A Refreshing Lemon Tea Cake

This light and lemony tea cake is the perfect treat when you’re craving something not-too-sweet with your afternoon tea or morning coffee. It’s easy to make, bright and buttery, and won’t leave you feeling weighed down.

This post was originally published January 7, 2011. It has been updated with more content and new photographs.

When you have a lemon tree and life gives you lots of lemons, it’s a wonderful quandary to be in! My family uses lemons in so many, many ways. My kids can’t live without lemon juice in their homemade chicken noodle soup.

We have used our fresh lemons to make homemade limoncello and for the kiddos, honey lemonade. But my favorite way to use lemons? Why baking of course!

Every morning I sit down and enjoy my morning tea. Although I try to cut back on sweets, I still long for a scone, muffin or sweet bread to savor with my lovely cup of tea. This wonderful lemon tea cake is always a comforting treat.

Ingredients you need

• Lemon: You will need the zest and juice from one lemon. You can also use a regular orange or a sour seville orange.
• Butter: I bake using unsalted butter. Always bring it to room temperature so it is softened and ready to mix.
• Egg: Use large eggs in this recipe and bring them to room temperature before mixing.
• Milk: I usually have full fat milk in my refrigerator, but you can use low fat or a nut milk instead.
• Pantry staples: All purpose flour, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt.

Step-by-step directions

1. Cream the sugar. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer cream butter, then mix in sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, milk and lemon juice and mix until well incorporated.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In another bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients and lemon zest to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
3. Bake. Apply non-stick spray to a 8″x 4″ loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour batter inside. Bake the tea cake at 350ºF in oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
4. Cool. Let the tea cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
5. Glaze. Mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spoon glaze over the top of the cake, allowing the excess to drip down the sides. Sprinkle with lemon zest.

Expert tips and recipe FAQs

This cake is delightful on its own, but you can mix in some blueberries or raspberries, or add some fresh mint or lavender to the batter. You can even make this cake with sour seville oranges or regular oranges, too.

Besides this lemon tea cake, you should try my blueberry lemon bars. And if you don’t want to bake with butter, you should definitely try my olive oil lemon cake, my creamy olive oil lemon curd or my lemon blueberry muffins.

Lemon Tea Cake

Laura Bashar | Family Spice

This light and lemony tea cake is the perfect treat when you’re craving something not-too-sweet with your afternoon tea or morning coffee. It’s easy to make, bright and buttery, and won’t leave you feeling weighed down.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Additional Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course Muffins & Scones

Cuisine American

Servings 10 servings

Calories 299 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 3 tablespoon grated lemon zest divided
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream butter, then gradually mix in 1 cup sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated.
• Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
• On low speed, mix in milk.
• Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, then 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and mix well.
• Apply non-stick spray to a 8"x 4" loaf pan, and pour batter inside.
• Bake tea cake in oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• When the cake has cooled, in a small bowl mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
• Spoon glaze over the top of the tea cake, allowing the excess to drip down the sides.
• In a small bowl stir remaining zest and 1 TBLS sugar together. Sprinkle sugared lemon peel over the top of the cake.
  

Notes

Serving Suggestions: Great with oranges, too!

TO STORE: You can store any leftover cake at room temperature on the counter if covered with foil or plastic wrap. It will keep like this for up to 3 days. It will last longer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

TO FREEZE: You can also freeze cake. Wrap in foil or plastic and freeze for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 299kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 4gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 178mgPotassium: 57mgFiber: 1gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 351IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 1mg

Keyword lemon tea cake, tea cake

Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Be sure to tag @FamilySpice

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my eMail list, too!