Starbuck’s Lemon Loaf
This Copycat Starbuck’s Lemon Loaf is homemade and full of lemon flavor with a simple lemon glaze on top that makes this better than Starbuck’s!
BETTER THAN STARBUCK’S
I love creating copycat recipes. It’s always nice when you can recreate a recipe that you love at home. It’s not only way cheaper but you will also have plenty leftover to have for later! This copycat Starbuck’s Lemon Loaf is hands down, one of my favorite recreations ever! It turned out so good that I honestly think it’s even better than the Starbuck’s version!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S)
Starbuck’s Lemon Loaf is more similar in texture to a pound cake versus a bread.
For this recipe, I used lemon extract in the icing. You can skip the lemon extract if you prefer. You could add a little lemon zest to the icing or a little lemon juice as well instead of the lemon extract.
Yes. I have not tested it myself but readers have had success using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour. If you try it out, please let me know how it worked for you!
Absolutely! Separate the batter into mini loaf pans that have been coated in nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350F degrees for about 30 minutes. Loaves should spring back to the touch and an inserted toothpick should come out clean.
Yes. Just evenly divide the batter between two loaf pans or you can make it in a bundt pan as well. Baking time should be about the same but the best way to tell when a cake is done is the toothpick method. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
Yes! I think it’s best to freeze it in slices. That way you just pull out a slice whenever you have a craving. Wrap each slice up really well in plastic wrap then place in a freezer ziploc bag. When ready to eat, take out a slice and pop it into the refrigerator the night before and it will be ready for you when you wake in the morning!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
HOW TO MAKE STARBUCK’S LEMON LOAF
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured no-stick cooking spray.In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, oil and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined.
Finally, add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and stir well to combine.
Then, stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined. It’s okay if it’s a bit lumpy.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 50 to 52 minutes. Optional: In the last 10 minutes of baking, tent pan with foil (loosely drape a sheet of foil over pan) to prevent excessive browning on the top and sides of bread before center cooks through.
Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack to finish cooling before glazing. For the glaze, in a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and combined. You may need to play with the sugar and lemon juice amounts a bit for desired consistency and flavor (I prefer mine to be thick.) Evenly spread or drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving.
Then slice and serve!
Cook’s Notes: Cake will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Don’t store it in the fridge because it’ll dry out.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Starbuck’s Egg Bites
- Starbuck’s Pink Drink
- Copycat Starbuck’s Gingerbread Loaf
- Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Loaf
- Lemon Dream Cake
- Lemon Magic Cake
- Classic Lemon Bars
- Coconut Bread
Originally published: April 2017
Updated and republished: February 2022
Starbuck’s Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons lemon extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the lemon glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured no-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, oil and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined. Finally, add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and stir well to combine.
- Then, stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined. It’s okay if it’s a bit lumpy. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 50 to 52 minutes.
- Optional: In the last 10 minutes of baking, tent pan with foil (loosely drape a sheet of foil over pan) to prevent excessive browning on the top and sides of bread before center cooks through.
- Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack to finish cooling before glazing.
- For the glaze, in a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and combined. You may need to play with the sugar and lemon juice amounts a bit for desired consistency and flavor (I prefer mine to be thick.)
- Evenly spread or drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- Loaf will keep fresh in and airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Don’t store it in the fridge because it will dry out.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Unreal. One of the tastiest things I’ve ever made 🙂
Thanks so much Jesse!
can this be made in a bundt pan?
It’s not enough batter for a standard Bundt pan & I haven’t personally tried it honestly
I love this recipe. Today I switched out orange for the lemon! So good!!
Reviewed once before- forgot to add that I do occasionally add blueberries as well and it turns out just as amazing!!
Love hearing that – thanks so much Savannah!
Loaf turns out amazing every time. I have tried many copycat lemon loaf recipes and this one takes the cake!!
The only change I made was in the glaze!
I juiced the lemon that I got the zest from. You can also use milk. I always play around adding powdered sugar and cream until I get my desired consistency.
So moist and delicious! Huge hit with everyone
My daughter and I made this together and it came out wonderful! So light and moist and that glaze is heavenly! Thank you! She was so proud of herself!
can Orange be substituted in this recipe please
I’ve not tested that. If you try it, please let me know!
This was a hit ! .I had trouble because after 45min i checked at the top was still wet and very jiggle so i turned up the oven temp from 350 to 360 for 15 more minutes and i did the toothpick test and it helped! it was soo soft and bouncy , i wasnt used to that thinking the cake wasnt done. i stabbed it with a toothpick maybe 10 times lol haha it was delish ! and the icing packs punch ! definitely recommend
I found lemon flavored Greek protein yogurt and it was an individual size so I used that as well as a half cup sour cream so it has high protein and a wonderful lemon flavor thank you hubby and kids love this….better than starbucks!!
Making this today for the second time and dubbeling the recipe so good thanks for sharing
Just made this and girl this is better than Starbucks LOL
Absolutely delicious! I made 6 loaves for a huge banquet at my son’s school. I thought maybe I made way too much but they ate ALL of it!! So many asked me for the recipe so I gave them your site. So much better than Starbucks LOL
Have you baked this in mini-loaf pans?
No, I’m sorry, I haven’t tried that. You definitely could but I just couldn’t give you timing on it. Maybe someone else on here has and can give some advice.
can I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of vegetable oil? Thanks.
I’m not really familiar with baking with olive oil. I’m sure you could, I would just worry that the stronger olive oil taste might interfere with the taste in the lemon loaf. If you try it, please let me know how it goes!