This easy lemon lavender loaf is refreshing citrus bread full of goodness! Top it with candied lemon slices or sugar glaze and enjoy with a cup of coffee.
Guys, do you use citrus fruit in baking a lot? Or do you prefer Chocolate Desserts? I personally love citrus flavored sweet treats.
Homemade Lemon Tart is my favorite citrus dessert. Mini Chocolate Caramel Cups with Lemon Curd are also high on my list. They are so refreshing and perfect for spring!
Now to make this lemon lavender loaf I used my recipe for Orange Loaf Cake. I decided to add lavender because lavender goes so well with lemon and garnished the bread with candied lemon slices.
How to make lemon loaf with lavender
First turn on your oven. The preparation is pretty quick so you don’t want to be waiting long with your bread sitting on the kitchen counter.
Second, melt the butter in a microwave (or stove top – whichever you prefer).
Now move on to juicing the lemons. You will need ½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice for the lemon bread batter and an extra ¼ cup that you will pour over the loaf at a later stage.
I used 5 small lemons but you might need more or less, depending on the size of your lemons and how juicy they are.
To make the batter for this easy lemon loaf with lavender, simply mix sugar and eggs until pale and smooth. This will take about 1-2 minutes (depending on how powerful your electric mixer is).
You can add lemon juice, melted butter and dried lavender flowers in. Mix this well before sifting in flour and baking powder. Give it a good mix again and pour it into a loaf tin that is lined with parchment paper. This lemon lavender loaf will fit perfectly into a 2-pound tin (10 x 4 inch/25 x 10 centimeter).
How to make candied lemon
Candied Lemon might not be to everyone’s taste so you can completely skip this but if you are interested in making it, know it is very easy.
To make it you will need sugar, water, lemons and a saucepan or pot, preferably with wide bottom. Make sure to wash the lemon thoroughly and if you can, use organic or wax-free lemons. (If you are not sure what lemons you bought, I recommend having a look at this article: How to wash lemons).
Simmer the lemon slices in simple syrup for 20 minutes. When done, take each slice out and place it onto a plate covered with paper kitchen towel. The towel will suck in the excess liquid. You can also place the plate in your fridge if you want to speed up the cooling process.
These lemons are the perfect decoration not only for this lavender lemon loaf but also for various lemon flavored desserts. However, making them is completely optional.
Good to know
- All-purpose flour (US) = Plain flour (UK).
- The amount of lavender used here gives this lemon lavender loaf a nice flavor but it is not overpowering. If you don’t like lavender, you can completely omit it.
- Candied lemon slices are also optional.
- Sugar glaze can be also poured over.
Guys, this lemon lavender quick bread is perfect for spring and it would also make a great present!
Easy Lemon Lavender Loaf
Ingredients
Loaf:
- 2 eggs (medium)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- ½ cup lemon juice , freshly squeezed (120 milliliters)
- ¾ stick unsalted butter , melted (80 grams)
- 1 teaspoon dried lavender
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (280 grams)
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
Lemon juice:
- ¼ cup lemon juice , freshly squeezed (60 milliliters)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Candied lemons: Optional
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 cup water (250 milliliters)
- 2 lemons (small)
Instructions
Lemon lavender loaf:
- Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and creamy. Add lemon juice, melted butter and lavender. Mix until combined.
- Sift in the flour with baking powder and mix with a mixer until well combined. Pour the batter into a 2 pound loaf tin lined with baking paper.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 360° Farenheit /180° Celsius for 40-45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Right after you take out the bread from the oven, pour over it the sweetened lemon juice. Let the bread cool down before slicing.
- Optional: Arrange candied lemon slices on the loaf or on each slice.
Candied lemon:
- In a wide-bottom saucepan/pot heat the sugar and water until the sugar is melted. Thinly slice the lemon and put it inside the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes. Place two paper kitchen towels onto a plate and transfer the slices onto the plate. Let them cool down. If you want to speed up the chilling process, place the plate in your fridge.
Notes
- It is important to pour the sweetened lemon juice over the bread right after you take it out from the oven!
- Candied lemon slices are completely optional.
- All-purpose flour (US) = Plain flour (UK).
- This bread fits perfectly into a 2-pound (900-grams) loaf tin.
