Erin’s Recipe Rundown
This gluten-free lemon loaf is everything I love about the Starbucks original. It’s tangy and full of bright lemon flavor, plus the glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything with this copycat recipe!
Why You’ll Love It: Anyone who loves lemon will love the bold lemon flavor of this bread! Plus the cream cheese creates a tender, bakery-style crumb that stays moist for days. It’s simple to make, freezes well, and a perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert!
Top Tips: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so it blends smoothly, and lower the oven temperature after 15 minutes to prevent over-browning.
xoxo erin
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make gluten-free lemon loaf. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: Use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour best for this recipe. I’ve also had good results with King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour.
- Cream cheese: This is my secret ingredient! It gives the loaf stability and an incredibly moist texture. Use it at room temperature so it blends well without lumps. I also love using cream cheese in my gluten-free marble loaf cake for an extra tender crumb.
- Powdered sugar: Sift before combining with the fresh lemon juice for a smooth, pourable consistency.
- Lemon juice and zest: Fresh is best for both the batter and the glaze! The zest adds brightness and juice brings tanginess for the perfect amount of bold lemon flavor. Fresh lemon also shines in my gluten-free lemon blueberry bread!
How to Make Gluten-Free Lemon Loaf
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Prepare the wet and dry mixtures: In one bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the wet ingredients and cream cheese until smooth and well blended.
Add the butter: Slowly pour in the melted butter. Don’t rush—if you add it too quickly, the batter can look curdled. It should blend in smoothly and create a silky, emulsified batter.
Combine wet and dry: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture a little at a time, just until fully incorporated.
Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature and continue baking until golden brown. The toothpick test in the center is the easiest way to ensure it’s fully baked.
Make the glaze: While the loaf cools, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle generously over the top of the loaf, then let it set before slicing.
More Gluten-Free Copycat Recipes
Gluten-Free Lemon Loaf (Starbucks Copycat)
Video
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups (200g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Other
- 1¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup (113g) butter, melted
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and lightly coat the pan with gluten-free flour. Tap out any excess flour.
- For the lemon loaf: In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, eggs and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand or hand mixer. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until well-combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix for another minute.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the melted butter. Continue to mix on low and add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again until the batter is completely smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue baking for 35-40 minutes. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the lemon glaze: In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the cooled loaf. Let the glaze set before serving.
This Lemon Loaf is delicious but the loaf didn’t rise. I used King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Flour and followed the rest of the directions but its flat. Would adding additional baking powder help? Any other suggestions?
Hi Sara! We’re sorry your lemon loaf didn’t rise as expected! King Arthur Measure for Measure is the flour we recommend for this recipe, so that shouldn’t be an issue. We don’t recommend increasing the baking powder. If the loaf never rose, we’d recommend checking that the baking powder is fresh since old powder will limit the rise. Oven temperature accuracy can also play a part. If the loaf rose, then sank that may indicate that it was underbaked and needed more time in the oven. We hope these ideas help!