Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf

Packed with a burst of tart lemon flavor and incredibly moist, this lemon loaf is easy-peasy lemon squeezy and will make you forget all about Starbucks!

Summer is here, and with it my thoughts turn to all things lemon. I look forward to lemon meringue pie, lemon bars, lemon curd, lemonade…you name it.

Memorial Day weekend is always special for us. Not just because it unofficially kick-starts summer, but because my daughter’s birthday is May 30th. She and I have a long-standing tradition of going to get coffee together on her birthday, and this year she especially wanted to get a piece of lemon loaf from Starbucks. But I managed to convince her to just stick with the coffee and that we could do a better job making that loaf at home, and we’d have a lot for leftovers to share with everyone and enjoy later on. 

Thankfully, she agreed. She’s never expressed a ton of interest in working in the kitchen with me, but she really wanted to make this, and I’m so grateful that she did. She’s just turned 17, and those few moments of her time I can grab here and there are beyond precious to me.

This little cake is so amazing. It’s moist and tender with just the right balance of sweet and tart. And you won’t have to pay Starbucks prices to get it!

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Servings 10

Ingredients

  

Loaf Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Zest of and juice of one lemon
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk or clabbered milk (see note)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Juice of one lemon
• 3 T powdered sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 5×9 inch loaf pan and line with a parchment sling.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in lemon zest and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the lemon juice, melted butter, vegetable oil, and buttermilk. Add in sugar and mix well. Add in eggs and vanilla, mixing until well blended.
• Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix until flour is just absorbed.
• Pour batter into loaf pan and bake on middle rack for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs.
• Allow loaf to cool in pan for 10 minutes.
• While loaf is cooling, mix together juice of one lemon and 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
• After 10 minutes, turn loaf out onto cooling rack. Using a toothpick, poke several holes in the top of the loaf. Poor glaze over the loaf and set aside to cool completely.
• Once loaf is completely cool, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of milk. The mixture should be thick, but pourable. Pour over cooled loaf and allow icing to set before slicing and serving.

Notes

** To substitute clabbered milk for buttermilk, add half a tablespoon of vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Fill to half cup line with regular milk and set aside for 10 minutes.