Traci says
Omgoodness, this looks and sounds incredible! I predict this will become everyone’s favorite spring season treat. Love the combo of lemon and lavender together! Pinning and sharing :)
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks so much, Traci!
Anna says
I do love citrus hints in bakes, and use lemon zest a lot in my cakes too! This lemon lavender loaf looks like a dream, and your pictures are fantastic! Pinning this too!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you, Anna! :)
Ann says
I love both chocolate and citrusy desserts! It’s totally mood-dependent :). This, I would totally eat right now! I love those candied lemon slices too. So pretty.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Haha, I totally understand. Mood has a lot to do with what I make too :)
Jen says
Yum! Two of my favorite flavors in such a pretty loaf. This looks wonderful!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you!
georgie says
this is gorgeous! I’ve never used lavender in cooking before but I can image the flavor would be beautiful and light!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
The key is to add only a little amount of lavender as it is pretty strong. I highly recommend giving it a go! :)
Natalie says
This cake looks amazing! So tender and moist and I love the combination of lemon and lavender!
Natalia Pierson says
I don’t see the temperature for the oven
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Natalia. Sorry about that. I have already updated the recipe card – it’s 360F (180C).
Sum says
Thanks for sharing such an easy and delicious recipe! I made it for my sister who loves citrusy (and particularly lemony) stuff. It tasted quite nice although it wasn’t half as pretty as yours!
Could you help me with a couple of issues I faced? When I poured the lemon – sugar syrup immediately after taking the pan out of the oven, some of it did not get absorbed even after a few minutes so I tipped the pan and removed it. Second, the loaf crumbles quite a bit while slicing even after the loaf has cooled. I plan to make it again for my sister who loved it despite everything, so I am hoping you would help me figure out where I could have gone wrong! Thanks!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Sum, thanks for your feedback. Don’t worry if the loaf does not absorb all of the liquid. You can either use less lemon/sugar syrup next time or just pour a little, wait until the syrup has been absorbed and only then add more. If you see the loaf does not take anymore syrup, stop pouring. As for the crumbling – there can be several issues. Try using large eggs instead next time and also maybe whisk eggs and sugar longer. Hope this helps!
Sally says
Please let me know what brand of culinary dried lavender you use. Thank you.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Sally. I always use organic lavender from my aunt’s garden so I am afraid I won’t be able to help you there.
Ling says
Hi, would you say this is more like cake than bread? Im really keen to try this out, but as a novice baker, im at a loss which setting to use on my bread machine. Thanks for your help
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Ling, unfortunately I don’t own a bread machine so have no idea how those work but I would not go with normal bread setting. Is there a quick bread setting? Quick breads are similar to cakes. Please let us know, how it turned out if you give it a go!
Soraya says
Hello. Could I use a 9×5 pan for this recipe?
Saara says
Hello if i am using a glaze do i still need to pour the juice over the loaf?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Saara. Yes. It intensifies the lemon flavor. Happy Baking!
Ari says
Hello! I tried this recipe out today!! I been gathering everything I need slowly and finally came to baking this beauty. I followed everything as instructed and my cake didn’t turn out well at all. I don’t know if something was wrong with the flour or what exactly it was. My bread after being in the oven for 55 min (had to go longer because I have an older oven) came out sooo doughy and uncooked. I left it longer and unfortunately nothing working and I had to throw it away. I really was super excited for this and looking forward to have it with my coffee in the mornings. If you possible know what I did wrong I would love the advice so I can try one more time.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Ari. I am sorry to hear that. You mentioned you have an old oven, so I am guessing it only needed to be baked for longer. There is no need to throw it away next time. You just bake until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Another question is, did you bake it at the right temperature? The recipes states both for Fahrenheit and Celsius. Did your batter looked thick -like on my process photos? Maybe you live at a high altitude – this would also mean that baking takes longer than at sea level. These are the things I would consider to keep an eye/check before baking it next time. Hope it helps!
Pamela says
Hi Julia, I made your orange loaf and it really was fabulous, I plan on trying this next but I usually work with grams, I know you mentioned that you do your own conversions, would you let me know what they are for the flour and sugar in this recipe please? Thanks!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Pamela. I have already updated the recipe card with grams (not sure why half of them were missing). Hope you enjoy this loaf as much as you enjoyed the orange loaf. Happy baking!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great blend of flavors for spring!