Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

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.

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.

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

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.

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! 

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