Best Lemon Berry Loaf with Yogurt is soft, dense, and bursting with juicy berries. The lemon icing, optional but recommended, makes it tart and sweet at the same time. A delightful anytime cake that is also easy to make.
Song of the day: "Cheerleader" by Omi
When it comes to what kind of sweets I like to bake and eat, this type of simple baked goods are on top of my preferences.
Best Lemon Berry Loaf with Yogurt
I find the combination of citrus fruit and berries to be the best combination ever. So fresh, sweet, tart, and juicy.
Here are the ingredients you would need to make this delicious loaf cake:
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- fine sea salt
- plain whole-milk yogurt or Greek yogurt
- sugar
- eggs
- lemon zest
- vanilla extract
- vegetable oil
- mixed berries
The preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 5 or 9 by 6 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper going up the sides.
- Sift together 1 and ½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla, and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Mix the berries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and, with a spatula, fold them very gently into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Why it is the Best Lemon Berry Loaf
- The ingredients are basic and can be adjusted to your liking. Scroll down for the suggested substitutions.
- It is easy and quick to make. You do not need any fancy equipment, just a couple of bowls, a whisk, a spatula, and a loaf pan.
- It smells good, tastes amazing, and the texture is incredibly soft.
- It is a versatile cake that you can have either at brunch, snack, or dessert.
The icing
It is absolutely optional, but nonethless it gives the taste buds an additional level of interest, being delightfully sweet and tart at the same time.
- Whisk 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with a scant cup of powdered sugar. Add more lemon juice if too thick, or more icing sugar if too runny.
- Place the loaf on a rack over a sheet pan and let cool. Then with a small whisk, spoon, or fork, drizzle the icing on the top of the loaf.
The taste test
This Best Lemon Berry Loaf is super moist due to the yogurt and oil, dense and soft like a pound cake, and juicy from the berries. The lemon provides a delightful tartness that balances wonderfully the sweetness of the loaf. All in all, a symphony for the taste buds.
Substitutions
This loaf cake is very adaptable to what you have on hand.
- Use any type of berry you like. Here I used a combination of fresh blueberries and raspberries, but I've also made it with raspberries and Saskatoons. Frozen berries work as well.
- Use either Greek yogurt or plain whole-milk yogurt.
- Vegetable oil, coconut oil, or a light olive oil are interchangeable.
- Omit the icing, if you want to keep it lighter.
Happy baking!
Print
Lemon Berry Loaf
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 9x6 inch loaf pan 1x
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon (10 grams) to toss the berries
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (230 g) plain whole-milk yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 1 cup plus (200 g) sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil (or light olive oil, or coconut oil)
- 1 ½ cups (about 250 g) mixed berries, fresh or frozen
For the icing
- a scant 1 cup of powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 6 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper going up the sides so it will be easier to lift out.
- Sift together 1 and ½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla, and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Mix the berries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and, with a spatula, fold them very gently into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- For the icing: whisk the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with the cup of powdered sugar. Adjust if too thick or too runny. Set aside.
- When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before placing it on a rack over a sheet pan. Let cool.
- With a small whisk, or fork, drizzle the icing on the top of the loaf .
Notes
I usually use a combination of fresh blueberries and raspberries, but any berry should work: strawberries, Saskatoons, haskaps, or whatever you like or have on hand.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert, cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: North American
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
Hot and humid or not, your Mama makes me want to move to Rome! I say let's take a "foodie" trip to Rome soon & do "research" for our blogs 🙂 As a daydream about that, I'll be making this cake because my Father-in-law just gave us a whole quart of fresh Maine wild blueberries this past weekend. They are sitting in my refrig and I was thinking about freezing them. Now I can use them in this recipe! Yay me! Thanks for sharing and your pics are gorgeous!
Yes Karrie, let's do that! 🙂 We are actually leaving for Rome in a couple weeks, I'll start the "research", than you can join us 😉 . Let me know about the loaf cake, I bet it will be fantastic with those Maine wild blueberries that you have sitting in your refrigerator! Thanks for the always nice comments!!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I make a loaf very similar to this....only I haven't added a glaze. That just takes it over the top delicious!
Thanks Kathy. Aren't those kind of loaves delicious? Yes, the glaze is a nice balance of tangy and sweet that takes it from breakfast to dessert 🙂 .
Marilyn says
Very tasty! Made with all saskatoons and it let their flavour shine. Just did half the glaze and it was perfect for me.
Thank you for the feedback! Yes, it's so moist and I love it that you used all Saskatoons!!
Lori says
My Saskatoon tree was loaded this year and I wanted to make something with them. I decided to make this loaf and boy am I glad I did! This loaf is perfect! Moist and not too sweet! I love the added touch of coconut oil! Thank you Nicolette! This recipe is a keeper for me!
★★★★★
Thank you for the feedback! So glad you liked this loaf cake and found a perfect use for your Saskatoons!
Alessandro says
Made with blueberry and raspberry…simply delicious!!!
I love this loaf cake!
Thank you!
★★★★★
You're welcome! Happy you loved it 😉 . Thanks for the feedback!
Mel says
Made with haskaps. My kids and their friends loved it. Thank you.
Haskaps are a great substition! Love them! So happy they enjoy the loaf, it's a favorite here.
Maria Schwarz says
Has anyone used sour cream instead of yogurt??
I haven't yet, but I am sure it would work.
Thank you!