This lemon bread is super-moist, topped with a tangy lemon glaze and bursting with fresh citrus flavor. It’s soft, tender and dense like a pound cake. If you love Starbucks lemon loaf, you’ll love this homemade recipe even more!
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Buttery, Moist and Bursting with Fresh Lemon Flavor
Love citrus in every way, shape and form? Then look no further than this sweet and tangy glazed lemon bread that marries a refreshing citrus flavor with a super-moist texture into one perfectly sliceable loaf.
This lemon cake is one of my favorite citrusy treats to serve for brunch, gift to friends or slice up for a midweek pick-me-up. It’s dense and buttery like a pound cake but moist and tender like everyone’s favorite quickbread. (Looking at you, one-bowl banana bread!) Just imagine a cake-slash-bread hybrid that’s doused with lemon glaze for the perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors.
Have I mentioned it’s incredibly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients? Grab your mixing bowl and let’s bring the sunshine into your baking!
- Lemon zest: This is the yellow outer peel of the lemon, and it’s where all the bold, citrusy flavor lives. It’s packed with essential oils that give the bread its signature zing. The easiest way to zest a lemon is to use a microplane, making sure to avoid the bitter white pith underneath. Always zest your lemon before juicing it—it’s much easier that way!
- Lemon juice: Adds brightness and tang to both the batter and the glaze. Freshly squeezed is best for the brightest flavor—skip the bottled stuff if you can!
- Buttermilk: Makes this loaf incredibly tender and moist while adding a subtle tang. No buttermilk? No problem! You can make a quick buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for about 5 minutes before using.
- Eggs + butter: Make sure both of these ingredients are at room temp. I use unsalted so I can control the salt content, but if salted butter is all you have, just skip the added salt in the recipe.
- Pantry staples: You’ll also need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Powdered sugar: You’ll whisk this with lemon juice and zest for the simplest sweet-tart glaze that soaks into every slice.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This introduces air into the mixture, which helps the lemon loaf rise and creates a tender, airy texture.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. Then, in a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and lemon-buttermilk to the butter-sugar mixture. This keeps the batter smooth and prevents overmixing.
- Pour the batter into a 9×5-inch loaf pan that’s been lined with parchment paper and lightly greased with cooking spray.
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The loaf should have a slight dome and spring back when lightly pressed. Let the bread cool completely before topping it with the glaze.
Lemon Glaze
This quick lemon glaze is the finishing touch that takes your lemon loaf from good to bakery-worthy. All you need is powdered sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a little zest. I like to sift the powdered sugar first so the glaze comes out silky-smooth. Whisk it all together until pourable (you can always add more sugar or juice to get the consistency just right), then drizzle it over your completely cooled lemon bread.
It’ll set into a glossy, tangy-sweet shell that seeps into every crack and crumb. For a thicker, more opaque glaze, you can swap the lemon juice for milk or cream—but I say lean into the citrus!
Storage Instructions
To keep your glazed lemon bread fresh, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’d like it to last a bit longer, you can refrigerate it for up to 5 days. Just be sure to let the glaze set completely before storing, so it doesn’t get sticky.
You can also freeze this loaf without the glaze. Just make sure it’s completely cooled before wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil (the double layer helps prevent freezer burn). Freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, simply thaw the bread at room temp, then add the lemon glaze before serving for a fresh, glossy finish.
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
For the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
Make the bread:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper (leaving an overhang on the two longer sides) then grease the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the stand mixer, beating between each addition. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake it for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Using the parchment paper overhangs, transfer the bread to a cooling rack, remove the parchment paper and allow the bread to cool completely before topping it with the glaze (recipe follows).
Make the glaze:
- Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl then stir in the lemon zest. Start by whisking 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into the sugar until you have a smooth, pourable glaze. If the glaze is still too thick, stir in more lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches a pourable consistency.
- Pour the glaze atop the completely cooled bread. Allow the bread to sit for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Kelly’s Notes
- Store the glazed lemon bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’d like it to last a bit longer, you can refrigerate it for up to 5 days. Just be sure to let the glaze set completely before storing, so it doesn’t get sticky.
- You can also freeze this loaf without the glaze. Just make sure it’s completely cooled before wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil (the double layer helps prevent freezer burn). Freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, simply thaw the bread at room temp, then add the lemon glaze before serving.
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Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.
Can you use coconut oil instead of butter?
Hi Leigh – I’ve never tried that but it *should* work!
Does it matter if the buttermilk is low fat or whole?
Either will work!
I made this yesterday and it is dense, moist and flavorful!
Can i make it without lemon zest?
Hi Jean! The zest highlights the citrus flavor of the bread, you could leave it out but the taste won’t be the same.
Could this be made gluten free I love love lemon but need gluten free if so what would I use. Thank you
Hi Patsy! You could try using a gluten-free flour such as Cup4Cup that’s a 1:1 ratio as regular flour. I’ve never tried this so I’m not sure what the result would be. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Hi Kelly!
This cake/bread looks so yummy! Is it possible to substitute lemon for orange.? Thank you! :)
Kind regards
Sara
That should work, Sara! Enjoy :)
I’ve made it about 100 times and everytime is just delicious!!!can i use the same recipe and make cupcakes?
So glad you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Eleni! And I haven’t used this recipe to make cupcakes so I’m not sure what the result would be. Let me know how they turn out if you try it!
I made this today and it turned out great. It’s a heavy cake/bread with a nice lemon flavor. It really needs the glaze. I made a little extra to cover the bread well. Also, I was lazy and didn’t want to break out the Kitchenade so I just used my hand mixer. It worked fine. The butter and sugar didn’t get as fluffy as maybe they could have but the bread is cooked evenly through and rose as expected. There’s snow on the ground here but this bread tastes like spring!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Phil!
Looks delish! Can this be made in bread machine?
Thanks so much, Hedy! This is more of a stir-and-bake pound cake so I’m not sure if it’d work in a bread machine, as I’ve never used one with this recipe.