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Per serving
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- 1
Preheat and prep
Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease an 8x4-inch loaf pan. Take your butter out of the fridge ahead of time so it's truly softened — soft enough that your finger leaves a dent without effort. Eggs should be at room temperature too. Cold ingredients won't cream properly and you'll lose the lift that makes this loaf tender.
- 2
Cream the butter and sugar
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for a full 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture looks pale, fluffy, and almost like frosting. This step matters more than people think — you're whipping air into the butter, and that air is what gives the loaf its tender, cake-like crumb. Don't shortcut it.
- 3
Add the eggs and lemon
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Then add the lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice (save the other 2 tablespoons for the glaze). Scrape down the sides of the bowl so nothing is hiding at the bottom.
- 4
Whisk the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisking pre-mixes the leavener so you don't end up with bitter bites where the baking powder didn't disperse.
- 5
Bring the batter together
Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk: about a third of the flour, then half the milk, more flour, the rest of the milk, then the last of the flour. Mix on low and stop as soon as each addition disappears. Overmixing here develops the gluten and turns a tender loaf into a tough one.
- 6
Bake
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs — no wet batter. If the top is browning fast before the center sets, tent it loosely with foil.
- 7
Cool, then glaze
Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. While it cools, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the loaf while it's still warm — the warmth helps the glaze soak in a little and gives you that sticky-sweet top. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
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Glazed Lemon Loaf
Created by: SugarAndButter
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat and prepPreheat your oven to 350°F and grease an 8x4-inch loaf pan. Take your butter out of the fridge ahead of time so it's truly softened — soft enough that your finger leaves a dent without effort. Eggs should be at room temperature too. Cold ingredients won't cream properly and you'll lose the lift that makes this loaf tender.
- Cream the butter and sugarIn a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for a full 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture looks pale, fluffy, and almost like frosting. This step matters more than people think — you're whipping air into the butter, and that air is what gives the loaf its tender, cake-like crumb. Don't shortcut it.
- Add the eggs and lemonBeat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Then add the lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice (save the other 2 tablespoons for the glaze). Scrape down the sides of the bowl so nothing is hiding at the bottom.
- Whisk the dry ingredientsIn a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisking pre-mixes the leavener so you don't end up with bitter bites where the baking powder didn't disperse.
- Bring the batter togetherAdd the flour mixture to the creamed mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk: about a third of the flour, then half the milk, more flour, the rest of the milk, then the last of the flour. Mix on low and stop as soon as each addition disappears. Overmixing here develops the gluten and turns a tender loaf into a tough one.
- BakeScrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs — no wet batter. If the top is browning fast before the center sets, tent it loosely with foil.
- Cool, then glazeLet the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. While it cools, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the loaf while it's still warm — the warmth helps the glaze soak in a little and gives you that sticky-sweet top. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.