Starbucks Copycat Glazed Lemon Loaf

If you have ever had the pleasure to have a moist slice of Starbucks Lemon Loaf then you know how good it is.

We are huge lemon fans here in our home, but this (with no pun intended) "takes the cake" to the next level of yum it's so full of lemon flavor, moist, dense, and rich. !

I often make sesame cookies lemon-flavored, a favorite pudding lemon ladyfinger dessert, and a holiday isn't complete without a lemon pie with mile-high meringue. Now our latest favorite is this wonderful lemony cake.

This batter is made with freshly grated lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

The cake stays moist for days, and that lemon glaze is delightful addition!

This easy cake is a favorite with coffee or tea and I love to make several around the holidays to give away as gifts in pretty wrapped bakery paper.

It's always appreciated by everyone who gets a loaf. One taste and they fall in love!

It's so darn quick and easy to make with simple pantry ingredients.

Honestly, if you are a first-time baker, this is the one foolproof easy all made from scratch recipe, you need to try.

For all the lemon lovers out there, this will be your next favorite recipe for lemon cake.

Scroll down to my recipe card at the end to see how quick and easy this is and print it off.

Get your whisk ready to make the best lemon loaf ever!

This is a lemon loaf cake baked with a thick drizzle of white frosting and fresh lemon slices on top. The cake is long and on a plastic pretty decorative tray to serve it on.

this is a slice of delicious copycat starbucks lemon loaf. It shows the texture and how the cake is bake in this slice

A Burst of Citrusy Flavors

I honestly couldn't wait just the smell of this baking made my mouth water for some of this lemon loaf.

Then waiting for this cool was agonizing, you'll see if you love lemon, the smell is intoxicating.

Warning:You won't stop eating the delicious cake after once slice no way!(so it's the perfect treat after I reach my dieting goal weight (because I can't stop eating this cake).

this is a loaf cake with sliced of lemon on top and grated lemon peel on top of the white frosting. It sits on a plastic rectangular tray and on a ledge of a window sill. The window is covered in raindrops.

Starbucks and Our Adapted Recipe

You will find many copycat recipes online, most with a cake mix and pudding.

This cake is so much better than store-bought mixes with no preservatives to worry about!

This cake is unique in every way with all the best homemade taste.

I find that the Starbucks version seems a bit oily to me, this one is bursting with a fresh flavor and such a great texture.

The ingredients are pretty common staples in the pantry which makes it so easy to prepare in a pinch for that quick dessert.

Plus, if you are indeed a Starbucks fan, just think of all the money you'll save by making it in your own kitchen!

This is all the ingredients in a OXO black handled mixing bowl for lemon copycat Starbucks loaf cake. There is a stick of butter, lemon, measuring cup, real lemons, flour, lemon juicer in the photo.

Tips

You can also make this cake in kind of pan, even a small bundt pan heavily greased.
It's important to separate the dry ingredients from the wet and evenly combine ingredients.
Don’t leave out the lemon zest, that is what gives it the wonderful lemony flavor!
When you make the lemon glaze for this pound cake don’t add too much liquid, it should be a medium thickness.
Either line your pan with parchment paper or heavily grease with butter and flour
I prefer using butter-flavored shortening for tenderness but both butter or shortening is fine
Use only fresh lemons and remove the seeds from one-half the lemon to equal 1/3 of a cup fresh juice
I use the toothpick method and check the middle to see if it comes out clean when done
Let the cake cool around 4 minutes before trying to invert onto a wire rack
After the cake is completely cooled make a medium thickness glaze and pour over the top, I also like to grate a little zest on top just for color
This cake stays fresh in airtight containers for 5 days, don't refrigerate the cake it drys it out.
This cake freezes well, thaw in the refrigerator before serving then make the glaze.

This is a lemon loaf cake baked in a Revol loaf pan and is in the oven with it on baking. This cake is heavy and dense like a pound cake with a crack down the center which is a characteristic of heavier cakes.

Heavier Cakes Crack

Most cakes crack down the center because the batter is so dense.

The exterior of the cake cooks first, which can cause the batter to rise up and crack in the center.

How to prevent a crack: If you really can't stand cracks, bake the cake in a tube pan, rather than a loaf pan.

This cake usually does crack, however, once you turn it over, no one will ever see it the glaze will be on the flat surface which is perfect!

This is an all from scratch copycat lemon loaf cake batter in an OXO plastic mixing bowl.

Thick Almost Like Cookie Dough Batter

This batter is very thick, and that's the way it's supposed to be.

Not like cake batter at all, more like cookie dough or pound cake batter.

Greasing the Pan

Butter and flour your baking utensil pr line it with parchment paper for no additional calories and nonsticking!

Although I have never had an issue of this cake sticking, sometimes with high sugar content it will stick.

I love my french porcelain bakeware, nothing ever sticks to it and the butter greased pan gives the crust on your cake a delicious taste.

You can purchase that product through my Shop with me, but I do get a commission for any purchase made as an affiliate.

I heavily sprayed this pan with butter-flavored oil, if you have a metal or glass pan you're using, I recommend either greasing with butter and flour or used butter-flavored shortening.

I usually lightly flour the pan as well just to be certain nothing will stick and will be easy to release when I flip the cake.

Again, you can use a different shaped tube or bundt pan for this cake.

Simple Suggestions

line your loaf pan with parchment paper for easier release
this loaf can be changed to another flavor with no problem try orange juice and orange zest
for best results do not use lemon concentrate it's just overpowering and not the same
always preheat the oven first before baking this cake

This is the batter in a loaf pan for Starbucks lemon loaf. It's a copycat recipe. There is also lemon cut in half with the grater in this photo?

Delicious Glaze

First of all, I will correct the word frosting, although it looks like it, this is just a glaze but a thick one.

The frosting is powdered sugar, lemon extract, and water!

It's so easy, just a few tablespoons with the extract, and make sure the consistency is smooth but can drip down the sides but not see-through.

Honestly, as I mentioned before, this looks pretty with the glaze but taste great without a thing.

My other suggestion is for those who don't want the additional sweetness is to just sprinkle this is powdered sugar or slice it, and top it with fresh fruits and a dollop of cream!

this is powdered sugar lemon getting ready to be made into frosting using a whisk and there is a lemon grater with real lemons in the photo

Ingredients You Will Need

flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt
eggs
sugar
butter-flavored shortening or regular salted or butter-softened
vanilla extract
lemon extract
fresh lemon juice
oil
zest of one lemon save some for garnishing if preferred
Glaze
powdered sugar
water
lemon extract

This is a bowl of lemon frosting for a lemon loaf cake using a whisk and real lemons grated with a grater

Other Copycat Recipes You May Enjoy

Copycat Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Manny's Strawberry Cheesecake

Copycat Rosato Chocolate Cookies

Captain Crunch Planet Hollywood Chicken

Copycat Girl Scout Cookie Recipes

Copycat Banana Jello

Copycat Oscugnizzo Pizza

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A Slice of Heaven

This cake is really the best homemade slice of heaven.

The flavors are bursting with fresh lemon and a quick dessert that goes great anytime.

If you never had it, you will love this cake.

Hope you enjoy it as much as our family does.