Moist Lemon Cake Recipe {Homemade Starbucks Lemon Loaf} (2024)

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This moist Lemon Cake Recipe is fluffy, tangy and so easy to make from scratch! Every bite of this supremely moist pound cake is bursting with fresh lemon flavorand the easy lemon glaze on top will have you hooked after just one bite.

Moist Lemon Cake Recipe {Homemade Starbucks Lemon Loaf} (1)

This homemade lemon pound cake tastes even better than the Starbucks Lemon Loaf!

If you like the Starbucks Lemon Loaf then you’ll love this delicious, moist lemon cake recipe that’s made completely from scratch in less than 10 minutes. It’s one of my favorite afternoon or breakfast treats and it always gets rave reviews, everyone loves it! It’s gone in minutes whenever I make it.

This batter is made with freshly grated lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. When it the cake comes out of the oven it is infused with a homemade lemon syrup to give it an extra lemon kick, and then after cooling down the pound cake is topped with the most delicious lemon glaze.

This easy lemon cake is not dry and not fudgy, it’s perfectly moist while still being fluffy and it keeps fresh for a few days! A perfect cake for every occasion. If you like lemon desserts, you have got to give this cake a try!

Moist Lemon Cake Recipe {Homemade Starbucks Lemon Loaf} (2)

Tips and Tricks for Making This Easy Lemon Cake Recipe

  • You can also make this recipe in a bundt pan. It looks prettier than in a loaf pan but make sure to grease your bundt pan generously so that your cake will come out of the pan.
  • Don’t leave out thelemon zest, that is what gives it the wonderful lemony flavor! I always use organic lemons and my favorite grater that I’ll like below.
  • For the best flavor use freshly squeezed lemon juice! Don’t use the bottled stuff, trust me fresh lemon juice tastes so much better.
  • When you make the lemon glaze for this pound cake don’t add too much liquid. You want the glaze to be nice and thick not runny. Start with 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp milk and add the remaining 1/2 tbsp as needed.
  • This cake keeps well covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Moist Lemon Cake Recipe {Homemade Starbucks Lemon Loaf} (3)

Looking for more Lemon Dessert Recipes?

  • Easy Lemon Cream Pie Recipe
  • Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
  • Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
  • Easy Lemon Raspberry Cake
  • Easy Lemon Curd Mousse

You might have realized by now that I love lemon desserts. My husband even complained that all I do is make lemon desserts … until he tried today’s recipe and demanded more. Bahaha! If you love everything lemon like me check out my whole collection of recipes with lemonthere is even a delicious lemon risotto.

Moist Lemon Cake Recipe {Homemade Starbucks Lemon Loaf} (4)

Tools used for making this Recipe:

Loaf Pan:I can recommend all the baking pans from this brand! They’re super easy to clean and cakes bake evenly.
Citrus Zester:This one easily zests the rind without the pith, I really love this tool. It’s perfect for zesting citrus fruits, grating hard cheeses, and ginger.
Lemon Squeezer:This tool makes it super easy to juice lemons AND limes. It is a 2-in-1 tool that is super sturdy and easy to use.You’ll be amazed at howmuch juice you’ll get out of a lemon.

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4.97 from 1426 votes

Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

By: Julia Foerster

This moist Lemon Cake Recipe is fluffy, tangy and so easy to make from scratch! Every bite of this supremely moist pound cake is bursting with lemon flavor. If you like the Starbucks Lemon Loaf then you'll love this homemade lemon pound cake!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 10

Ingredients

For the lemon pound cake:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice, about 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, see below for substitution

For the lemon syrup:

  • 1/4 cup lemon juice, about 1 lemon
  • 3 Tbsp powdered sugar

For the lemon icing:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp milk

Cups - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9x5-inch (or 8x4-inch) loaf pan (see note).

  • In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using an electric mixer), cream the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4-6 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.

  • With the mixer running on low-speed, add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat on medium-high speed until combined.

  • With the mixer on low, add about one-third of the flour mixture and mix until almost combined, then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat with another third of flour mixture and then the last half of the buttermilk, ending with the last third of the flour. Beat until just incorporated.

  • Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly clean with only a couple moist crumbs. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours.

  • Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Stir together the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar for the lemon syrup. Carefully invert the loaf pan, and transfer the cake to a cooling rack, then brush the syrup on the cake while it’s still warm. Allow cake to cool completely.

  • When the cake is cooled, combine all the icing ingredients, start with 1 tbsp lemon juice and milk and add the remaining lemon juice as needed. The icing should be thick and not runny. Pour icing over cake and let dry before serving.

Video

Notes

  • If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own by combining 1/2 cup of milk with 1.5 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until it starts to curdle.
  • The longer you beat the sugar and butter, the better the result will be because this process incorporates air into the batter and makes the cake fluffy and tender
  • I recommend using fresh lemon juice but you can also use bottled lemon juice
  • This cake would also taste great with lime juice or orange juice
  • Some readers have commented that their cake stuck to the pan. If you're unsure how well your cake pans perform, linethe pan with parchment paper. In my experience, this cake always comes out of the pan easily if it is greased well. I use these OXO cake pans (affiliate link).

