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If you love lemon desserts – then you need to try this Starbucks Copycat Lemon Loaf! It’s buttery, moist, bursting with lemon flavor, and topped with sweet lemon glaze!
This lemon loaf tops the list of favorite lemon desserts, along with Lemon Pound Cake and Lemon Blueberry Muffins.
Starbucks Famous Lemon Loaf
Have you ever tried the lemon loaf from Starbucks? As much as I love homemade treats, I can’t turn down a slice of their lemon pound cake. It’s so tender and packed so much lemon flavor in every single bite.
When I was a student, I’d go to Starbucks on a Sunday to do homework. And without a doubt – I’d always order a slice of their lemon loaf. It has the perfect balance of delicious butteriness without being greasy, and the lemon flavor packs a punch without being sour whatsoever.
So I wanted to find the perfect Starbucks copycat lemon loaf recipe so that I could make a delicious lemon loaf at home and eat 3 slices without the embarrassment of ordering all 3 from the Barista.
Starbucks Copycat Lemon Loaf Recipe
To develop the perfect lemon loaf from scratch – I had to do some sleuthing. I first looked at the Starbucks website to see the ingredient list for their lemon loaf. While there’s a ton of ingredients I didn’t understand that are obviously only used in commercial kitchens, I did learn a lot about the ingredients they use.
- They use butter instead of oil for the fat.
- They’re using lemon juice, lemon peel and lemon oil for the lemon flavor.
- Both baking powder & baking soda to help it rise beautifully.
- There’s sour cream to keep it moist.
So in order to get a recipe that’s close as possible to the original – I wanted to make sure I had those ingredients in my recipe too. Obviously, they don’t show the exact proportions on their website, so from there it was time to start experimenting in the kitchen.
Developing the Perfect Lemon Loaf Recipe
The first lemon loaf recipe I tried was too dry – so I knew I needed a little more sour cream and an extra egg to keep it tender and moist. Then the next one wasn’t quite lemony enough. Finally, number 3 was just right. Tender, moist, and bursting with fresh sunshine lemon flavor.
To get a lemon flavor that was the most similar to the Starbucks version, I used lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract. I found that the lemon extract made the flavor the most similar to the Starbucks version. However – I know it’s a little harder to come by. So feel free to leave the lemon extract out. Your lemon loaf will still be delicious.
Whether you’ve tried the lemon loaf from Starbucks or not – you definitely need to try Starbucks copycat lemon loaf recipe. It’s perfect for breakfast, a midmorning snack, or even dessert. And the bright lemon flavor makes it taste like sunshine in delicious pound cake form.
Top Tips
- We have received a lot of comments in regards to the icing. The proportions in the recipe include a note to add more powdered sugar as needed until you have a nice thick consistency. This can vary from kitchen to kitchen depending on personal preference, and what type of milk you use. I’ve updated the recipe with less liquid to start for the icing, but keep in mind that you may have to play around with it to get a flavor and texture that you love.
- Check for browning as it bakes. If the top is getting too brown, cover with foil.
- If you want more lemon flavor in the bread and the icing, use lemon extract along with the lemon juice. The flavor will be more intense. It can however have a “fake” taste so be cautious using too much.
Store and Freezing
Your Lemon Loaf will remain fresh for up to 5-6 days when properly stored, or up to 6 months in the freezer.
- Store leftover Lemon Loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Do not refrigerate as this can dry out the cake.
- For long term storage, you can freeze the Lemon Loaf and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Place frosted lemon loaf (whole or slices) on a sheet pan and pop it into the freezer for 2-3 hours. Once it’s frozen, wrap it up in plastic wrap and a layer of foil, then into an airtight freezer container. Unfrosted lemon loaf you can just wrap and freeze.
