The Best Lemon Loaf (Better-Than-Starbucks Copycat) — It took years, but I finally recreated it!! Easy, no mixer, no cake mix, dangerously good, and SPOT ON!! You’re going to love this lemon bread recipe!
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Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf Recipe
This iced lemon loaf cake recipe has been beyond a long time in the making. I’ve been trying to make this copycat Starbucks lemon loaf on and off for years. I can’t even tell you how much I have obsessed, tried, trialed, and failed at it. Until now.
If you’ve ever had Starbucks’ Lemon Loaf, you know how good it is. Full of lemon flavor, moist, dense, and rich. Anything that good I shouldn’t want to learn how to make at home, but I couldn’t leave well enough alone.
I’ve tried countless internet recipes for lemon bread and some were ‘fine’ but not quite perfect, while others were total fails. And I definitely didn’t want to go the cake mix route.
I even sent one almost-a-possibility-but-not-quite to my mom to have her trial it.
Something as ‘simple’ as a lemon loaf cake eluded me for ages until I rediscovered and slightly adapted my own 2012 recipe for Blueberry Yogurt Cake with Lemon Vanilla Glaze. It’s an easy, no-mixer, one-bowl, whisk-together batter.
This lemon loaf cake is soft, springy, and moist without being heavy or dry, problems which often plague pound cake. Nor is it oily, which sometimes happens with the Starbucks’ version. Plus, you probably have all the ingredients on hand to make it and you can pronounce every ingredient used.
The lemon loaf cake itself is perfectly lemony, and the lemon glaze boosts the lemon flavor even more. Lemon lovers will be in their glory!
And just think of all that money you’ll save by making it at home. That’s almost dangerous.
Ingredients in Lemon Loaf
To make this copycat Starbucks lemon loaf recipe, you’ll need:
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Sour cream
- Canola oil
- Lemon zest
- Lemon extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
And to make the lemon bread glaze, you’ll need:
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Lemon juice
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Lemon Loaf
This Starbucks recipe for lemon loaf couldn’t be easier to make! Here’s a look at how this recipe comes together:
- First, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and sour cream before drizzling in the oil.
- Stir in the lemon zest and extract, followed by the dry ingredients.
- Turn the lemon loaf batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan and bake until the top is domed, set, and toothpick inserted in the center crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter.
- The copycat Starbucks lemon loaf needs to cool for at least 30 minutes before drizzling with the glaze!
Lemon Loaf FAQs
Yes, this lemon bread freezes incredibly well. It can be frozen up to 6 months.
Just be sure to glaze the bread AFTER it’s been frozen and thawed (the glaze can be frozen, but the texture changes slightly).
Of course, just note that your bake time will vary depending on the size of your pans.
One reader reported success making seven mini loaves and baking them at 350ºF for about 35 minutes, if that helps. However, I can’t speak from personal experience.
Most likely, yes. You’d need to bake two 9×5-inch loaves.
A few readers have also asked if they can double the recipe and bake the batter in a 9×13-inch pan or a metal bundt pan. Both options would likely work, although I can’t say for sure.
I don’t recommend doing so, as that would change the taste of the lemon bread too much. If you want a lemon olive oil dessert, make my Lemon Olive Oil Cake recipe instead.
I’ve had quite a few readers ask about using gluten-free flour in this copycat Starbucks lemon pound cake recipe. I’ve only made the recipe as written, but readers have reported success using either Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour or Cup4Cup gluten-free flour.
I can’t say for sure if using a gluten-free flour will work, but this is what readers have recommended!
No! Do NOT use lemon oil and lemon extract interchangeably because they’re not — oil is much more potent and intense.
No, do NOT use lemon juice in place of lemon extract because it’s not strong enough and the acidity can alter the overall results.
I used 2 tablespoons of lemon extract because no actual lemon juice is used in the loaf and I found 2 tablespoons lemon extract necessary for full-bodied lemon flavor, but you can add it to taste.
