Fresh Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze (Gluten Free, Vegan)

Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 60 mins Total Time: 75 mins Yield: 1 loaf

This lemon loaf is a combination of a lemon bread and pound cake that is perfect for the spring and summer.  It is bursting with fresh lemon flavor all while being gluten free and vegan.

It’s the first week of spring and it’s time to start cooking and baking with spring and summer flavors if you haven’t already.  Nothing rings the warmer months in than fresh fruit flavors!

Now, if I’m being honest, lemon flavored desserts are not my first choice,  but I was in the mood for something really fresh since the days are starting to warm up and become less bitter.  We had a really nice sunny 60 degree day and I wanted to make a happy dessert, plus we had an excess of lemons!

This Lemon Loaf not only has fresh squeezed lemon juice in the loaf and icing, but fresh lemon zest as well!  Nothing beats the flavor of fresh squeezed lemons in baking or cooking.

This Fresh Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze is a mix between a lemon pound cake and lemon bread. It’s denser than a bread, but not filled with as much butter or as dense as a pound cake. It’s the perfect in-between of the two.

Want more fruity recipes?

Try these peach cobbler muffins. The fresh peaches and oat crumb topping is to die for in these muffins. This Apple Crisp has the same crumb topping! So good!

Ingredients:

Non-Dairy Milk- we’ll mix non-dairy milk with some fresh lemon juice to make a buttermilk. This will help the loaf rise and provide a complementary tang to the lemon loaf. I have tried original unsweetened almond milk and Ripple Original Unsweetened Plant-Based Milk with this recipe. Both worked, but the Ripple milk curdled better and gave a better end result. If you don’t have this milk, then almond milk will also work!

Fresh Lemon Juice- I used a total of 3 lemons in this recipe for the fresh squeezed lemon juice (I used another 2 for the fresh lemon zest). I found that for a medium sized lemon I could get roughly 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.

Flax Egg- combine 1 Tablespoon of ground flaxmeal with 2.5 Tablespoons of warm water. Set in the fridge for 10 mins.

Dairy Free Butter- my favorite and go to brand is Country Crock’s plant based butter.  It’s amazing.  Closest vegan butter to the real thing! I find it at my local grocery stores such as Tops and Wegmans.

Granulated Sugar- I used regular granulated sugar in this recipe to keep this loaf bright and white.  I have not tested with coconut sugar, but I believe it would work- it’d just change the color of the loaf.

Vanilla Extract– make sure to use pure vanilla extract like this one.

Gluten Free Flour- I use and love Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour (the blue bag). I have found the trick for making this flour fluffy and not gummy and dense is to not over mix it. When you mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix until JUST incorporated, making sure to not over mix.

Tapioca Flour– helps bind the ingredients together and helps in the texture of the lemon loaf.

Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt- helps the batter rise along with bringing out the fresh, natural flavors in this fresh lemon loaf.

Powdered Sugar- also known as confectioners sugar. We mix this with some fresh lemon juice and non-dairy milk to make a lovely and fresh lemon glaze to top off this lemon loaf.

Tools needed for this Fresh Lemon Loaf:

• Glass bowls
• Measuring Spoons
• Measuring Cups
• Hand mixer or stand mixer- I used a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together and to combine the wet ingredients. A stand mixer will also work with the paddle attachment.
• Zester/Grater
• Whisk
• Wooden Spoon
• Parchment Paper – I love these sheets of parchment paper because they come precut! Perfect for baking sheets and any pan.
• 9×5 Pan– I used this glass pan for this loaf. If you use a metal or ceramic pan, keep an eye on the time as it may take less time for this loaf to thoroughly cook through as glass is an insulator, unlike metal which is a conductor (aka metal heats up quicker than glass meaning it will brown and cook food quicker).

How to make this Fresh Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze:

Make the buttermilk: Combine the almond milk and freshly squeezed lemon juice together. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes.
Combine the wet ingredients: Cream the butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until it is soft and smooth. Add the sugar and combine until it form a dough. Next, add the flax egg, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla and combine together. Add the buttermilk mixture and combine together.
Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together and add to the wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, mix until just incorporated. Zest a lemon and fold into the batter.
Line, transfer and bake: Line a 9×5 pan with parchment paper and transfer the batter to the pan. Bake according to the directions in the recipe card below.
Mix the icing ingredients together: Once the loaf has cooled completely, mix the icing ingredients together and spread over the lemon loaf. Top of with fresh lemon zest.

Craving other delicious recipes? Take a look!

• 
  No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
• 
  Oreo Cheesecake Dip
• 
  Hot Cocoa Cookies
• 
  Strawberry Cheesecake Truffles
• 
  Hot Cocoa Dip

This post may contain affiliate links. By purchasing a product that I have recommended, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I truly use, trust and love! Thank you for supporting Farm Fresh with a Twist.

Did you make this recipe?

Comment below or share a photo and tag me @farmfreshwithatwist if you make this recipe! I can’t wait to see what you’ve made!