More Lemon Desserts
Lovely Lemon Recipes
- Honey Lemon Chicken and Green Beans
- Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Lemon Pepper Wings
- Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Starbucks Copycat Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
Lemon Loaf
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and at room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract* or add additional ½ tablespoon of lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sour cream or buttermilk
Lemon Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar add more until desired consistency is reached
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons cream or milk adjust as needed for consistency
Instructions
Lemon Loaf
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour an 9×5-inch loaf pan, or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together. Set aside.Â
- In a large mixing bowl, with a electric mixer on medium speed, mix the granulated sugar and the eggs for 2 minutes. The extra time helps to incorporate air into the batter which makes the bread more fluffy.
- Add the melted butter and the oil. Mix to incorporate.
- Add the vanilla, lemon extract, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are combined.
- Add in the sour cream and mix well.Â
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, approximately ⅓ of the mixture. Mix until almost incorporated and add more. Continue until all the flour is incorporated in the wet mixture. Don’t over mix. Sometimes I will use my hand mixture but finish with a spatula when I only have a little bit of dry flour left.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the top feels firm to the touch. If after about 30-40 minutes the top is browning too much, tent a piece of aluminum foil over top and continue baking.
- Cool completely. Once the loaf is cool, prepare your glaze by mixing all ingredients together
Lemon Icing
- In a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and cream/milk until smooth. Add in more powdered sugar or cream as needed for desired consistency.
- Remove the cooled loaf from the pan and drizzle or pour over top.Â
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.Â
- Melt butter in the microwave then let it cool for a few minutes before adding to the batter.Â
- The original recipe used buttermilk, but I adjusted and now use sour cream instead. It provides more moisture, preventing the bread from turning out dry.Â
- This recipe uses a 9×5-inch loaf pan. The size is important! You can use an 8×4-inch pan, but will need to adjust the time and temperature. It would also result in a thicker loaf and you risk losing moisture.
- This recipe was updated in May 2022 when we adjusted a few ingredients and swapped out buttermilk for sour cream, reduced the butter and added oil. This adds more moisture to the bread.
- If you preferred the old recipe – use ½ cup buttermilk instead of sour cream, omit the oil and add an additional ¼ cup of melted butter, and reduce the amount of baking powder and vanilla to ½ teaspoon each. Bake in an 8.5×4.5 loaf pan.Â
Making your Lemon loaf as we speak. Wish me luck
I made this and turned out so good my husband wants to take it to work to share. I want to make 2 loaves. Can I double the recipe or should I make 2 separate?
Yes you can double the recipe. Glad you enjoyed it!
Omg I made this last night and it is to DIE for, I’m a fairly new baker and it turned out amazing. One trick I tried was that I poked holes in the loaf when it was cooling and poured the icing over top so it trickled down. Also thanks to anyone who read this huge comment
That’s awesome Laurel! Thank you so much for sharing your positive feedback.
Thank you for the recipe! This was absolutely incredible! I used the zest of 3 large lemons instead of the essence and it came out perfect. Definitely tastes a lot better once it rests for a few hours. Can’t wait to make this again!!
That’s so awesome Meghan! Thanks for stopping by.
Great addition to my quarantine baking! I did not have lemon extract or buttermilk, so I used substitutes for those- plus I didn’t have any baking soda so I went without. Still turned out amazing! Baked perfectly, nice flavor and texture. One thing I would suggest is to make the icing just before the cake is done, as it will harden in the bowl if you make it too early. Thanks so much Kristin for this recipe!
You are so welcome Melanie! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback.
Hi, I LOVED this recipe! I think the cake is amazing, I think it’s easy enough that anyone can make and I personally loved the recommended recipe for the icing because I’m not a fan of thick, fake icing the original Starbucks recipe has. I didn’t use lemon extract and I loved how it turned out, it doesn’t have that fake flavor that just tastes somewhat good but doesn’t quite hit the stop, so for me this is like a homemade lemon loaf, I was inclined to make it again and add poppy seeds because its so delicious and everything I look for in a poundcake type loaf. I would say mine came out a little crumbly an duo really imitate the Starbucks recipe, I’d say I need a moister cake. Any suggestions? Thank you for reading this long comment, perfect recipe for lemon loaf lovers like myself 🙂
Hi Laura, thanks for your feedback. I’m glad you liked that cake! We really enjoy this recipes as is. Poppy seeds would be a fun addition. Unfortunately unless we have Starbucks exact recipe it won’t taste exactly like theirs, but we think it comes close!
