Lemon Loaf

I was at Starbucks with my daughter grabbing a chocolate milk when a slice of lemon loaf caught my eye. It looked amazing and it was! But over $4 for a single slice?

I went home and started testing different recipes and ingredient combinations. While its not exactly like Starbucks version, the result is just as delicious and has become one of my most popular items at the farmers market. Soft, buttery and lemony, it’s the perfect treat!

Cost Breakdown:

These prices reflect what I paid for the full ingredients at the store. While the recipe may only use part of some items, the cost reflects buying the full ingredient since you can’t realistically purchase just a portion at the store.

• All purpose flour $1.32

• Baking powder $2.08

• Baking soda $0.89

• Butter $3.78

• Vegetable oil $1.75

• Sugar $2.48

• Eggs $2.17

• Vanilla extract $2.47

• Lemon extract $4.18

• Lemon $3.89

• Sour cream $2.40

• Powdered sugar $1.89

• Milk $3.72

  Total: $33.02

*Prices based on grocery stores in Central Texas — March 2026.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• Pinch of salt

• ¼ cup butter, room temp

• ¼ cup vegetable oil

• 1 cup sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp lemon extract

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Juice of 1 lemon

• ½ cup sour cream

For the icing:

• 1 Cup powdered sugar

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp milk

  • Optional: add up to 3 more tbsp powdered sugar for a thicker glaze

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9×5 loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper for easy removal later.

• In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.

• In a large bowl mix the eggs and sugar for a few minutes until well combined. About 5 minutes if mixing by hand or 2 minutes if mixing with hand mixer.

• Add butter and oil and mix until incorporated.

• Add the vanilla, lemon extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sour cream. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.

• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, preferably with a spatula so you can fold in the ingredients until just combined.

• Pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

• Let cool for about 25 minutes before removing from the pan then let it finish cooling outside the pan.

• Once cool, prepare the icing. In a bowl whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk then mix until smooth. I prefer mine a bit thicker so I occasionally add another 3 tbsp powdered sugar.

Recipe Summary:

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes