Delicious Lemon Lime Loaf
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This delicious lemon lime loaf is perfectly moist with lots of citrus flavors and a thick layer of sweet lemony icing. It’s almost impossible to eat just one piece!
There are few desserts that walk the line between light and dense, but this lemon lime dessert is the best of both worlds. The cake itself isn’t overly sweet and has a great citrus flavor.
The secret’s in adding the icing in 2 or 3 layers so it builds up, and you get some with each bite. (That said, if you’re more of a cake person than an icing person, you could always cut it back.)
A few tips for the perfect lemon lime loaf
- Don’t overbake the cake: If you overbake the cake you will have dry cake and no one wants that! Check it after 40 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If there is batter left on the toothpick, it needs a little more time. This will also depend on the size of the loaf pan you’re using. For this lemon lime loaf recipe, an 8×4″ pan was used. Recipe testers have also used a 9×5″ pan, however, you’ll have to keep an eye on it for timing purposes.
- Only use FRESH lemon and lime juice: The bottled lemon and lime juices just aren’t the same. The flavors are less concentrated which will result in muted flavors in the loaf. It also stands to mention that older lemons or limes won’t cut it either. For optimal zest and zing that you want from this lemon lime loaf, use fresh lemon and lime juice.
- Layer the icing: if you’ve ever had or made a loaf and had the glaze sort of run all over the place, this is the answer you’ve been looking for! To build up a thick layer of icing, you will need to put it on in several layers. Let each layer dry before pouring over the next layer. Three layers should do the trick!
Delicious additions and substitutions
There are so many variations of this cake you can play with to find the flavor and balance that’s just to your liking! Here are some variations that readers and bakers have tried and loved (based on actual comments from recipe testers):
- Fruit: You can absolutely add fruit to this lime lemon cake! Blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries are all nice additions to taste test.
- Icing: Depending on your tastes you may want to try the layering technique for the icing, OR some people have opted to forgo the glaze altogether and simply add more lemon zest, lime zest, or orange zest over the top. You can also add some powdered sugar over the top, too. The cake can stand alone without the icing, it’s that good!
- Yogurt: This lemon lime cake recipe calls for plain yogurt, however, you can use flavored yogurt if that’s what you have on hand. Lime yogurt, passionfruit yogurt, or vanilla yogurt (the list goes on) are all wonderful substitutions.
- Vegan or dairy-free: You can make this lemon lime loaf dairy-free by using a plant-based yogurt, like almond or coconut. You can take this further and make a completely vegan lemon lime cake by using dairy-free yogurt, vegan butter, and flax eggs as substitutions.
Recipe FAQs
Can I freeze lemon lime loaf?
Cakes freeze well. Place the lemon lime loaf in an airtight container and into the freezer. It will last up to 3 months.
Can I use just lemon or just lime for this recipe?
Absolutely! You can use just lemon zest and lemon juice (or go all in on lime) just make sure you replace the ingredients you’re eliminating. For example, if you choose to make a lemon loaf, replace the lime zest and lime juice with more lemon zest and juice.
How long will lemon lime loaf last?
It will last 2-3 days covered in the fridge before it starts to dry out.
Lemon Lime Loaf Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ⅔ cup plain yogurt
- Zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
The Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 pinch sea salt
- Lemon and lime zest (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the inside of a loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and yogurt, lemon and lime zest, and lemon and lime juice and beat until everything is thoroughly mixed, about 30 seconds.½ cup salted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, ⅔ cup plain yogurt, Zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Add it to the large bowl and beat the batter just until everything comes together.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake in for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully turning it out onto a cooling rack.
The Icing
- In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, lemon and lime juice, and a tiny pinch of sea salt. If you would like it a little thinner, you can add a small splash of water. If you prefer your icing a little thicker, you can add a touch more powdered sugar.1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 pinch sea salt
- Once the loaf is completely cool, pour ⅓ of the icing over top and let it drip down the sides. Wait for the icing to begin to harden, about 10 minutes, then pour over another ⅓. Once the second layer has begun to harden you can pour over the remaining icing.
