gluten-free dessert ideas, check out my Chocolate Blueberry Yoghurt Bites, Chocolate Brownies, Cranberry Orange Muffins and Blood Orange Upside Down Cake recipes!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 65 - 70 minutes
Total Time: 75 - 80 minutes
Serves: 8 - 10
Ingredients:
Lemon Loaf
1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp gluten-free multipurpose flour, sifted (See Notes below)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp lemon zest (approx. 2 large lemons)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup (58g) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sunflower oil (See Notes below)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (approx. 1 1/2 large lemons)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup 2% milk
Thinly sliced lemon (optional), as garnish
Lemon Glaze:
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice (See Notes below)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9” x 5” metal loaf pan with parchment paper.
Making the Lemon Loaf: To a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until combined. Set aside.
To a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Massage the zest into the sugar using your fingers.
Add the eggs and using a handheld or stand mixer, mix on high speed for 1 minute and 30 seconds or until light and fluffy.
Then, add the melted butter, sunflower oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix over low speed until just combined.
To the batter, add 1/2 the milk and 1/2 the dry ingredients and mix over low speed until just combined. Repeat the process with the remaining milk and dry ingredients.
Transfer the batter to the parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 65 - 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the Lemon Loaf cool in the baking pan for 15 minutes and then transfer it to wire rack to fully cool.
Making the Lemon Glaze: Once the Lemon Loaf has cooled, to a medium bowl, add the icing sugar and lemon juice and whisk until combined. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the loaf and let it fully set at room temperature.
The Finishing Touch: Once the glaze has set, garnish the cake with thinly sliced lemons. Cut the loaf into slices and serve and enjoy!
Notes:
Baking Dish: I recommend using a metal loaf pan for my Glazed Lemon Loaf recipe. The metal baking pan conducts heat quickly and promotes a more even cook. Glass and ceramic cookware will yield a slower heat transfer, resulting in a undercooked loaf with over-baked edges.
Selecting a Gluten-Free Flour: I love using Cup4Cup’s Gluten-Free Multipurpose Flour in this recipe, as it works beautifully here! If you don’t have any on hand, simply substitute it on a 1:1 basis with your favourite all-purpose or multipurpose gluten-free flour.
Substituting the Sunflower Oil: If you don't have sunflower oil in your pantry, you can substitute it on a 1:1 basis with another neutral oil, such as avocado, vegetable or canola oil.
Looking for a Thicker Glaze!: This recipe produces a thinner and more delicate glaze. If you prefer a thicker and more pronounced glaze, simply reduce the lemon juice in the glaze recipe from 2 Tbsp to 1 1/2 Tbsp. Whisk until combined and pour it over the Lemon Loaf.
Setting the Glaze: It’s important to let the Lemon Loaf fully cool before topping it with lemon glaze. Glazing a hot loaf will result in a soupy mess! If you’re like me and can’t wait to dig in, simply let the loaf fully cool at room temperature and top it with the lemon glaze. To speed up the setting process of the lemon glaze, pop the Glazed Lemon Loaf into the refrigerator for 20 - 25 minutes, or until set, and slice away!
