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Starbucks lemon loaf cake with lemon glaze

Moist Starbucks Lemon Loaf Cake (Copycat)

This moist and buttery Starbucks lemon loaf is bursting with citrus flavor and topped with a smooth lemon glaze. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert, this easy copycat recipe is a must-try!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • ingredients:
  • - 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • - ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • - ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • - ¼ teaspoon salt
  • - ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • - 1 cup granulated sugar
  • - 3 large eggs
  • - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • - ½ teaspoon lemon extract
  • - zest of 1 large lemon or zest of 1½ lemons if no lemon extract
  • - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • - ⅓ cup buttermilk or substitute with sour cream
  • - **For the Lemon Icing:**
  • - 1 cup powdered sugar
  • - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • - 1–2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Method
 

  1. instructions:
  2. - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
  3. - In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. - In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes).
  5. - Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
  6. - Stir in vanilla, lemon extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
  7. - Alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Do not overmix.
  8. - Pour into loaf pan and smooth the top.
  9. - Bake 45–50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  10. - Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to wire rack.
  11. - For glaze: whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk until smooth.
  12. - Once cake is completely cooled, drizzle glaze on top and let it set before slicing.

Notes

notes:
- For extra moisture, use sour cream instead of buttermilk.
- Double the glaze for a thicker coating like the original Starbucks version.
- Add poppy seeds for a fun variation.