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.
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Recipe highlights
- Easy: This is super easy cake to make whether you need a quick loaf cake for a tea with friends or last minute guests. And all of the ingredients are easy to find – you probably already have them in your kitchen!
- Texture: This bright and lemony cake is perfectly fluffy and tender. And as a loaf cake, it really is just the right size for snack cake or quick bread for the whole family to enjoy.
- Flavor: For a lemon tea cake, this buttery cake is lightly sweet and full of lemon flavor. You can add as much as or as little lemony glaze as you like. And it stays moist and full of flavor for up to a week, too!
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
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- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Cool. Let the tea cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- 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.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
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.
ABSOLUTELY! I regularly bake with extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. I do this for bread, scones, cookies, muffins and yes, even cake. Baking with oil not only yields a moist muffin, scone or cake, but it can also add flavor, depending on the flavor of your olive oil. A good ratio to start with is 3:4, for every 1 cup of butter, swap out for ¾ cup of olive oil.
Lemon Tea Cake
Ingredients
- 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
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
Nutrition
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.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
Sweetener in your tea? Blasphemy! I love tea too (although occasionally I'll enjoy a cup of coffee). This lemon bread looks delicious. I'm having my bridesmaid over this weekend, so I might have to do cake and tea.
This is a beautiful lemon bread… craving now!
Fantastic bread to go with a cup of tea. I love a good lemon bread…it's so fresh and satisfying.
Thanks for replying. I don't live near a Marshall's or a Home Goods, but there is a Ross down the street. I will have to check it out, because I think your dishes are beautiful. $3 is a steal of a deal!!
Your lovely photos will make us all want a slice (or two or three) of your delicious bread. I can't drink coffee, too many bad side effects, but I do like the taste of it. Tea is my #1 though but I can't stand sugar in either, occasionally I'll add honey to a lemon ginger tea. I'm going to check out your recipe, my mouth is watering.
I think the tea lovers win! hee! hee!
Jenn, I get almost all of my dishes from Marshall's, Home Goods & Ross. I believe the serving dish only cost me $3! I love a good deal.
I love lemon. This looks delicious. This is the 3rd blog I have seen those white dishes on. I love them, do you mind telling me where they are from?
I love hot tea and hot cocoa! This is just what I need now, a warm piece of delightful bread and a cup of hot tea!
Lemon flavored things have been on my mind lately. They're just so refreshing and totally sound good after a holiday season packed full of heavy sweets. This bread looks great (and beautiful!)! Thanks for the recipe!
I love tea AND coffee and this bread would be great with both! It reminds me of my nana's lemon pound cake 😀
We'll have to share a cup of tea together some time!
I am like you, I am not a coffee person, but I love my tea (with honey not sugar)!! I Love the smell of coffee, but I can not handle even the slightest taste, it ruins any good dessert for me…
Your bread looks delicious!!! I will have to save this recipe to try it out!!