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Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake

5 from 4 votes

A luscious Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake you’ll want to make this summer. Made with real lemon juice and zest, it’s absolutely bursting with fresh lemon flavour!

Close up of Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake
Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake

Cake Time

It’s time for a cake! I haven’t shared a dessert in weeks now. What’s wrong with this picture? I love cake and lots of desserts for that matter. But desserts aren’t too much in love with this 47 year old, so I’m trying to keep them at a minimum. Mainly because when I bake, I eat more than my fair share. And when I make anything with lemon, I’m probably capable of eating it all. Yes, all of it.

Thankfully, everyone liked this cake, and I wasn’t forced to eat the lot of it! Much like my Lime Drizzle Summer Berry Cake, it’s a keeper.

Table setting of Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake on a serving board and cake on a plate

This cake is worthy of more than one slice. If you love lemons and dense cakes, you’ll love this recipe. It’s almost the texture of a pound cake with lots of fresh lemon flavour. I can’t tell you how great it was, so you’re just going to have to make it and see for yourself. It’s so perfectly moist, dense and delicious. So, let’s take a look and see how it comes together.

Zesty Lemon Loaf cake with slices of fresh lemon and glaze
Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake

The Main Ingredients

Here’s the prime suspects for making the cake. Remember, the full recipe and ingredient list is always found at the end of the post. If you’re new here, the step by step is mostly visual with some explanations along the way. But don’t fret because there is a real recipe at the end.


Let’s Make a Cake

Always preheat the oven before you start. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. And grease and line a loaf tin. Set aside

We’re starting off this cake by combining the dry ingredients in one bowl and then sifting them together. Below you’ll see the flour, lemon zest, baking powder and salt in one bowl.

Then in another clean bowl, mix the sugar and butter on high speed for about 3 minutes.


Mixing in the Eggs

This cake uses three eggs and we’re going to mix one in at a time and making sure they are completely mixed in well.

Next up, add half of the four and stir it into the batter with a spatula or a wooden spoon.


Finishing Off The Batter

Add the Greek Yogurt and lemon juice and stir until combined. Then add the remaining flour and stir until it’s just combined. Don’t over mix. The batter will be quite thick like you see here below.


Baking The Cake

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and even it out with a spatula.

Bake the cake on center rack in the oven. It will be done in 35 – 40 minutes or when a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and peel off parchment paper. Leave to completely cool.


Fresh from the Oven And Ready to Enjoy

Here she is all prettied up and ready for the camera! I added a simple glaze and a few extra lemons slices just to be pretty! I know most people probably don’t have access to cheap lemons, but I have a tree. Yes, a great big ol’ tree loaded with lemons. So, you’ll have to excuse me just slicing up lemons for photos…hahaha!

Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake slices into pieces
Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake

To Glaze or Not To Glaze

Honestly, the glaze is not necessary. The cake is fantastic all on it’s own. I made it just to be a bit extra and it looks pretty, right? But if you are looking for how to make the glaze, it’s super simple and I’ll just put it right here for you. I’ll also add it to the notes section of the recipe at the end.

Simple Glaze:

Mix together 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar with 4 tablespoons of milk. Stir to combine and make sure there are no lumps. Pour over cake and done!

Overhead view of the Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake with lemons
Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake

How Long Will The Cake Last

Well, depends on how fast you eat it!! But seriously, this cake is pretty moist and I’ve kept it up to three days and it was still delicious. This cake is high in fat, with three eggs and a whole cup of Greek yogurt. All of that goodness is what makes the cake super moist. So if you choose to substitute with less eggs or low fat yogurt, the cake won’t have the same results.

Slices of the Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake on a plate
Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake

Here’s a Few More Sweet Lemon Treats You Might Like

If you love lemon sweets and desserts, you should take a look at these few little treats I’ve put together. This is just a sample of the lemon desserts on the blog. If you’re looking for even more, check out the Sweets category and look around for more.

Close up over head view of the Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake with slices of fresh lemon
Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake

Well my dear friends, that’s about it for the cake and today’s post. Oh, i almost forgot to tell you, my husband returned to work today…whooohoooo! Peace has been restored at Casa Pinney. Seriously though, no married couple are meant to be together 24/7 for just about three months. Just no. I don’t remember that being part of the contract….hahaha! So, life continues with more and more normalcy each day and that’s something I’m pretty happy about.

Okay, I hope you get a chance to enjoy the cake and I’ll see you all soon. Keep on cooking!

Like what you see today? Don’t forget you can follow on Facebook for daily inspiration or over on Instagram where I sometimes do daily cooking videos for fun! I’m also on Pinterest which is a great place that you can save and share your favourite recipes. As well, if you haven’t yet, Subscribe to the newsletter. You’ll be notified whenever there’s a new recipe! You can do that at the top of the page.

Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake sliced into pieces
Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake

Get The Recipe!

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Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake

A luscious Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake you'll want to make this summer. Made with real lemon juice and zest, it's absolutely bursting with fresh lemon flavour!
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: British, North American
Keyword: lemons, loaf cake
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 199kcal
Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Cups plain flour
  • 2 Teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 Cup butter
  • 3/4 Cup sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 Cup Greek yogurt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and a line with parchment paper a loaf tin.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, lemon zest, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of your electric mixer, mix on high speed the butter for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat for a further 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scraping down the sides as you mix.
  • Add half of the flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Mix in all the yogurt with the lemon juice and mix well. Stir in remaining flour until incorporated.
  • Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs.
  • Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and take off parchment paper. Leave to cool completely. Will store in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days.

*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Notes

Recipe for the simple glaze, optional.
Mix together 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar with 4 tablespoon of milk.  Stir until combined and pour over cake.
  • Baking times vary from oven to oven and the quality of the loaf tin you are using.  It may bake as quickly as 35 minutes and could take even up to 50 minutes.  When you have moist crumbs on a toothpick, it’s ready.
 
 
Nutrition Facts
Zesty Lemon Loaf Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 199 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 62mg21%
Sodium 257mg11%
Potassium 55mg2%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 296IU6%
Calcium 68mg7%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thanks For Stopping By And Hope To See You Soon!

By on June 11th, 2020
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