Make this luscious lemon treat in your own kitchen.

One of my Starbucks favorites is the lemon loaf. This stuff is so good, it’s dangerous. It’s like the best pound cake you ever had – rich, dense, moist, and buttery. And it packs a double wallop of lemon flavor, both in the cake itself and in the sweet glaze icing.

Well, I no longer need to go to Starbucks to enjoy this treat. After a bit of tinkering, I’ve figured out how to bake a Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf with that same ultra-lemony flavor. The key is to use lemon extract – and plenty of it – in the cake and the icing, so you get a double burst of lemon in every bite.

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf slices stacked up

With this do-it-yourself recipe, I can savor a slice of lemon loaf whenever I want. Now all I need is good coffee, some music, and a bustling crowd of people in my kitchen, and I’ll be all set.

Recipe Notes:

Don’t skip creaming together the butter and other ingredients. This step really does take at least 5 minutes but it is important. You want the mixture to light in color and fluffy.

When checking the doneness of the lemon loaf you want a few crumbs to stick to the toothpick but you don’t want the toothpick to have raw batter on it.

Let the lemon loaf cool completely before pouring the icing over the top.

If you prefer a thicker or thinner icing you can achieve your desired consistency by adding more powdered sugar or more milk.

The icing will run off the cake and pool a bit on the plate. I like to spoon the icing that runs off the cake back on top of the cake. You can also let the icing sit 15 minutes or so in the bowl so that is starts to harden before you pour it on the cake. Less will run off this way.

If you don’t have lemon extract you can substitute with lemon zest. The taste will still be good but it may change the texture of the lemon loaf and icing.

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×4 loaf pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla, and lemon extract.
Mix slowly until combined and then mix on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Stir in flour mixture until combined.
Stir in buttermilk.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan 20-30 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl mix together powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice, and lemon extract.
Pour the icing over the top of the lemon loaf.
Let icing harden for 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

Pack of some slices for on the go!

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf slices packed in a lunchbox

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4 lunchboxes stacked on top of each other

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5 from 1 vote

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf

Learn how to make this Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf in your own kitchen. It’s like the best pound cake you ever had – rich, moist, & buttery.

Prep Time: 20

cooling/resting time: 1

Cook Time: 55

Total Time: 2 15

Serves:

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Ingredients

Cake:

½ cup butter softened
2 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon lemon extract
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk

Icing:

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk
1.5 Tablesppon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×4 loaf pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla, and lemon extract.
Mix slowly until combined and then mix on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Stir in flour mixture until combined.
Stir in buttermilk.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan 20-30 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl mix together powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice, and lemon extract.
Pour the icing over the top of the lemon loaf.
Let icing harden for 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

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Nutrition Disclaimer

Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Course:bread, Breakfast

Cuisine:copycat, Family Favorite

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