Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake
Last month, you may remember that I took a fun little field trip out to the DeLallo Test Kitchens. Jessica and I played around in the kitchen and whipped up some fun dishes, and once we were done, I went back to the store to load up on tons of goodies. Things like fresh-baked rustic bread, prosciutto, provolone, fresh Italian sausage, olives and figs found their way into my cart. The produce section there is to-die-for; it’s unbelievable the variety and quality that they carry for a small grocery. I was elated to find bags of Meyer lemons near the entrance; it’s virtually impossible to locate Meyer lemons at my everyday grocery store, so I snatched them up immediately. I then proceeded to take an embarrassingly long amount of time to decide what I wanted to make with them. Finally, I realized that I was severely lacking a recipe box staple – a lemon loaf cake. This was the perfect recipe for those Meyer lemons!
I couldn’t believe how wonderfully light and moist this cake turned out. Even before brushing it with the glaze, the top and sides of the cake were quite soft and almost sponge-like. The cake has a buttery crumb and shows off the flavor of the Meyer lemons perfectly. This cake is perfect on its own with a cup of coffee, or topped with some fresh whipped cream and fresh fruit. It’s a fabulous base for dessert experiments!
If you’re in the Pittsburgh area, you owe it to yourself to check out the DeLallo store in Jeannette; so much good food, you won’t know what to do with yourself! If you’re not in Pittsburgh, you can order DeLallo products right from their website and have them delivered straight to your door. Happy shopping!
One year ago: Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Two years ago: Malted Vanilla Milkshake
Four years ago: Triple Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons Meyer lemon juice
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (61 ml) Meyer lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a food processor; process until combined, about five 1-second pulses. Add the eggs, lemon juice and vanilla; process until combined, about 5 seconds. With the machine running, add the melted butter through feed tube in a steady stream. Transfer the mixture to large bowl. Sift the flour mixture over eggs in three additions, whisking gently after each addition until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and continue to bake until deep golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring the sugar and lemon juice for the glaze to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack. Using a toothpick, poke holes all over the top and sides of the cake. Brush the lemon glaze all over the top and sides of the cake. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour. The cake can be stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Michelle I have a couple of questions…first I loved the recipe, never made a cake in a food processor before and I loved it! I did not have Meyer lemons and used a regular one, so i think the lemon was a little more pronounced…(not a big problem) But my loaf did not look like yours (which I wanted it to)! Mine had a dome top with a crack, again not a big deal…now on ]baking time, i did lower the oven to 325, after lowering the oven I tested the cake with a metal cake tester and there was a little moisture on the tester, I let it go for another 5 minutes and my loaf was very dark, should I have taken it out at the 35 minutes with the little bit of moisture on the tester? Thank you for any info you can provide…otherwise i loved, loved. loved! the crumb, it was so perfect and tight!
Hi Maria, It should be golden brown, but you do want the tester to come out clean, without moisture. You can cover with foil if you find it’s browning too much. Glad you loved it!
Nice Blog. It is awesome recipe.
What a wonderful cake. I found Meyer lemons at our local Aldi Market. I made this for our Easter dinner dessert. I’m going to Make fresh whipped cream to serve with it. I saved a few tablespoons of the juice to add as I whip the heavy cream.
This recipe was so straightforward ( as all of your wonderful dishes & treats are) I decided to bake it in my mini springform pan. It turned out beautiful! I did have to bake it just a bit more until my toothpick came out clean. Thank you for this beautiful dessert.
The worst lemon loaf I ever made it overflowed my 9×5 pan and made a mess in my oven and a complete disaster. Very disappointed in this recipe it was awful
Made this for our Easter dessert. Wanted something fresh and bright and this was it!! I did however just make a glaze out of powdered sugar and lemon juice. Everyone (even my hubby who doesn’t usually care for lemon ) loved it! I also had my 3 young daughters help make this, so you can see it was super simple to make as well!
I first made this recipe a couple of years ago. I had never heard of Meyer Lemons before so I had to do some searching. Apparently they’re only available in the winter. I finally found them and now I’m in love with them. I buy 3-4 bags and zest and juice them right away. I use what I need, then pour the remaining juice into ice trays to freeze. I put the zest into ice trays, as well. Once frozen, I pop them out and into freezer bags to have anytime I want. My late mother-in-law fell in love with them after I made this and bought some citrus trees (Meyer Lemon, lemon, orange, and lime). I’ve now inherited her beloved trees and look forward to harvesting my own citrus.
I made these into little individual loaves for the office (maximum glaze). Huge hit! I also did not have Meyer lemons, but when life hands you lemons…Great recipe, as always:)
My husband and I are not usually lemony dessert people (give us chocolate all the way), but this past weekend he was craving a lemon cake. BEB is one of my “go to” websites for baking recipes – and for good reason. This cake did not disappoint. I used regular lemons instead of Meyer lemons, but OH SO GOOD! Thanks, Michelle!
