Here’s a copycat recipe for the beloved Starbucks Lemon Loaf Cake 🍋 — ultra moist, bursting with fresh lemon flavor, and topped with a sweet-tart glaze. It’s easy to make at home and tastes just like the original (maybe even better!).
🍋 Starbucks-Style Lemon Loaf Cake
🧂 Ingredients:
For the Cake:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp lemon extract (optional, but gives it that classic flavor)
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 tbsp lemon juice (adjust for consistency)
👩🍳 Instructions:
1. Preheat Oven
- Preheat to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper.
2. Mix Wet Ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, sour cream, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon extract.
3. Add Dry Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir until just combined (don’t overmix).
4. Bake
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Glaze
- Mix powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to form a thick but pourable glaze.
- Drizzle over the cooled loaf and let set.
🍽️ Tips:
- For extra moisture, brush the cake with warm lemon syrup (equal parts sugar and lemon juice) before glazing.
- Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
- Great for freezing! Wrap tightly and freeze without glaze. Glaze after thawing.