Glazed Lemon Loaf Cake

Preparation Instructions

1. Prepare to bake—Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease (with butter) and flour a loaf cake pan.
2. Mix the wet ingredients—In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and continue mixing until everything’s incorporated.
3. Mix the dry ingredients—In a medium bowl, add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk to combine.
4. Finish the batter—With a mixer at low speed, add flour mixture alternately with sour cream—start with 1/3 of the flour, half the sour cream, another 1/3 flour, the rest of the sour cream, and finally the last of the flour. Continue mixing, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed, until there are no more floury bits.
5. Bake the cake—Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and use a spatula to smooth and level the top. Bake in a preheated oven until a tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.
6. Cool the cake—Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Turn the cake right side up to cool.
7. Meanwhile, make the glaze—In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice to create a thick, but pourable glaze. Add a bit more lemon juice as needed if the mixture is too thick. Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet to catch drips and slowly spoon glaze over top of the warm loaf, letting it drip down the sides. Allow the cake to cool completely, then slice and serve.

Tips

• Plan ahead—Removing your eggs, butter, and sour cream from the fridge half an hour before you bake takes this loaf cake from ordinarily delicious to off the charts. Butter creams better, eggs create more volume, and sour cream plays well with dry ingredients.
• Temperature matters. Be sure to glaze the cake when it’s warm—too hot and it’ll absorb the icing (oh no!!), but waiting till it’s too cool means the glaze may not cover the cake evenly.

Mix it Up—Ingredient Substitutions

Life didn’t give you lemons? You can easily make this loaf cake with most any citrus—lime, orange, or even grapefruit. Or try adding a mix of two fruits for intriguing depth of flavor.

Feel free to swap sour cream for plain, vanilla, or even lemon Greek yogurt. And go ahead and double up on the glaze if you’re a “more is more” sweets person.

Storage & Leftover Suggestions

Keep any leftovers (ha!) in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days or in the fridge for up to a week. This cake also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months, either in slices (for quick gratification) or as a whole loaf (which requires a few hours to thaw at room temp).