I don’t understand the negative reviews either… I made it for my husband who LOVES lemon anything and it was great. I did add a lot more lemon zest (because we like strong flavor) and made sure all ingredients were at room temperature.
Nice! I loved your feedback, thanks for stopping by Emily.
A great recipe. I made this today and plan to make again for family get togethers.
Thank you Pat!
Delicious recipe! It’s nice and moist but not too heavy. For anyone having issues with the glaze, it’s easily thickened or thinned out to your liking, as stated in the recipe. I added a bit more powdered sugar so my glaze would be a bit thicker and stick to the sides a bit more. I’ll definitely be making this recipe and passing it along!
Hi Nikki, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such positive feedback.
This recipe is so fantastic!! I am making it for the second time in a week. I make mine gluten free with cup-4-cup flour. One thing I do with gluten free baking is use room temperature eggs and buttercream.
Thank you so much Donna for the awesome feedback.
This is an awesome replica. I increased my lemon zest to 2 whole lemons. I EXCLUDED the lemon extract. It was superb!!! The negative comments are a shame. First because its UNNECESSARY and second, because the recipe is wonderful! I am also an AVID Starbucks girl. Also…for anyone who has an issue with sinking in the middle….MAKE SURE to use UNbleached AP flour. Makes a dramatic difference because of the gluten difference. Guarantee it will be a huge difference with no sinking!
Thanks for the tip and for sharing your positive review Teresa!
This recipe is delicious! I’m considering making a second loaf in a week! One issue I found was that it was a little dense and got a little dry the second day, I’m thinking I may have over mixed the batter. But other than that it was fabulous!!!
I just made it for my roommates, yes the gaze could have been thicker, but other than that the lemon flavor was there and bold, and i’d say it was really yummy!
Mine came out beautifully! The only thing that I would say is the icing could use a bit more lemon juice just to hit that tartness. I found the thickness was really good- I was worried it would be super watery but I found it was thick enough. I also added a tad more lemon zest since I didn’t have the lemon extract. Seemed to up the lemon content!
If your icing is too watery, just add a bit more powdered sugar. I ended up using almost 2 cups- also make sure your adding it in gradually. Mine turned out amazing!
Yay! Thanks for sharing your top Melanie.
Mine fell terribly in the middle. Any suggestions for a high altitude change?
Can I make this in a bundt pan? And will doubling the recipe be enough?
I haven’t made this recipe in a bundt pan so I can’t say how it would turn out. I do have a Lemon Bundt Cake that you might want to check out, and also a Lemon Pound Cake that’s made in a bundt pan.
This did not turn out as well as I had hoped. I love Starbucks Lemon Loaf and wanted so desperately to be able to make one at home. Like others have commented; The loaf did not have a deep lemon flavor; it is not moist, and the icing is not very thick. It was a thin glaze mess.
The loaf went straight to the trash can after I tasted it. What a waste of time and money on this one for me.
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you. For the glaze, the recipe says to add more powdered sugar until you like the consistency, so perhaps that would have helped?
It’s okay. I would say it needs more lemon, everything. Also, it wasn’t as moist as I hoped it to be. Maybe more buttercream or not to be baked as long. Also the icing was way too loose. I had to keep adding more powdered sugar and it never thickened.
Loaf wasn’t as thick as Starbucks. Glaze isn’t as thick and white as the original either.
This was by far the most unhelpful, critical review. It’s a copycat recipe, not the actual recipe. Cut your slices thicker, and make a different frosting if you’re not happy 🙂
If using sour cream instead of buttermilk, what is the recommended amount?
1/3 cup of sour cream
I just tried this at home. Two thumbs up!
Thank you Samantha!
Can’t wait to try this recipe.