What Readers Are Saying
As you can see on the recipe card, this copycat Starbucks recipe for lemon loaf has over 1,500 reviews on it. And if you scroll to the very bottom of this post, you’ll see the 1,000+ comments that readers have left.
To say that this lemon bread recipe has been tried and tested — and loved! — is an understatement!
Here are just a few 5-star reviews that have been left on this lemon loaf cake recipe:
“Delightful! This loaf did not last long in my household – lemony and delicious and a recipe I always come back to.” — Stephanie
“I have been making this recipe for a few years! Always gets the best reviews! I poke holes in it so when I add the glaze it goes into the loaf! This is my go to recipe when I am asked to bring a dessert!” — Joan Kasaris
“Simple, yet delicious! Baked mine for 40 minutes. It’s a dense, flavourful cake and will be my go-to lemon loaf recipe from now on since I have too been looking for the perfect lemon loaf for a long time. Thanks for finding it for me!!!” — Vivi
“Hard to believe a recipe so quick and easy tastes so good. Passed some out to friends and they were amazed at texture and flavor. I followed the reciperight to the end.” — Roger Drenga
“This recipe is incredibly delicious, and this was also my very first time baking a lemon loaf. I’m so happy how it turned out, and everyone in our house loved it. Thank you!” — Danielle
Recipe Video
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The Best Lemon Loaf (Better-Than-Starbucks Copycat)
Ingredients
Lemon Loaf
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream or Greek yogurt
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon extract, to taste (not teaspoons)*
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
Make the Loaf:
- To a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined.
- Drizzle in the oil while whisking to combine.
- Add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and whisk to combine. Note – I used 2 tablespoons of lemon extract because no actual lemon juice is used in the loaf and I found 2 tablespoons lemon extract necessary for full-bodied lemon flavor, but add to taste.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix. Some lumps will be present and that’s okay, don’t try to stir them smooth.
- Turn the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 50 to 52 minutes, or until top is domed, set, and toothpick inserted in the center crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. In the last 10 minutes of baking, tent pan with foil (loosely drape a sheet of foil over pan) to prevent excessive browning on the top and sides of bread before center cooks through.
- Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for at least 30 minutes (I cooled 4 hours) before turning out onto rack to cool completely before glazing.
Make the Lemon Glaze:
- To a small bowl, add the confectioner’s sugar and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while whisking until smooth and combined. You may need to play with the sugar and lemon juice amounts a bit as necessary for desired consistency and flavor.
- Evenly drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving.
- Extra glaze can be spread on the cut surface of the bread like you’d spread butter on toast and it soaks right in making the bread even moister and more lemony. Or you can halve the glaze recipe if you’re not a glaze person.
Video
Notes
- *Don’t use lemon oil and lemon extract interchangeably because they’re not; oil is much more potent and intense. Don’t use lemon juice in place of lemon extract because it’s not strong enough and the acidity can alter the overall results.
- Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months; I don’t recommend storing it in the fridge because it’ll dry out.
- Recipe adapted from my Blueberry Yogurt Cake with Lemon Vanilla Glaze.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Lemon Desserts:
Lemon Lemonies – Like brownies, but made with lemon and white chocolate! Dense, chewy, not cakey and packed with big, bold lemon flavor!
Lightened Up Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake — No BUTTER in this healthier cake with big juicy blueberries and refreshing lemon! It’s a keeper!
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting – Soft, fluffy, moist, very lemony cupcakes from scratch! Easy one-bowl, no-mixer recipe for cupcakes that taste like they’re from a bakery!
The Best Lemon Bars – Truly the best lemon bars I’ve ever had!
Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze – Almost more berries than cake in this soft, fluffy cake!
Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies — Packed with big, bold lemon flavor for all you lemon lovers! They’re soft, chewy and not at all cakey!