- As soon as you pour the third layer of icing on the cake sprinkle the top with a little lemon and lime zest.Lemon and lime zest
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
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For more inspiration, check out all of my dessert recipes!
Would it be possible to double or even triple this recipe? I’m looking for something for a church bake sale and I have a surplus of lemons and limess
Definitely! You can triple the recipe then divide it between three loaf pans. Just make sure to bake them at the same time (not wait for one to finish then bake the next) as the baking powder will lose its effectiveness if not baked within about 15 minutes after mixing it with liquid. Enjoy!
This turned out amazing!!! I had a bag of limes I needed to use up and I actually substituted the plain yogurt for key lime flavored greek yogurt! I also used all lime juice and no lemon. My husband who doesn’t like sweets ate a whole piece and said was delicious. I also baked at 320 in a 9×5 loaf pan so it was go low and slow and not burn the edges before middle got done but that might just be my oven. Excellent recipe!!
Made this super delicious loaf yesterday. My husband and I give it two thumbs up as an easy to bake recipe and for taste! Only had one additional question, what size of loaf pan do you recommend to use for this recipe? Your instructions in the recipe state ‘in a loaf pan?’ I have two different sized loaf pans. I used the larger one which is 9 x 5″ because I wasn’t certain if the smaller one (8 x 4″) would be too small. Thank you again for this recipe — it is so worth making this loaf again and again.
We tested this recipe in an 8×4″ loaf pan!
Absolutely delicious!! So fresh and flavorful. Def adding to my dessert recipes!
How long can you store this for? Thanks
This will keep well for 2-3 days before it starts to dry out. If you want to store it longer, wrap it tightly and store it in the freezer.
OMG I feel like I have to try this cake asap! I am such a fan of lemon.. I could eat anything with lemon.. ?
Is there a substitute for egg?
I’ve never tried an egg substitute so I can’t say if it would work. If you’re up to experimenting, you could try a flax egg, but I can’t guarantee the results.
Hi can you freeze this cake please
Most cakes freeze very well so I suspect that this one will, too. 🙂
Thank you so much for making this recipe available online and for free. It is simply delicious and so quick to make – the whole family loves it and we can;t stop eating it!! Thanks again Deb
You’re so welcome, Deb!
Love it but there was a tiny problem with the icing it was really runny even though I followed the receipt and kept adding powder sugar it only got sweeter not thicker but I love the bread part !
Excellent recipe. Lovely and tangy and also very moist!
Thanks, Dave!
Easy bake.
Followed the 1/3 drizzle and all it does is removed the previous layer even when leaving for longer than stated. I have icing all over my work surface. Hope it tastes better than it looks
Did you wait for the first layer to dry before adding more? That’s the trick to getting a double layer. 🙂
The person said they left the icing “longer than stated.”
My only guess is that the icing took longer to dry than mine normally does. When I’ve done this trick, as long as I wait until the first layer is dry to the touch, the second layer doesn’t ‘melt’ off the first layer. 🙂
Is this recipe for a 1 or 2lb loaf tin?
2 lbs. 🙂
Hi Kristen!
My husband resisted the tentation to by a limon cake at Publix supermarket today. I decided to make him one, my first one ever.
Used the yogur that I had ( peach) and the batter fitted perfectly in the only rectangle bake ware that I have.
Delicious taste and fabulous aroma!!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!! Already saved to make it again over and over.
Gigi
Thank you for letting us know you loved the recipe!
This recipe looks amazing, and I would love to try it, but I do not have any yogurt in the house. I do, however, have sour cream. Would this be an ok substitution?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it myself but I would think it would work just as well. 🙂
I used sour cream—works great!
I would make this cake again, but without the icing! The cake is really nice and moist, and plenty sweet on it’s own. The icing made it a bit too sweet for me. I also added a cup of blueberries, which was a great addition.
Blueberries sound like a wonderful addition!