Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to my MOM!, Happy Birthday to you!
My mom, affectionately known as “Bella” to the grandkids, is celebrating a BIG birthday today. She LOVES all things lemon…lemon bars, lemon cookies, lemon cocktails and her favorite, lemon meringue pie …so these super soft, fluffy Little Lemon Loaves are made just for her.
Let me just say that I’ve made these Little Lemon Loaves FIVE times in a matter of two weeks. FIVE. That’s twelve mini loaves and one large loaf in nearly just as many days. Recipe testing, Easter celebrations, more recipe testing, photographing and of course, lemon loaf giveaways to the lucky few that received one before we ate it all.
And yes, this bread bakes up just as well in a larger loaf pan, so don’t let my obsession with tiny baked goods deter you from trying this if you don’t have a mini loaf pan*.
Holy cow, this bread is amazing. I wouldn’t quite call it breakfast, more like a light dessert, or something delicious to snack on when your sweet tooth calls around 3:00 pm. However, Em and I have eaten it for breakfast many times in the past two weeks, so…
I could go on and on about the soft and moist lemony bread itself, but really, it’s all about the glaze. The drippy, sweet-and-sour, lemony glaze. My trick? Flip the warm breads over and glaze them upside-down, so the glaze has a chance to soak into the bread. And you know what? It’s even sweeter and more lemony the next day.
My sister and I are taking the birthday girl away for a girls-only spa weekend to celebrate her BIG day and these Little Lemon Loaves are coming with us…
…if my little lemon loaf thief doesn’t eat it all first (she seriously had three slices after I snapped this photo!)
Happy Birthday, Mom!
Little Hands Can…
- Measure and mix both the dry and wet ingredients
- Juice the lemon for both the batter and the glaze
- Spoon the batter into the loaf pan(s)
- Mix the ingredients for the glaze and drizzle it on the loaves once they’re baked
(*Disclaimer: Please note that the links designated with an * are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links, with no extra cost to you. I recommend these products because they are products I love!)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1½ tablespoons lemon zest (from about 1½ lemons; you'll use the other half of the lemon to zest for the glaze)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about ½ a lemon)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (canola or coconut oil would work fine as well)
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 1 cup plain, Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (from the other half of the lemon zested for the bread)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a mini-loaf pan or a large loaf pan by greasing it with butter or cooking spray. If using a mini-loaf pan, the recipe will yield 3 mini loaves.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to work the lemon zest and sugar together, until the sugar feels like wet sand and smells lemony. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, oil, applesauce and yogurt. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Using a large spatula, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Take care not to over mix the batter. Scoop or pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan, filling each about ¾ full if you're using the mini-loaf pan.
- For mini loaves, bake at 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes. For a larger loaf, bake for 35-40 minutes (my larger loaf took about 38 minutes). Use a toothpick to check for doneness. The edges will be slightly golden brown, the bread will look firm on top and a toothpick will come out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it. Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert the bread onto a cooling rack.
- In a small bowl, combine the zest, lemon juice and powdered sugar and stir until smooth. The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle it with a spoon. If it's too thick, add more lemon juice. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Place a piece of wax paper under the cooling rack with the bread. Use a small spoon to drizzle the glaze over the top of the bread(s). (If any glaze drips down onto the wax paper, don't be afraid to scrape it back onto your spoon and drizzle it again so you get all of that glaze-goodness.) Let the loaves cool completely before slicing and serving.
Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe to make the bread egg-free!
On the Side
Little Lemon Loaves…see where I’m going with this one? It’s all about alliteration with this recipe…see, I did it again! Check out our alliteration lesson here!
Disclaimer: As with all of our recipes, my suggestions for how kids can help with a particular recipe are based on what has worked in our kitchen. Your child may be able to help more or less based on their age and/or ability. As always, make sure you are properly supervising kids in the kitchen.
Carol says
April 9, 2016 at 6:49 AMYum! I have a lemon pound cake that my family loves that is similar to your loaves- I want to try your recipe and add it to my list of lemon treats. I also love all things lemon! I always feel inspired after I read your posts. Please send Happy Birthday greetings to Bella!
Sally says
April 11, 2016 at 9:48 PMThanks, Carol! That’s so nice to hear. We love lemon too! Let me know if you get to try the lemon bread 🙂
Linda Toonen says
April 9, 2016 at 8:22 AMSally, these look delicious! And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARY LOU!!!
Sally says
April 11, 2016 at 9:49 PMThank you! I’ll bring some up next time we come up to visit.
Mary Lou Nall says
April 9, 2016 at 4:45 PMThank you for the tribute and wonderful day! Love you so much!!
Bella
Sally says
April 11, 2016 at 9:49 PMLove you, Mom! Happy Birthday!