🍋 Fresh Lemon Loaf Cake (Better Than Bakery)
⭐ Ingredients
For the loaf
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1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
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1 cup granulated sugar
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½ cup unsalted butter, melted (or softened)
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2 large eggs
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½ cup milk (or buttermilk for extra tenderness)
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2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
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1–2 tbsp lemon zest (more zest = more flavor)
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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1 tsp baking powder
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¼ tsp baking soda
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¼ tsp salt
For the lemon glaze
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1 cup powdered sugar
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2–3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
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Optional: a bit of lemon zest for texture
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Preheat & Prep
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Grease and line a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a bowl, whisk together:
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Flour
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Baking powder
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Baking soda
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Salt
3. Mix the Wet Ingredients
In another bowl:
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Beat eggs + sugar until pale and slightly thick
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Add melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and milk
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Stir until smooth
4. Combine
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Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients
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Mix gently until just combined (don’t overmix or the loaf gets dense)
5. Bake
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Pour batter into the loaf pan
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Bake for 45–55 minutes
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A toothpick should come out clean with a few moist crumbs
6. Glaze
While the loaf is still warm:
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Whisk powdered sugar + lemon juice
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Pour or brush over the loaf
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Let it soak in and set
🍋 Tips for a Perfect Lemon Loaf
💛 More zest = more flavor
Zesting is where the lemon really shines.
💛 Use room-temp ingredients
Prevents the batter from curdling and keeps the crumb tender.
💛 Don’t skip the warm glaze
It melts into the loaf and keeps it incredibly moist.
💛 Let it cool fully before slicing
The crumb sets as it cools — slicing too early causes crumbling.
✨ Optional Add-Ins
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Fold in poppy seeds
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Add a cream cheese swirl
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Use buttermilk for a richer, softer loaf
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Add a second glaze layer for extra lemon punch
If you want, I can also make:
🍋 A Starbucks-style copycat lemon loaf
🍞 A dairy-free or gluten-free version
🌱 A lemon-blueberry loaf variation
🍯 A healthier Greek-yogurt lemon loaf
Which one should I give you?