Do you think the glaze would work well with Cook’s Illustrated’s standard (and delicious) pound cake? Or is it too dense?
Hi Lisa, No I think it would be great!
I made this today, with help from my 2.5 year old. Turned out delicious!! Even though I missed the whole cook for 15 min at 350, then turn down to 325 for the 35 min. It still turned out great!!!
Made this today, and it is absolutely fabulous! I had some glaze left over and we ate it over vanilla ice cream. Yummy! Thanks
I did not have meyer lemons at home, but I had lots of regular lemons so I made this cake with those regular lemons and I absolutely loved it!!! It has a little sour taste, but I still loved it. And I can’t imagine how much better it could be if I made with meyer lemons. Now I really want to find meyer lemons and make this with them. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Hi and greetings from Saint John, NB :-)
After picking up some Meyer Lemons last week I decided to try this recipe because the photos were so enticing! And, well, I love lemon anything! I’m still a newbie when it comes to baking and cooking, but this loaf turned out perfect! Very much like you said! And so good! Thanks for posting this recipe…it’s definitely a ‘keeper’!!
Rob
What a delicious cake this recipe made! I’ve made it three times in less than a week, twice as gifts to friends and once for my family. The recipe appeared just as I was wishing very hard for the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The smell of fresh Meyer lemon zest in my kitchen makes me think my wish isn’t far away. Yum!
I made this today and whoa!! This cake was very flavorful!! The top was my favorite part, this recipe will go into my summer collection! Thank you ;)
I found Meyer lemons today at Walmart, of all places. I can wait to make this!
Just made this cake yesterday and it is excellent! I love the texture and the glaze put it over the top. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Michelle, made this last night to bring to work this weekend. Made a double bath, one for home too. My little guy who’s 6 could NOT wait to taste it! Needless to say. It is delish! I am actually back on your site because a co-worker would like the receipe. I could not find Meyer lemons. Used regular. Still major yummmmmm!!! ~ Beth
So happy to hear it was a hit!
Bought Meyer lemons yesterday just to make this cake….then I read the directions! I don’t have a food processor, can I just use my mixer?
I used just my mixer, made sure it was super blended. It came out perfect!
Thnx…just saw your response…getting ready to make it now….
Hi Terri, I see that Beth (above) mentioned she used a mixer just fine. I think you could also use a blender if you have a large one that has enough power.
Thanks, will be making this later tonight. Can’t wait, it’s looks amazing!
Would the lemon loaf recipe work well for a fondant cake? I have to make one for a baby shower and was looking for a good, not too dry citrus cake recipe.
Hi Elena, The cake isn’t as heavy or sturdy as a true pound cake, so I couldn’t really say for sure. If you’re thinking of using it, I would recommend doing a trial run first just to be safe.
Thank you Michelle!Good advice! I’ll let you know how it turned out.
I made this last night to take to work today. It was a huge success. People were moaning how delicious it was. I just loved the texture and adding the glaze when the cake was warm from the oven? Pure genius! Thank you so much for the fabulous recipe.
I am totally uncontrollable in a grocery store. I buy things without any idea of what I am going to do with them. This loaf cake looks incredible! Love that you glazed it!
I got a Meyer lemon tree for Christmas. I hope I get some lemons next winter! I will definitely add this lemon loaf to the list of recipes I want to try when they start ripening. :)
This looks like the perfect lemon loaf. I am craving some now!
This looks wonderful! It looks so light and refreshing! Pound cake is always nice – the lemon is just a wonderful bonus!
This pound cake looks d-lish but I don’t like lemon cake, how can I make it without the lemons. Thank you!
Hi Susan, You could replace the Meyer lemons with any other type of citrus fruit that you like.
I always go crazy for lemons! I buy WAY WAY too many! This looks like the perfect recipe for the lemon juice I have in my freezer! And I too would be interested in that key lime loaf!
Gosh I love citrus!
I just scored some Meyer lemons this week! I can’t wait to see how they are. I’ve seen so many people rave about them…
Love meyer lemon!! It screams summer and I can’t wait for this cold-front to dissappear. Like, right about now :D
thank you for the super kind words Michelle! We had a blast that day… let’s all get together soon to cook, I recommend we schedule it closer to happy hour so we can throw back some vino afterward.
Aw, you’re welcome! It was a lot of fun and, yes, we should definitely get together again!
What is the difference between Meyer lemons and others?
Hi Kallie, Meyer lemons are sort of a hybrid between a lemon and a citrus like mandarins or oranges – they’re a little sweeter than regular lemons.
I have so many Meyer Lemons on my tree! Perfect timing for this post.
