Lemon Loaf Cake

This eggless lemon loaf cake is light, tangy, and moist, with a super delicious 3-ingredient glaze!

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I first had a slice of a lemon loaf at Starbucks. I knew then this would be one of those things I will come back for often! Light as a feather, moist to a fault, delicately tangy and a great companion with a hot cup of mint or lavender tea! Of course those were the days when I wasn’t as much of an obsessive baker so I happily continued my haunts at Starbucks for a few years till I finally decided to try making it one day. My gain was Starbucks loss! This is one of those recipes I started making eggfree quite early for my family. Given their natural preference for non-chocolate desserts, citrus and other tea cakes have always been a hit at our home! So I’ve been making this cake for a few years now. This lemon loaf cake is just like the one I ate at Starbucks but without eggs.

 

And the best part? It needs only simple pantry ingredients.

• All-purpose flour
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Butter
• Sugar
• Yogurt
• Vanilla
• Lemon
• Milk

Nothing fancy here. Let me take you quickly through the steps before you jump into the detailed recipe. You start by taking some softened butter and sugar and beating them together till you have a pale and light mix.

Next goes in yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice. A zester is best for getting out only the outer yellow part of the lemon. However if you don’t have one, you could use a grater. Just ensure you don’t add the whole peel (the white part) because it can make the cake bitter. The lemons we get here in India are relatively small and you’ll get about 13-15 ml juice out of one. So I juice about 3.5-4 lemons plus the zest of two to attain the correct balance of citrus. However you could also do 3-3.5 lemons if you prefer it less tangy!

In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and baking soda. There is no salt to be added to the batter since I’ve used regular salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt too. Now we start adding this flour mix to the butter alternating with milk. Use a whisk to combine everything. The most important thing about this recipe is to NOT OVERMIX IT. Eggfree cakes are delicate to handle and don’t require heavy beating/mixing. Doing that changes their texture and makes them very dense, hard, and in most situations unpalatable. The best thing to do is to mix just till the last streaks of flour disappear and then stop. 

This cake batter is quite thick. Almost scoop-able. Transfer it to a pan lined with parchment paper. I’ve used a 8×4 inch loaf pan. You could use upto a 9*5 inch as well. You can also make this in a round or square pan. However do keep in mind that baking in a loaf pan takes longer because the surface area exposed to heat is smaller and the loaf needs time to cook through in the center. It will take between 50-55 minutes in a loaf and between 30-35 minutes in any other kind of pan. Either way the result will be delicious! 

I bake in an OTG with only the lower rod on. And then switch to upper+lower mode after 40 minutes. This helps the top to acquire the right color. If baking in a convection, bake at the same temperature but for a shorter time. To check if the cake is done, carefully take out the pan only when the last 5-7 minutes are left and insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If there’s any batter stuck to the toothpick, continue to bake. 

Let the cake cool completely before taking it out of the pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or alternatively make this amazing glaze that you may just feel like eating on its own!

It needs only 3 ingredients

• Icing Sugar
• Milk
• Lemon Juice

You add the milk to the sugar and mix. Then add the lemon juice and adjust as per the taste and consistency you want! That’s it. Spoon over your cooled cake and allow it to dry a bit. If you’re that patient, that is. We aren’t. We start slicing and eating the cake with large spoons of the glaze directly on top as soon as it’s possible to! It’s that’s good!

But I’ll let you find out on your own! Leave a comment on this blog if you try this! Or find me on Instagram for a shout-out!

If you liked this recipe, here are some other tea cakes that may interest you as well

Mango Semolina Cake
Semolina Cake
Coffee Cinnamon Cake
Pear and Walnut Cake
Banana Walnut Bread

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