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    Home » Dessert » Cakes & Cupcakes

    Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

    January 25, 2022 by Marley Braunlich 6 Comments

    78 shares
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    Jump to Recipe·5 from 1 review
    lemon loaf with white glaze and lemons for a baking blog recipe and food photography

    This is the best lemon poppy seed loaf you'll ever make! Greek yogurt, lemon extract and lemon zest make this lemon loaf fragrant and so delicious. Fresh lemon pound cake is sunshine in food form and will most definitely brighten your day.

    slice of lemon poppy seed pound cake with raspberries for baking blog and food photography

    Enjoy Lemon Pound Cake for Breakfast or Dessert!

    Do you ever go through a huge lemon phase? I’m talking about drinking lemon water every morning, mixing up a batch of fresh squeezed lemonade on a hot summer afternoon, or maybe drizzling a sugary lemon glaze over the most delicious lemon pound cake that’s cooling on your countertop kinda lemon phase?! Because that’s where I’m at right about now. I whipped up this fragrant lemon poppy seed loaf on my birthday last year to enjoy and my family devoured it! Everyone loved to drizzle a spoonful of sweet lemon glaze over a thick cut slice of moist lemon cake.

    I’m thanking myself for grabbing that bottle of lemon extract the last time I was grocery shopping! Lemon extract is essential for baking the best lemon pound cake of all time. Put down the lemon juice people! We’re saving the mess and swapping lemon juice for a tablespoon of lemon extract instead. Easy peasy.

    This healthier loaf cake made with plain greek yogurt is one of those recipes you want to share with your neighbor or bring over to your grandparents. It’s that dang good! Baking is how I show others I care for them and it’s my love language, so I’m always stoked to shower others with tasty homemade baked goods.

    Tips for making a moist lemon loaf!​

    A good tip to remember when you're making any baked good is to let your ingredients rest on the counter for a bit so they're not ice cold from the fridge! This tip is especially useful when you're baking with melted coconut oil because coconut oil hardens at cold temperatures. Letting any wet ingredients like eggs, milk or yogurt come to room temperature ensures the coconut oil stays melted.

    Usually, I don't have time to let the ingredients rest on the counter. So instead, I run the eggs under warm water for a minute to quickly bring them to room temperature. This is a great baking tip to remember!

    Another tip for making citrus baked goods is to wash and dry your produce before zesting. I always give my lemons a good scrub to remove any residue. I normally buy conventional lemons instead of organic, but either way washing your produce is always a good idea!

    Finally, don't underestimate the power of lemon zest!

    Lemon zest adds so much flavor to lemon cakes, muffins, and desserts. Load up your recipe with lots of lemon zest to really infuse that citrus flavor into your bake.

    glass bowl of lemon pound cake ingredients with lemons, yogurt and eggs
    lemon poppy seed cake batter with a whisk for baking blog and food photography

    How To Make Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf:

    To a mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Then add the dry ingredients followed by the melted coconut oil. Stir until just combined.

    Next, pour the cake batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with little crumbs. Let cool before glazing.

    Why Use Lemon Extract?​

    Lemon extract packs a strong lemon punch in a small amount of liquid. A larger quantity of lemon juice is needed to reach the same flavor lemon extract achieves. Scroll down to my substitutions section if you don't have lemon extract!

    Everything You'll Need

    Lemon Loaf:

    • Flour
    • Baking Powder
    • Salt
    • Granulated Sugar
    • Eggs
    • Greek Yogurt
    • Lemon Zest
    • Lemon Extract
    • Vanilla Extract
    • Coconut Oil or Butter
    • Poppy Seeds

    Lemon Glaze:

    • Powdered Sugar
    • Lemon Juice
    • Lemon Extract
    • Vanilla Extract
    • Milk
    close up of a lemon glazed loaf on parchment paper for baked abundance blog

    Need to make a substitution?

    No Lemon Extract?

    I'd recommend using 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and increasing the lemon zest to 3 lemons if you don't have any lemon extract. But, add it to your grocery list for next time!