I hear so much about meyer lemons and how good they are….I have yet to see them at my local grocery store, though. I’ll be on the lookout so I can try this loaf cake!
Do you think I could double the recipe and make it in a bundt pan?
Hi MaryEllen, I think you could. Enjoy!
This looks like absolute perfection. I love a good lemon loaf!
This lemon loaf looks perfect! I need to go buy more meyer lemons!
What a fun field trip! Your lemon cake looks divine. I am such a sucker for lemon and this would be perfect for a morning or afternoon treat!
I am so glad to see more citrus fruit recipes! Love citrus season! This cake sounds perfect for those lazy afternoons. And paired with a mug of lemon tea. Pinning!
Yum! I wonder how this recipe would taste if you used a different type of citrus, like orange? An orange pound cake sounds so delicious! I don’t think my local grocery store that I frequent has Meyer lemons, but I will definitely check at Whole Foods and Sprouts to see if I can find some. One of our Starbucks coffees says it goes well w/lemon cake, so I guess it’s time to find out! :-)
Hi Jenn, I think you could definitely substitute other citrus for the Meyer lemons in this recipe. An orange loaf sounds delicious!
Since I’m snowed in today in Kansas City, I just spent an hour browsing the Delallo website – I could eat my weight in their cheese! I want to visit their store & emailed my friend in Bedford, PA, recommending she go there & tell me all about it. If I have enough lemons, I’m going to try the Lemon Cake today. Thanks!
I thought I had gotten over my Meyer lemon streak, but now I must go buy more!
Yum! Your cake looks amazing!!! I love lemon cake, it’s so fresh and oh so good! Yours looks gorgeous!
would this work with regular lemons too?
Yes, definitely!
I love lemon cake. My go to lemon cake for carry in’s of all sorts is the KAF lemon bliss bundt cake. Everyone loves it. I like to mix it up and bring it, because there is usually plenty overly sweet things at those sort of functions. Also, it is delicious. If you liked this cake, you may want to give that one a try sometime :)
Mmmm. lemon loafs are my fav.
I can NOT for the life of me find Meyer Lemons. Sooooo annoying.
I found Meyer Lemons while shopping the other day and, like you, they are usually nowhere to be found in my local grocery store. So I bought waaaay too many and hadn’t decided what to do with them yet. Your Lemon Loaf cake is at the top of my list! Thanks!!!
How ironic that you have posted this recipe. Last week I was looking for the perfect Meyer Lemon loaf cake because I happen to have a bag of them in my fridge about to go bad! Unfortunately, I had to throw them last night. I’m so looking forward to trying this recipe. It looks delicious!
We used to live less than 10 minutes from DeLallo’s, so I know exactly what you are talking about. Alas, we no longer live in Westmoreland County, but we still manage to make a number of trips to their store whenever we are able to. Your recipe for Meyer’s Lemon Loaf Cake looks terrific, and I will definitely have to try it out. I love anything that is in the citrus family, whether it be lemon, lime, or orange flavored, so I am quite sure that I will love your recipe. By the way, I have a great recipe for Key Lime Bread that I have been making for a number of years, so if you are interested in it, I would love to pass it along to you. It also has a delicious glaze that tops the bread.
Hi Valerie, By all means, send it along!
Hi Michelle, Here is that recipe that for Key Lime Bread that I have been baking for the past couple of years:
KEY LIME BREAD
Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tablespoons grated lime peel
2 tablespoons key lime juice***
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
Glaze
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons key lime juice
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, mix well. Add lime peel, juice and vanilla, mix until combined. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold in walnuts.
Transfer to (2) greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm bread. (Note: As a personal preference, I often double the ingredients for the glaze.) Cool completely.
Makes 2 loaves.
***Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice (16 oz. plastic yellow bottle) can be found at the grocery store in the aisle where the baking products are located.
TIP FROM VALERIE: Depending upon your oven and the type of baking pans that you use, I have found that this bread will bake faster than the directed time, so please watch carefully so that the bread does not over-bake and start checking for the doneness of the bread as early as 35-40 minutes after you have put it into the oven.
Thank you, Valerie! Can’t wait to try this!
If you enjoy the taste of lime, I really think that you will enjoy this. Everyone that I have ever made this for always asks me for the recipe. However, I must confess that this is not an original recipe — I got it from one of my Taste of Home magazines.
Valerie, thanks so much for sharing. My husband loves Key Lime and as I was making Micheles Lemon Loaf last night, I thought… hmmm Key Lime?! I thank you and my hubby thanks you!
Meyer lemon desserts are always the best! Your loaf is so darn gorgeous!
Looks delicious, hope that I can try it.
Looks delicious and so light and summery. Love the sticky looking top
Mmmmm lemon cake. I’m normally a big chocolate fan but lemon cake is one of the few desserts that can pull me away from it.