This iced strawberry lemon loaf is the bee's knees. She's ultra-bright, ultra-soft, and she's absolutely bursting with fresh strawberries and citrusy lemon zest.
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Because this little loaf can totally be made with frozen strawberries, this is a great treat year-round. Still, she's an exceptionally delicious way to use up some (maybe less aesthetically pleasing) fresh strawberries while they're in season.
If you're a little lemon lover like me, hop on over to these lemon poppyseed cookies while you're here! They're also made with cake flour; you may as well make both...
Ingredients
Cake flour keeps this simple loaf soft, delicate, and spongy. Sour cream lends balance and texture. Ample amounts of fresh strawberries and lemon zest bring both the cake and icing to life.
- butter
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- sour cream
- cake flour
- salt
- baking powder
- fresh strawberries
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- powdered sugar
Looking for another delicious lemon loaf cake? Check out this iced blueberry lemon cake with an almond twist! It's so easy, and so so good.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium for 3-5 minutes; until stiff peaks are formed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low for 30 seconds each until fully incorporated.
3. Add the vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and the sour cream; mix on low-medium for about 1 minute, until fully combined. In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder.
4. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and gently fold until the batter is just beginning to combine.
5. Gently fold in the sliced strawberries.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and gently smooth the top out with a silicone spreader. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top of the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool before icing.
Kitchen Tip: For a serious boost of lemon flavor in any baking recipe calling for lemon zest - separate out a tablespoon or two of sugar to pinch and rub together with the zest for a couple of minutes.
- While the loaf is cooling, prepare the icing in the bowl of a standing mixer, or a large bowl with a handheld mixer. Whip the butter on medium-low for 1-2 minutes, until fluffy. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and continue beating for about 1 minute, until the lemon zest is incorporated. Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, beating on low-medium, until fluffy and incorporated. Add a little extra lemon juice or powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached, if required.
- Use a silicone spreader to frost the cake. Cover the cake and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, until the icing is set. Slice the cake with unflavored floss, or a hot knife wiped clean between slices. Serve and enjoy!
Sifting your flour is generally a safe bet, but always make sure to sift and weigh your cake flour. Because it's extra fine, it's also extra prone to clumping.
Substitutions
- Cake Flour - instead of cake flour, this sweet loaf can totally be made with all-purpose flour. It'll end up a bit denser because of the higher protein content, but still super delicious and absolutely worth making.
- Sour Cream - full-fat sour cream will give you the most flavor, and it helps to make this cake super soft; but greek yogurt works just fine in this recipe.
- Strawberries - This recipe is a great way to use fresh strawberries (especially the less cute ones), but this cake is great with frozen strawberries too. Add them to the batter while they're still frozen, and note that you may need to add a minute or two to the overall bake time. Just make sure to check with a toothpick! Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are all super delicious in this iced lemon loaf too.
Variations
I love this strawberry lemon loaf with icing, but it really doesn't need it. If you're looking for a lighter dessert or icing isn't typically your thing - go ahead and leave it off. I promise you'll still love this recipe.
This lemon loaf is a heckin' great base for other fruits too. If you haven't seen my almond blueberry variation, start there. Otherwise try swapping out the strawberries with:
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
Storage
Store - this frosted lemon loaf can be stored at room temp, covered, for up to three days. It will dry out quickly if stored in the refrigerator, so make sure to pull it out as soon as the icing has set!
Freeze - If you're looking for longer storage, freeze the loaf in slices, tightly wrapped. The slices will keep for up to three months, and thaw them in the refrigerator for a few hours before noshing.
Related
Looking for more treats? We've got you covered:
Recipe
Iced Strawberry Lemon Loaf
Print RecipeIngredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cup cake flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cup strawberries quartered and sliced
Icing
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 + ½ cup confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar at a moderate speed for 3-5 minutes; until stiff peaks are formed and the butter is whipped and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low for 30 seconds each until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and the sour cream; mix on low-medium for about 1 minute, until fully combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and gently fold until the batter is just beginning to combine. Gently fold in the sliced strawberries.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and gently smooth the top out with a silicone spreader. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top of the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool before icing.
- While the loaf is cooling, prepare the icing in the bowl of a standing mixer, or a large bowl with a handheld mixer. Whip the butter on medium-low for 1-2 minutes, until fluffy. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and continue beating for about 1 minute, until the lemon zest is incorporated. Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, beating on low-medium, until fluffy and incorporated. Add a little extra lemon juice or powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached, if required.
- Use a silicone spreader to frost the cake. Cover the cake and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, until the icing is set. Slice the cake with unflavored floss, or a hot knife wiped clean between slices. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
kitchenverve.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes on our site. This information is provided as a courtesy from online calculators and should be used only as an estimate. Although we attempt to provide the most accurate nutritional information possible, these figures will vary based on your chosen ingredients and cooking methods.
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