Sunshine Lemon Loaf Cake Recipe

If you have been bit by the baking bug in the #stayhome of Circuit Breaker, this Sunshine Lemon Loaf Cake recipe is a must-try!

Contributed by baker Amber Pong, this cake is perfect for those who love the zesty fragrance of lemons. Its moist, fluffy, and the tanginess of the lemons really comes through. Actually, it's so good that our Share Food team cannot wait to bake it again!

Amber also runs a bakery stall named The Headless Baker at Blk 20 Ghim Moh road #01-64 where she sells more of her amazing bakes! If you live nearby, her stall is open every Wednesday to Sunday from 7am to 2pm. But do hurry, her cakes might get sold out!

Sunshine Lemon loaf Cake

Another reason why we love this cake so much is because it is rather easy to prepare! All you  need to do is let your mixer do the work while you throw the ingredients in.

Here are some other easy and delicious cake recipes you can try:

• Basque Burnt Cheesecake
• No-Bake Peach Cheesecake
• Manuka Honey Lemon Cheesecake
• Healthy Multi-Grain Chiffon Cake
• Coffee Hot Milk Cake with Cream Cheese and Walnuts

Let’s start baking the Sunshine Lemon Loaf!

Step 1: Prepare the dry ingredients

Add the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt together and mix well. Mixing the dry ingredients now will make the rest of the steps easier later now.

Then, set the flour mixture aside.

You can also add all the ingredients into a sieve to sieve together.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and mix

Step 2: Prepare the cake batter

Now for the other ingredients of the cake.

The lemon loaf cake starts with the creaming of butter and sugar together, also known as the “sugar-shortening” or creaming method. By mixing fat and sugar together, little air pockets are formed during the mixing. This makes the batter increase in volume and helps the cake become light and fluffy. Hence, it is important that the butter and sugar is totally incorporated together and the mixture is light in colour.

To cream, whisk the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and has increased in volume

Then turn down the mixing speed to low and gradually add in your eggs one at a time. Let it mix until all the ingredients have been well incorporated.

Add the eggs in one at a time

Mix until the ingredients are well incorporated

Take your dry ingredients from step 1 and add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the batter. Add 1/3 of the milk to the batter as well. Let it mix until well incorporated then repeat this step two more times.

Adding the flour mixture and milk to the cake batter in three batches instead of at one go may seem tedious. However, this helps ensure that the cake batter is evenly mixed and have no lumps.

Add the flour into the batter in three batches

Add the milk with the flour mixture in 3 batches

After adding the last of the flour and milk mixture, add in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Let it mix for 1-2 minutes just so that the ingredients are well mixed.

Be careful not to over mix the batter as that will result in a denser cake.

Add the lemon juice

Add the lemon zest and mix

Step 3: Bake the cake

Prepare a loaf tin by greasing it and lining it with baking paper. Ensure that the baking paper hangs over the edges of the tin for easy removal of the cake later.

Pour the cake batter into the tin and smooth the surface with a spatula.

Pour the cake batter into a lined and greased loaf tin

Before baking, tap the tin firmly against the table a for few times to release any air bubbles from the batter. This step helps to level out the top of your cake!

Now, you can put it to bake in a preheated oven at 180°C degree for 55 to 60 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven for 55-60 minutes

Check on the cake while it is baking from time to time. If the top seems to be burning but the inside is still not cooked, you can cover it with a piece of aluminium foil and let it continue to bake.

To check if the cake is cooked inside, pierce it with a thin skewer and if it comes out clean, the cake is done!

Step 4: Glaze and garnish the lemon loaf cake

Once the cake is ready, let it completely cool down. Baking tip: never glaze a hot cake as the heat will simply melt the glaze instead.

To make the glaze, whisk icing sugar and lemon juice together. Then spoon it over the top of the cake.

Whisk icing sugar and lemon juice together

Glaze the top of the cake

Sprinkle some chopped pistachios and dried rose petals over the top and your Sunshine Lemon Loaf is done!

You can also switch out the toppings for candied lemon peel or any other garnish that you like.

Garnish with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals

We just love how fragrant and lemony this cake is. Also, it is so fluffy and light, you can polish off the entire loaf if you are not careful!

Enjoy your Sunshine Lemon Loaf Cake!

Get the recipe here!

Sunshine Lemon Loaf

Print Recipe

Our Sunshine Lemon Loaf Cake is perfect for those who love the zesty fragrance of lemons. Moist and fluffy, you might polish the whole cake if you are not careful!

Servings	Prep Time
8 people	20 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Servings Prep Time 8 people 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Sunshine Lemon Loaf Print Recipe Our Sunshine Lemon Loaf Cake is perfect for those who love the zesty fragrance of lemons. Moist and fluffy, you might polish the whole cake if you are not careful! Servings Prep Time 8 people 20 minutes Cook Time 1 hour Servings Prep Time 8 people 20 minutes Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup fresh full-cream milk
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp baking powder

Glaze

• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• Dried rose petals
• Crushed pistachio

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the dry ingredients

1. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and mix well. Set aside

Step 2: Prepare the batter of the cake

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Whisk at medium speed white for 3 - 4 minutes till white and fluffy.Add eggs one at a time to batter, whisk at low speed.
2. Add the flour mixture and milk to batter in three batches, starting and ending with flour mixture.
3. Add lemon juice, zest and combine well. Be careful not to over-mix as that will result in a denser loaf.

Step 3: Put the lemon loaf to bake

1. Pour batter into a lined and greased loaf pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. #Tip: tap pan on countertop to release any air trapped within.
2. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C degree for 55 to 60 minutes.
3. Let loaf cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing it. #Tip: make sure loaf is completely cooled before glazing, otherwise sugar will melt.

Step 4: Make the glaze and garnish the lemon loaf

1. For the glaze, whisk icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until well mixed. Pour the glaze over loaf and garnish with crushed pistachio and dried rose petals