Ready in less than an hour, this moist Sourdough Discard Lemon Loaf is the perfect bake for the lemon lovers in your life! It's full of lemon flavor and topped with a sugary, lemon glaze!
When it's lemon season, you have to use all those lemons for delicious bakes! Not only can you make lemon poppyseed sourdough muffins, you can make this delicious lemon loaf, which is actually closer to a sourdough lemon cake than it is a bread.
Slather a homemade lemon glaze on top and you have a light yet moist sourdough cake that is perfect any time of day!
The best part about this sourdough lemon loaf? All you have to do is mix and bake! It's a great brunch item along with sourdough biscuits, afternoon snack, or even dessert! And if you've been here for a bit, you know I love a sourdough dessert!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Full of lemony flavor. Lemon is such a bright flavor, it goes perfectly with the tang of the sourdough discard.
- It's a great use for sourdough discard. I always have a jar of sourdough discard in the refrigerator. I love making all kinds of sourdough discard recipes, but this one has quickly made it's way to the top!
- It's a great make ahead recipe! This lemon sourdough cake is great to make and then store. When you are ready to enjoy it, slather the glaze on top and enjoy! It's great for a make ahead treat!
Ingredients to Gather
- Flour. All purpose flour will work great in this recipe.
- Sourdough discard. If you are new to sourdough, you might be wondering what is sourdough discard? It's the extra starter that you have after your feed your sourdough starter.
- Sugar. You'll need both powdered sugar (or confectioner's sugar) and granulated sugar.
- Lemons. This is a lemon loaf cake after all! We'll be using both lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Butter. One stick. The butter should be at room temperature.
- Baking powder. Even though we are using sourdough starter discard, it's unfed, meaning it is not bubbly and active. The baking powder does the hard work of making the lemon sourdough loaf rise.
Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Sourdough Discard Lemon Loaf
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan with butter. In a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well and set that aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sourdough discard to the stand mixer. Mix well until everything is fully combined, scraping down the bowl if necessary.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, do not overmix. It's ok if there are a few lumps left in the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Once the loaf is baked, take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the loaf from the pan. Mix together ¼ cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon. Brush the syrup on the warm loaf. Let the loaf cool completely and then top the lemon loaf with the lemony glaze.
Lynn's Tip!
If you find that the top of the loaf cake is browning too quickly, tent aluminum foil over the loaf pan while the cake continues baking.
Tips and Tricks
- For best results, fresh lemons are best. Even though you can buy a squeezy bottle of lemon juice in the store, fresh lemons and fresh lemon zest is best.
- Make sure the butter and sugar are well mixed together before adding the rest of the ingredients. That adds to a light and fluffy texture to the lemon loaf.
- Grease your loaf pan thoroughly to prevent the loaf from sticking. You can also use parchment paper to line the pan for easy removal.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps prevent the loaf from breaking apart.
Variations
- Instead of a lemon glaze, top the sourdough lemon loaf with a cream cheese frosting for a more decadent sourdough dessert!
- Add some blueberries. Fresh or frozen blueberries add bursts of sweetness and color to the cake. Toss them in a bit of flour before folding them into the batter to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
- Add some lemon curd. Swirl in some lemon curd into the batter for pockets of intense lemony goodness. Drop spoonful's of lemon curd onto the batter in the pan and use a knife to gently swirl it in.
- Add some mix ins! Add white chocolate, dried fruit, flaked coconut, or chopped pecans or walnuts for some added texture and flavor.
Storage Info
Store the cooled, un-glazed loaf in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to keep it fresh. It can be kept at room temperature for a few days or refrigerated for longer storage.
You can also freeze this lemon cake! Before freezing, make sure that the lemon loaf is completely cooled. Freezing it while it's still warm can lead to condensation, which can make the loaf soggy. Wrap the cooled lemon loaf tightly in plastic wrap. Make sure it's sealed well to prevent freezer burn and to maintain freshness. You can then freeze the cake for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to enjoy the lemon loaf, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Thawing it slowly in the fridge helps maintain its texture and prevents it from becoming soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Since we are not letting the batter ferment, active starter or sourdough discard will both work in this recipe.
Yes! To long ferment the recipe, add all the ingredient except the baking powder to the bowl. Mix well. Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, add the baking powder, pour it into a prepared loaf pan and then bake.
Do not overmix the batter. Once you add in the flour, mix until it is just combined. Too much mixing and the batter will be very dense.
More Sourdough Recipes
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Discard Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted, room temperature
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- ¾ cup Sourdough Discard
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
For the lemon syrup
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
- 3 tablespoon Lemon Juice
For the Glaze
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar plus more for a thicker consistency
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 tablespoon Whole Milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan with butter. Set that aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set that aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the granulated sugar and butter. Cream on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until fully combined and light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, sourdough discard, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the bowl of the stand mixer. Mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix for 30 seconds or until the ingredients are just mixed. Do not overmix at this point.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Remove the loaf pan from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- While the loaf cools, mix together the ingredients for the lemon syrup. Remove the cake from the loaf pan and place it on a cutting board or a plate. Brush the lemon syrup all over the loaf while it is still warm. After the syrup has been brushed into the loaf pan, let it cool to room temperature.
- When the loaf has cooled completely, mix together the glaze ingredients. For a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar. For a thinner glaze, add more milk or lemon juice. Pour the glaze over the cake and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you find that the top of the loaf cake is browning too quickly, tent aluminum foil over the loaf pan while the cake continues baking.
- For best results, fresh lemons are best. Even though you can buy a squeezy bottle of lemon juice in the store, fresh lemons and fresh lemon zest is best.
- Make sure the butter and sugar are well mixed together before adding the rest of the ingredients. That adds to a light and fluffy texture to the lemon loaf.
- Grease your loaf pan thoroughly to prevent the loaf from sticking. You can also use parchment paper to line the pan for easy removal.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps prevent the loaf from breaking apart.
Margo says
Amazing! Stays moist for days!
Danielle says
Can the lemon oil be substituted with something else, like vegetable oil?
Lynn Polito says
Hi! There is no lemon oil in the recipe. You can substitute vegetable oil for the melted butter if that's what you mean?
Monique says
Hello, for freezing instructions do you still recommend adding the glaze and frosting then sliced and into the freezer or freezing it plain without any glaze? Thank you!
Lynn Polito says
I would not glaze it, but freeze it, and when you are ready to defrost the loaf, then glaze it.