Lemon Buttermilk Cake with Lemon Glaze — An easy buttermilk cake with big lemon flavor!! Soft, fluffy, and foolproof if you like puckering up!!
Softbatch Glazed Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies — Big, bold lemon flavor packed into super soft cookies thanks to the cream cheese!! Tangy-sweet perfection! Lemon lovers are going to adore these easy cookies!!
Baked Lemon Donuts with Lemon Glaze — They taste like the Starbucks lemon loaf, but in donut (or mini muffin) form!! Easy, no mixer recipe with a tart-yet-sweet lemon glaze that’s PERFECT! Lemon lovers will adore them!!
Thank you!! I’ve been craving lemon everything and this cake hit the spot! It’s so deliciously moist and lemony! I brought some to work and everyone is amazed!!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that this hit the spot and amazed your coworkers!
After tasting this at SB’s, I became obsessed with finding a recipe. Yours was the first one I came across. No need to look any further. I followed the recipe precisely, though I used only 1 tbs. extract, rather than two.. and admittedly added more glaze than your recipe required…. don’t judge, please. In any case, it was absolutely fabulous and honestly just a little bit better than the SB version. In the SB version, I tasted something that was just a tiny bit off-putting, probably preservatives, and your recipe was free of that taste. It is a winner at my house – I’m sharing it today with coworkers. I expect i”ll be making it many, many times in the future.
I’d love to leave you a pic of my results, but I don’t think that’s an option here.
Thank you!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this trumps the Starbucks version for you!
Just made this loaf while substituting with Lime instead of lemon. I also chose to put them in mini loaf pans which takes 10 min less time to cook. They turned out beautifully! The texture is silky and the flavor is perfect! I did microwave my pure lime extract to remove some of the alcohol and I cannot taste any weird aftertaste. The only thing I noticed is that this is a lighter loaf than a true pound cake and to be fair I have never had a Starbucks pound cake so I have no comparison except my lemon pound cake that has a pound of butter in it.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that lime and the mini loaves worked beautifully!
When life gives you lemons, make this amazing lemon loaf!
I wanted to make something for my young daughter who was not feeling well – WOW this hit the spot.
We loved it so much I made it again two days later.
Great recipe and so easy, even a Dad like me can make it.
I even doubled down on the lemon extract in the batter and juice in the icing.
Thanks for sharing Averie!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this hit the spot for your daughter and that you made it again two days later!
The texture of the bread was great, moist and dense. The lemon flavor of the actual loaf was on the milder side, following the 2 tablespoon lemon extract on the recipe. To get a more potent lemon taste, will proabably add an additional tablespoon next time. I added half teaspoon of lemon extract for the glaze as well, which helped boost the flavor.
Glad you enjoyed the bread and all extracts do vary in their potency. Some people would find 3 tbsp way too strong but it sounds like with the kind you’re using and the flavor profile you’re looking for, that you could go for it next time.
I’ve made this cake twice now and both times it was amazing. A very moist cake and very easy to make. It was a big hit with everyone who tried it 😊
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that it’s been a big hit with everyone and that you’ve made it twice now!
Thank you for the time and patience it took to come the outstanding results. I was a non-baker until I found this recipe in 4/2019. Now I can turn this cake out in no time at all. I’ve never had a problem. I even altered it using vanilla or almond extract and no lemon rind for a friend who doesn’t like lemon, still great results. Baking one as I type. Thanks Averie for my new undertaking.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you’ve become a baker in the past 6 months and that you can turn this loaf out in no time!
Anyone….Do you have any adjustments for high altitude over 5,000 ft? Thank you?
I personally can’t suggest much since I don’t have expertise baking at altitude but there is so much on Google about what to add, do differently, etc.
I do! Decrease your sugar to 3/4 cup, Increase your flour by 2 Tablespoons and decrease your baking powder to 1 3/4 teaspoons.
