Copycat Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf

This Copycat Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf is bursting with fresh lemon flavor, featuring a moist, buttery crumb and topped with a sweet, tangy glaze. It’s the perfect bakery-style treat to enjoy with coffee, tea, or as a refreshing anytime snack!

Luscious Lemon Loaf Cake. . .Yum!

It all started when I stopped at Starbucks for a cup of hot tea. 

I was on a book deadline. Nothing new there. I needed a quiet place to slip away for an hour or two. I’m not really a coffee fan but I do love a good cup of Earl Grey tea. So, I opted for that. 

But something else was calling my name that day. There, in the glass case, the loveliest iced lemon loaf. Yum. 

I found it irresistible. So, I bought a slice and enjoyed it with my tea. Perfection! (Bonus: I added 1100 words to my book in that Starbucks!) 

Could I replicate it at home? 

This question was front and center in my mind. I figured I could (probably) make a whole loaf cake for what that one slice cost me. 

So, I decided to give it a try. I went online and searched for copycat recipes. I found several, but I didn’t have the ingredients they called for. (Many called for sour cream.) Also, I preferred to use real lemons and not lemon extract, an ingredient found in most of the copycat recipes. 

I did happen to have something on hand that I’ve used many times in cake-baking: mayonnaise.

Does Mayonnaise Work in Place of Sour Cream?

Now, I know enough about the science of baking to realize that mayonnaise is made of oil and eggs. So, I cut back on the number of eggs that some of the online recipes called for. With the mayonnaise in play, I would only need two, not three. And I found myself making another change: Many online recipes called for butter. But, I also know from experience that cakes are lighter when you use oil, not butter. I wouldn’t need much (since the mayo contains oil) so I opted for half a cup. 

And that, my friends, is how this unique copycat recipe was born. 

I’ll tell you more about the outcome later on, but I will say it was beyond delicious and just as yummy as the slice I paid for that day at Starbucks. 

Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make this cake. These are such simple ingredients. You might already have them on hand in your kitchen. 

• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable 
• 2 medium lemons
• 1 cup full-fat mayonnaise
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• Zest of juice of one lemon

How to Make Iced Lemon Loaf

This comes together so easily and quickly! Even if you’re not inclined to bake cakes from scratch, this is one you can easily pull off, I promise. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Prepare a loaf pan. Spray with non-stick spray and add parchment paper to the bottom and two sides. (See photo.) Spray the paper with non-stick spray. 

Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and oil. 

Add the zest and juice from two lemons. Mix well. 

Now add the mayonnaise. Whisk together. 

Add the sugar and mix well. 

Add dry ingredients and mix well. 

You will have a thick batter. 

Place batter in the loaf pan and place in preheated oven. 

Bake for 65 - 75 minutes or until the loaf is fully cooked. Test with a tooth pick or cake tester to make sure it’s done in the center. (If the top is getting too brown you can set a loose piece of aluminum foil on top for the final 10 - 15 minutes.)

Remove and place on wire rack to cool. 

After ten minutes, turn the cake out of the pan and allow it to continue cooling. 

While cake is cooling, make the glaze. 

Combine 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar and the juice and zest of one lemon. Mix well. 

If you need to thicken the glaze (to your preference) add a bit more powdered sugar. 

Be sure to stir out the lumps. 

When cake has completely cooled, cover the top with glaze. 

Serve and enjoy! 

Store leftovers in refrigerator in airtight container. They should stay fresh for 3-4 days. You can freeze this cake in a freezer bag, if you like. It should stay good in the freezer up to two months. 

What to Expect from this Cake

The flavor of this cake is bright and delicious. The texture? Thanks to the mayonnaise and other ingredients: it’s perfection. This is truly a yummy copycat recipe that you will use again and again. (And it’s a lot less expensive than the Starbucks version, I promise.) I did want to add that baking in a loaf pan is always risky. Sometimes the outside edges get dark before the inside of the cake is quite done. If that happens to you, (as it did to me), just trim off the dark ends before serving.

Variations to this Recipe

I love a great lemon cake and I also enjoy changing them up. Here are some of the ways I’ve done so over the years: 

Blueberry (or blackberry): Add fresh or frozen berries to the batter. Berries are perfect with lemon! 

Coconut: I have a delicious recipe for lemon coconut loaf. It’s so delicious! 

Coconut milk: You can add coconut milk in place of the mayonnaise but you’ll need to add an extra egg. 

Pecans: If you’re going to add coconut, you might as well throw in a cup of chopped pecans. (Delicious!) 

Coconut Pecan Frosting: I have a delicious recipe that calls for a canister of coconut pecan frosting to be added to a lemon cake mix. It’s so yummy! 

Other Lemon Favorites from Out of the Box Baking

If you love the light, bright flavor of lemon you’re going to flip over these recipes. 

• The Ultimate Lemon Chiffon Cake
• Triple Lemon Poke Cake
• Lemon Shortbread Cookies
• Lemon Crinkle Cookies
• Lemon High Tea Cookies

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That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.