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 144mg | Potassium: 98mg | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1.1mg

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Nutrition Facts

Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 306Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 6g30%

Cholesterol 58mg19%

Sodium 144mg6%

Potassium 98mg3%

Carbohydrates 49g16%

Sugar 34g38%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 350IU7%

Vitamin C 0.9mg1%

Calcium 48mg5%

Iron 1.1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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About Julia Foerster

Hi, I'm Julia! Born in Germany, I call Canada now my home and love to share my favorite dishes with you! Here you'll find hundreds of recipes, all made from scratch, with lots of tips and detailed step-by-step instructions.

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Moist Lemon Cake Recipe {Homemade Starbucks Lemon Loaf} (2024)

FAQs

How much does a lemon loaf cake cost at Starbucks? ›

A slice of Starbucks iced Lemon Loaf costs about $4.25, depending on where you purchase it. This recipe makes two lemon loaves, each baked in a 9x5-inch loaf pan, using about $10 to $12 worth of ingredients.

Can you use lemon juice instead of water in a lemon cake mix? ›

Sprinkle in lemon or orange zest to give your box cake batter a hint of zing. You can also replace the water with lemon, orange or lime juice or soda. Use this method with any type of cake mix, but it works best with lemon, yellow and white cake.

How do you increase the flavor of lemon in a cake? ›

Combine lemon zest with oil or butter

Rub the lemon into the sugar, then add your cooking fat, like butter or oil. The tangy zest will infuse the whole batter, elevating the tart flavor of your dessert. For a shortcut, you can use lemon-infused olive oil.

How many calories in a lemon loaf cake from Starbucks? ›

There are 397 calories in 1 serving of Starbucks Lemon Loaf Cake.

How much is a slice of lemon pound cake from Starbucks? ›

A single slice of iced lemon loaf at starbucks will cost you about $3.60. This recipe for an entire loaf costs roughly $4.21 worth of ingredients.

How much is whole cake in Starbucks? ›

A slice costs P195, while a whole cake costs P1,950.

Why is my lemon cake dry? ›

A dry cake is usually the result of one of the following pitfalls: using the wrong ingredients, making mistakes while measuring or mixing the batter, or baking the cake too long or at too high a temperature. Once you understand which common cake-baking blunders to avoid, you'll know how to bake a moist cake every time.

What happens if you put too much lemon juice in a cake? ›

Cutting too much lemon for a recipe can result in a dish that is excessively sour or acidic. This can overpower the other flavors and make the dish unbalanced. It is important to use the right amount of lemon to ensure the desired taste and to avoid ruining the dish.

Why is my lemon cake not fluffy? ›

If your cake is hard, the problem probably lies in the beating. The butter must be beaten well in the early stages to give the mixture enough air for a light and fluffy texture. To achieve this the butter must be lukewarm and therefore not too hard.

How do you make a cake taste like a bakery cake? ›

Step 1: Look at the directions on the cake mix. Step 2: Add one more egg (or add 2 if you want it to be very rich). Step 3: Use melted butter instead of oil and double the amount. Step 4: Instead of water, use whole milk.

How do you moisten a dry lemon cake? ›

Soak your cake in milk or cream.

Simply brush on a few tablespoons of milk or cream to the top of your dry cake or, for a truly indulgent finish, follow recipes like one-bowl tres leches poke cake, baked and soaked in a combination of whole milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk.

What brings out lemon flavour? ›

Some common techniques are to include natural lemon juice, lemon zest, or even lemon pulp to add or boost lemon flavor. Other options for adding lemon into your flavor profile include the use of natural and artificial flavors.

How much is the Kardashian cake? ›

The post Viral Kardashian birthday cake is rumored to cost $7,000, and TikTok is perplexed appeared first on In The Know.

How much are Starbucks cake balls? ›

Generally speaking, Starbucks cake pops cost between $1.50 and $2.25 dollars, depending on the location. This is due to the fact that cost for the same item may vary greatly from one location to the next, due to a variety of factors like market economies, type of cake pop, and location-based promotions.

How much does it cost to buy a cake pop at Starbucks? ›

The price of the Starbucks Cake Pop is likely to differ based on the locations and other variables however, on average you'll pay between $1.95 to $2.50 for each Cake Pop. This sweet treat is available for purchase at an affordable price which makes it an attainable dessert for the majority of Starbucks lovers.

How much is the Tom Cruise cake? ›

Tom Cruise.” The annual cake from Cruise, 61, has become the stuff of legend in Hollywood. The famous “Tom Cruise Cake” is a white chocolate-coconut Bundt cake from Doan's Bakery in California that has a hefty price tag of $125.

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