DLK… thank you for your response for high altitude…are these changes for the posted recipe for two loaves? If so, 2 cups sugar to 3/4 cup? I get the added flour, but 2T for two loaves or 4 T for two loaves? Also, two loaves only calls for 1 t baking powder? Thank you for your quick response!
The adjustments are for the recipe posted. Not a double batch. The recipe only calls for 1 cup of sugar so you decrease that to 3/4 cup. The flour is increased 2 Tablespoons for each cup of flour in the recipe.
I love this loaf! It was so delicious. Served it up to a friend who just absolutely loves anything lemon.
She said it was better than hers. I actually did not have enough canola oil and I ended up using 1/4 cup of olive oil to make up the difference. Could not tell. I am directing many friends to this site.
Thanks for the five star review and glad that olive oil worked well! Thanks for sending your friend over to my site too!
Just made a double batch. The store was out of lemon extract so used orange extract instead and was amazing. Super moist and very tasty for breakfast the next morning! Second loaf goes home with me for my kids…I’m thinking orange loaf and cream cheese sandwiches one day next week for them.
I know you’re not a fan of tinkering, but my orange extract was a mix of rapeseed oil and orange oil. Given that, do you think a few drops of lemon essential oil instead of extract would work, especially since there’s oil in the cake already?
Thanks for the five star review and glad that you doubled the recipe to send one home with your kids!
Given that, do you think a few drops of lemon essential oil instead of extract would work, especially since there’s oil in the cake already? = Would probably be fine but I cannot say for absolute sure.
I have made your lemon bread 5 times since discovering your recipe and someone always asks for the recipe. (In fact just took it to a gathering just yesterday, and there was not one piece left! ) I follow your ingredients exactly and used 2 tablespoons of pure lemon extract! I agree…It is so ‘lemony’ and delicious.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this bread has been very popular and that people always ask for the recipe!
Exquisite! Made it for my young adult group at church and they adored it. So lemony and moist~
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it was exquisite!
This smells so good, just came out of the oven and looks delicious can’t wait to try it . Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it smells great and I’m sure it tasted just as good!
Oh it tasted delicious…its all gone, will have to make more
Excellent!
The lemon extract is 83% alcohol. I used four T for a double batch. The finished product had a slight alcohol aftertaste so next time I will pour the extract into a small bowl several hours prior to adding to the recipe to see if the evaporation of the alcohol in the extract will reduce the harsh alcohol aftertaste.
I also used a hand mixer on low speed for the entire recipe. Both loaves came out great.
Good thought process…I wonder if too you could gently heat the alcohol, not to the point of letting it boil, but that just the heat could denature some of the alcohol and/or soften the flavor.
And/or you could pour the whole 2 oz bottle into a kettle and actually let it come to a boil for a minute or so, and then from that use your 3-4 tbsp in the bread.
Various experiments could be done! I already experimented enough though with this recipe :)
Glad to hear both loaves came out great!
I wish i had a picture! I made this for MIL’s bday. Since Birthday warrants for cake, I set this in a 9 inch cake pan and pulled it out 10 mins earlier. I also ran out of white sugar so i had to substitute with more than half of brown sugar. Once cool i halved it from the centre (took the top off) and added the glaze as well as on the top. To please my 5 yr old, i also added sprinkles and VOILA…. This cake turned out to be DIVINE.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, its quick, delicious and I will make this over again.
Wonder if you have a simple orange cake recipe too?
Starbucks — thanks to Averie, I will not seek you out again!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this turned out great as a cake! With sprinkles no less :) Glad to hear you will make it over and over again too!
Orange cake try this one, it’s AMAZING https://www.averiecooks.com/olive-oil-orange-cake/ One of these best cakes I’ve made in years. AND I recreated a lemon version that I will be posting in the coming weeks.
I have made this recipe as is for a while now and it always gets rave reviews! I was wondering if it could be made in a Bundt pan?
Glad you love it! I never have made it in a Budnt but I don’t see why not.