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!!
Forgot to rate the recipe, but it’s absolutely a 5 star. I’ve made it the traditional way at least 3 or 4 times before making it in a bundt pan (see below), and it’s perfect as written.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this has been a perfect recipe for you!
Just wanted to let anyone looking to make this in a bundt pan know that I did this over the weekend. I used Wilton’s 9.75 x 3.37 inch fluted tube pan and I made 1.5x the recipe. For the half an egg you need when increasing the recipe by half (4.5 eggs total), I cracked the egg in a bowl and whisked it together, then used half of the mixture. Otherwise, I increased every other ingredient by exactly 50% (I also used the full recommended amount of lemon extract, so in the 1.5x version, it was 3 tbsp total).
It worked perfectly, and I found it was fully baked in my oven after about 45 minutes, but yours could vary. I brought it to an Easter dinner and it was a hit – everyone asked me for the recipe. :)
Thanks for the detailed info what you did to make this into a Bundt and how you dealt with the egg situation. Glad it worked out perfectly for you and that it was an Easter hit!
I had some lemons on hand and wanted to use them up. I did not have lemon extract so used the juice and it turned out delicious. The best lemon loaf I have made. Next time I make it I will try with lemon extract to see how it compares!
I had some lemons on hand and wanted to use them up. I did not have lemon extract so used the juice and it turned out delicious. The best lemon loaf I have made. Next time I make it I will try with lemon extract to see how it compares!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad you were able to use your lemons on hand and it all worked out great for you and the best lemon loaf you’ve ever made! Please report back what you think of lemon extract if you make it that way compared to fresh lemon juice.
I just made this again. It is so delicious. I think you hit a home run with this recipe. Your hard work creating this sure turned out perfectly. Thank you, Averie, for another great recipe. I love your website!
Kathy
I just made this again. It is so delicious. I think you hit a home run with this recipe. Your hard work creating this sure turned out perfectly. Thank you, Averie, for another great recipe. I love your website!
Kathy
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this was a home run for you and I appreciate the compliment that you love my site!
It looks so yummy ! Are you using Pure lemon extract or artificial flavor?
It’s artificial. In the Us “pure” lemon extract is something I have never seen available, it may exist but I haven’t seen it.
I live in Quebec ,Canada I guess it’s explain why I can buy the pure lemon extract My bottle is from Club House and it’s canadian company . I’m glad I have asked because it would be to strong with 2 tablespoon. Thank you Averie
Well in theory, imitation flavored extracts, (i.e. imitation vanilla) and real extracts (pure/real vanilla) should have the same perceived level of potency.
I don’t care for the taste of imitation vanilla extract nearly as much as real vanilla, but if a recipe said 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, I would use 1 teaspoon of either the real or the imitation. Potency should be the same, it’s authenticity that’s more in question.
So in the case of your real lemon extract (made from lemons and not synthetically engineered), I would still use 2 tablespoons personally, but it’s up to you of course.
The ingredients in the bottle of pure lemon extract are alcohol and lemon oil. I made your delicious cake with 1/2 teaspoon pure extract and it was pretty good but I have to buy a slice of lemon cake at Starbuck to taste it and compare.It just mean that I will make your cake again and again So much fun to come ๐ Have a nice day
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad it turned out delicious just how you did it! Trust me, you won’t need Starbucks ever once you have this recipe ๐
can i use fresh lemon juice in the cake instead of extract.
I go into detail about this in the post and why making it exactly as written is highly recommended.
This was a great recipe but why did my lemon loaf look spongey when it came out?
Spongey can be a sign of air bubbles in the batter, or basically too much air was in the batter. It can mean you overmixed it.
It may also mean that you baking powder was very reactive (or you measured a bit too much by accident). Hard to say for sure but glad it tasted great!
Thank you for this recipe, Iโve made it twice in three days. Truly the best lemon loaf Iโve ever made or tasted- amazing flavor and texture, and way better than anything store bought! I used the zest of two Meyer lemons, McCormick pure lemon extract (the full 2 tbsp- no strange tastes) and nonfat Greek yogurt. Plus it just takes one bowl!
Iโve looked at your FAQs and canโt see answers to a couple of questions I have.
1. If I use lemon oil, do you know how much I should use – since itโs more potent than extract;
2. Any chance you could give the ingredients by weight?
1. This recipe was so hard to perfect if you read about all my issues so I recommend following it exactly. I don’t know what will happen with lemon oil.
2. I am American and use cups/tablespoons rather than metric since it’s how I learned to cook and bake. Sorry for any inconvenience.
So delicious! Every time I make this it is a hit!! Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
So delicious! Every time I make this it is a hit!! Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad that every time you make it it’s a hit!
Absolutely the BEST lemon loaf. EVER. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Absolutely the BEST lemon loaf. EVER. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and that’s great that it’s the best lemon loaf ever for you!
This is such a great recipe! I have made it a number of times using gluten-free all purpose flour and Greek yogurt. I like to add a bit of almond extract to the glaze. My mom requests this loaf for her birthday instead of a cake because she loves it so much.
This is such a great recipe! I have made it a number of times using gluten-free all purpose flour and Greek yogurt. I like to add a bit of almond extract to the glaze. My mom requests this loaf for her birthday instead of a cake because she loves it so much.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that you have been successful with GF flour and Greek yogurt. I love almond extract and how nice for me to know that your mom requests this as her birthday “cake”!
I noticed in your reviews someone used real lemon juice and it came out delicious. I would rather use fresh lemon juice, what would be the ratio? Thank you.
I don’t know because I could never get that to work successfully based on my nightmare of getting this loaf EXACTLY right which I blogged about my efforts.
If you use enough lemon juice to actually get it lemony enough (like a half cup or so I would assume), the batter is wayyyy too wet. Apart from that, all that acidity causes weird things to happen to the texture during the baking process.
Make as written and save yourself lots of headache. IMO there is no way that 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice could come close to properly lemon-izing an entire loaf.
I zest a whole lemon and then use the juice from one half but I’m pretty sure a whole lemon would be better. If you dont have fresh lemons then 2 tablesoons of lemon juice should do the trick.