    No Greek Yogurt?

    Sour cream is a great substitute for greek yogurt in muffin and bread recipes.

    Sub for Coconut Oil?

    Avocado oil, canola, vegetable oil and melted unsalted butter all make a good substitute for coconut oil in this recipe. Don't forget to use non-dairy milk in the glaze as well.

    No Poppy Seeds?

    No problem! Just leave them out and this moist lemon pound cake will still turn out perfectly.

    Dairy-free?

    Swap out the greek yogurt for your favorite greek style non-dairy yogurt! You can use plain or vanilla greek yogurt in this recipe.

    lemon pound cake with raspberries on a marble cake stand for baking blog and food photography

    More Healthier Recipes:

    • Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars
    • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
    • Healthy Dark Chocolate Granola
    • Baked Oatmeal with Apples

    If you make this easy lemon poppy seed loaf, be sure to tag #bakedabundance on Instagram. We’d also love if you would leave a comment below and rate the recipe. We appreciate you! 

    Print

    Recipe

    Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

    A slice of lemon poppy seed loaf cake with fresh raspberries and a simple glaze.
    Pin Recipe
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    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 1 review

    This is the best lemon poppy seed loaf you'll ever make! Greek yogurt, lemon extract and lemon zest make this lemon pound cake so delicious.

    • Author: Marley
    • Prep Time: 10
    • Cook Time: 45
    • Total Time: 55
    • Yield: 10 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    Lemon Loaf:

    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 3 large eggs, room temperature
    • 1 cup greek yogurt, plain or vanilla
    • 1 tablespoon lemon extract
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • zest of one lemon
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, optional
    • ½ cup coconut oil, melted (see note)

    Lemon Glaze:

    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • ½ teaspoon lemon extract
    • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
    • 1 tablespoon milk, add a little at a time

    Instructions

    1. To a mixing bowl, add the sugar, eggs, yogurt zest and extracts. Whisk to combine.
    2. Add the dry ingredients and mix partially. Add melted coconut oil and finish mixing until all of the ingredients are just combined.
    3. Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray or butter. Transfer batter to the pan and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with little crumbs. Let cool before icing.
    4. To make the glaze, whisk together the ingredients until smooth. Add the milk a little at a time to get your desired consistency and drizzle over the cooled lemon pound cake.
    5. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

    Notes

    No coconut oil? You can swap ½ cup unsalted butter, melted.

    Dairy-free? Use non-dairy milk for the glaze.

    *Adding coconut oil after the dry ingredients are partially mixed into the batter ensures it stays melted and will not re-harden.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @bakedabundance on Instagram!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    1. causinga stir

      May 16, 2022 at 9:24 am

      I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I'm looking to design my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. kudos

      Reply
      • Marley

        August 07, 2022 at 11:22 am

        thank you!! i found a template on themeforest.net there are many options there! hope that helps 🙂

        Reply
    2. Evan

      April 21, 2023 at 2:28 pm

      This was awesome! Don’t waste your time buying one from a store. This easy to follow recipe gets you a freshly baked version that tastes way better. Plus the icing made with lemons has a super fresh and tart taste.

      Reply
      • Marley Braunlich

        April 24, 2023 at 1:57 pm

        Thanks for this 5 star review of our lemon loaf cake Evan! I love the poppy seeds and lemon icing in this recipe.

        Reply
    3. Vidya

      April 10, 2025 at 7:10 pm

      Hi Can you make this without eggs?

      Reply
      • Marley Braunlich

        April 11, 2025 at 11:15 am

        I would not recommend substituting the eggs in this recipe. I have not tried any egg substitutions for this lemon pound cake. I'd recommend finding an eggless lemon pound cake recipe online that already calls for a substitution. Thank you!!

        Reply

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    About Marley

    Hey, I'm Marley! I'm a recipe developer and food photographer based in Pittsburgh. I share traditional and allergen-friendly baking recipes that anyone can make! Learn more about my story and what Baked Abundance is all about here.

    About Marley →

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