lemon loaf cake with lemon icing

Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Icing and Fresh Strawberries

This lemon loaf cake, topped with lemon icing and fresh strawberries, is your favorite fruit-filled treat. This dish has the perfect flavoring for a summer dessert, and is a definite crowd-please for any BBQ. It is sweet, yet tangy, and the cake is soft and moist, giving you that melt-in-your-mouth quality. The fresh strawberries are the perfect summer fruit and the perfect addition to this treat.

If you have read my Lemon Cupcake recipe or Lemon Cookie recipe, you know I absolutely love lemons! They are the perfect sweetness balance to any dessert. Take it from a lemon expert, you should always use fresh lemon juice (instead of lemon extract) for the cake batter. It will give the cake a fresher, and more airy texture this way. Plus, fresh ingredients are always healthier, so bonus points there.

Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Icing and Strawberries Ingredients:

Even though this cake is gorgeous and looks fancy, it is so easy to make. In fact, the ingredient list is relatively simple. You probably already have most of these ingredients at home already. Here is everything you need for your own Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Icing and Strawberries.

  • For the Cake:
    • Butter (softened to room temperature)
    • Sugar
    • Three Eggs
    • Flour
    • Baking Powder
    • Baking Soda
    • Salt
    • Fresh Lemon Juice
    • One Lemon
    • Sour Cream
  • For the Icing:
    • Powdered Sugar
    • Salt
    • Hot Water
    • Fresh Lemon Juice
  • And, of course, Strawberries!

Rolled in Dough Quick Tip: If you do not have fresh lemon juice, you can use lemon extract!

lemon loaf cake with lemon icing

Tips for a Successful, Delicious Lemon Icing:

Icing is the best part, so you want to make sure it is as perfect as possible. When preparing and making your icing, add one spoon of hot water at a time to the mix to make sure the icing is not too thick and not too runny. If it ends up too runny, add one spoon at a time of icing.

Also, for the icing, although lemon extract would work best here, if you do not have any, just add a one-half teaspoon of lemon juice to the mixture.

Lastly, make sure you add your icing after the cake has cooled.

Lemon Loaf Cake Storage and Freshness Facts:

This cake has a pretty good shelf life considering it is made with fresh fruit! You can keep it on the counter for 3-4 days, in the fridge for up to one week, and in the freezer for 6 months! Feel free to eat this cake over and over and over again.

For a moist and freshly baked taste for your cake, store the lemon loaf cake with lemon icing in a closed container on the counter. For those summer days, when we crave a sweet treat, I love keeping this cake in the fridge with a side of scooped lemon sorbet or raspberry sorbet. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Pairing this treat with an icy treat makes it even more perfect for summer.

Options for Cake Toppings:

I love that this cake is so versatile! Obviously, I opted for fresh strawberries this time, so so many fruits will pair well with this cake and icing dish. Here are some alternatives you can get creative and try out, or feel free to come up with your own. The opportunities are endless with this recipe!

  • Raspberries
    • They have the perfect tangy flavor addition to this summery, fruity dessert.
  • Lemon Zest
    • For those of you who want an even bigger lemon kick.
  • A mix of berries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries
    • For the people who cannot decide which fruit they are in the mood for!

Rolled in Dough – Bake with Kids Edition:

Another reason I love this dish is because it is so easy to let your kids gets involved and be creative. Here is what they can do to help out:

  • First, let them decide what fruits they want to add. Maybe they want more lemon instead of strawberries, or maybe they would prefer a berry medley. Let them get creative here!
  • Let them mix all the icing ingredients together.
    • If you really want to have fun here, you can even let them add some food dye to the icing.
  • They can spread the icing on top.
  • They may want to top the cake with the fruit of their choosing (you may want to cut the fruit yourself, though).

Now, you are ready to make this delicious cake yourself. Check out the official Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Icing and Strawberries recipe below!

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lemon loaf cake with lemon icing

Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Icing and Strawberries

  • Author: Rolled in Dough
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Icing and Strawberries is the perfect summer treat. Bring this to your next BBQ and impress your friends.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake:

  • 1/2 cup of Butter (softened to room temperature)
  • 1 cup of Sugar
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup of Flour
  • 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp of Baking Soda
  • 1/4 tsp of Salt
  • 2 tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice
  • Zest of One Lemon
  • 1/3 cup of Sour Cream

For the Icing:

  • 2 cups of Powdered Sugar
  • A Pinch of Salt
  • 34 spoons of Hot Water
  • 1 tsp of Lemon Extract or Lemon Juice

And, of course, Strawberries.


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit degrees. 
  2. Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper or spray it with baking spray. 
  3. In a mixer bowl, cream the butter for 1 minute and add the sugar until fluffy.
  4. Add one egg at a time until the mixture is well-combined.  
  5. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Start mixing on low. While the mixer is on, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and the sour cream. The batter should be a little thick at this point. 
  6. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 60 minutes. If the cake is brown on top, insert a toothpick to see if the cake is ready. It should come out clean. 

While the cake is cooling, you can prepare your icing:

  1. Mix all your ingredients together, add more water or powdered sugar as needed. Set aside.
  2. Once the cake is fully cooled down, spread the icing on top. Wait for the icing to harden before adding fruits. 
  3. Add your strawberries (or toppings of your choosing).
  4. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • For the best results, add the fruit right before serving the cake. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 280
  • Sugar: 36.4g
  • Sodium: 138mg
  • Fat: 9.2g
  • Saturated Fat: 5.7g
  • Carbohydrates: 48.9g
  • Fiber: 0.5g
  • Protein: 1.9g
  • Cholesterol: 23mg

Keywords: lemon loaf, lemon cake, lemon icing, summer cake

Still craving more and more sweets and treats? Check out our Apple Galette with Date Syrup, our Banana Chocolate Chip Bars, and our Peach Crumble Muffins for an extra fruity kick!

Still hungry? Check out our Summery Lemon Meringue Tart, our Nectarine Turnovers, and our Dairy-Free Rhubarb Frangipane Tart for some more summer dishes!

9 Comments

  1. Icing is totally happiness! This recipe looks delicious.

  2. I love anything with lemon and want to make this right now. Stunning!

  3. Oh my goodness this sounds so Amazing!!

  4. Count me in for this! Lemon anything is great, and I love the suggestion of having with raspberries – YUM!

  5. I love lemon flavoured cake! This looks delicious!

  6. I literally just bought 10 baskets of strawberries today because they were so cheap. Now I know exactly what to do with them!

  7. Am I glad were in spring again. Then we can bake these lovely cakes with strawberries. I’m going to make this recipe soon for sure.

  8. Wow! That is one delicious looking cake. I wish I had a slice to enjoy with my coffee this morning!

  9. Michele Peterson

    Loved this lemony recipe and appreciated the tip on hot water for the icing! It really helped make for smooth spreadability