Citrus Almond Loaf Cake

This Citrus Almond Loaf Cake is a play on Starbucks lemon loaf cake, but has a lemon-lime and almond twist. This homemade lime and lemon cake is made in a loaf pan and topped with a citrus almond glaze that is to die for! A perfect lemon dessert for spring or summer!

This sweet lime, almond, and lemon loaf cake recipe (aka, Citrus Almond Loaf Cake) is, hands down, my favorite easy cake recipe! 

It’s simple and light, and it is almost impossible to mess up this limey, lemon bread recipe. 

Back when I wore Lip Smackers necklaces and glitter butterfly clips in my hair (every.single.day), I didn’t believe citrus-flavored anything could be considered a “sweet.”

It was too tangy, devoid of chocolate, and didn’t compare to strawberry cake with strawberry frosting, which was pretty much my favorite dessert for a solid two years.

(I went through strong phases as a child…there was a lime green vest incident that made an appearance weekly and a full-blown Full House obsession that lasted a loooong while.)

Whenever it was that I finally discovered citrus was more than the flavor of soul-crushing cough drops, my tastebuds turned a corner.

Chocolate everything was–and still is–life, but those citrus flavors began steadily climbing the charts. Lemon Bars, Lemon Coconut Cake, and Key Lime Yogurt Pie fall into my “favorite dessert” category, despite their lack of all things chocolate.

The tang I disliked so much when I was younger is half of the reason I love all things lime and lemon bread. It’s amazing how tastes change as you age, ya know??

I’m pretty sure the turning point had everything to do with a lemon loaf cake from Starbucks, because, umm, wow. For a coffee shop that’s on every corner, those little lemon cakes are a thing of glory.

That is, until they crushed my spirits by adding a calorie count to everything.

Thanks, Starbucks, but I really preferred to eat my lemon loaf and drink my frappuccino in blissful ignorance.

Now, I just feel immense guilt.

So, this is more than just a lemon loaf cake. The flavor of it does resemble a copycat Starbucks’ lemon loaf cake, but the addition of lime and almond take the flavor up a few notches. 

The best part of this lemon bread recipe is the simplicity of the ingredients:

• flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
• canola oil
• milk
• eggs
• lemon and lime zest
• lemon and lime juice
• almond extract
• slivered almonds
• powdered sugar 

And, a little tip from me to you: When making this lemon loaf, don’t just eyeball the amount of citrus juice you’re adding to the recipe. Definitely measure it out, otherwise you will find yourself with a burnt outside and soggy inside. 

Don’t ask me how I know.

Citrus Almond Loaf Cake Tips & Tricks:

• Despite the fact I use lemons and limes in this recipe, you could interchange the liquids for whatever citrus liquid you want. Fresh orange juice and zest would work great in this loaf cake recipe. Or, you could just do all lemon juice or all lime juice–whatever you have on hand will work great.
• If you feel like the outside of the lemon almond cake is baking faster than the inside, you can ‘tent’ a piece of foil over the bread pan. This will allow for the center to cook while protecting the outside of the bread.
• Allow the bread to cool a little bit before drizzling over the glaze.

If you like lip-puckering citrus desserts, you’re hands down going to love this limey, tangy easy lemon bread!

5 from 4 votes

Citrus Almond Loaf Cake

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 55 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

This Citrus Almond Loaf Cake is a play on Starbucks lemon loaf cake, but has a lemon-lime and almond twist. This homemade lime and lemon cake is made in a loaf pan and topped with a citrus almond glaze that is to die for! A perfect lemon dessert for spring or summer!

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

Bread

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 Tbsp lime zest
• ▢ 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• ▢ 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup milk
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• ▢ 1/2 tsp almond extract

Glaze

• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1-2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice, or a mix of both
• ▢ 1/2 tsp almond extract
• ▢ 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 bread pan.

Bread

• In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and both lemon zest and lime zest. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix together canola oil, milk, eggs, lemon juice, lime juice, and almond extract. Whisk until well combined.
• Slowly stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Once the mixture has just been combined, pour the batter into prepared bread pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean (My oven took exactly 55 minutes).
• Allow to cool at least 10-20 minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a cooling rack.

Glaze

• Mix lemon juice (or lime juice or a combination of both--whichever you prefer), almond extract, and powdered sugar together until well combined.
• With the bread on the cooling rack, pour glaze over the bread. Immediately, while the glaze is still wet, sprinkle the almonds on top. Allow glaze to set, about five minutes or so, before cutting.
• Enjoy!

The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Make sure to tag me on Instagram and leave a rating below and let me know how it turned out!

Here are some other recipes I think you’ll love:

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake Muffins

Coconut Lemon Bars

Updated 2020.