This Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf will jump to the top of the list of recipes to try.
UPDATE! I first wrote this recipe in 2015 and had comments of people who made it letting me know that while it tasted good, upon removing the loaf from the oven, the middle collapsed. So I rewrote the recipe below – the rest of the post is from 2015 – you’re welcome!
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Hannah and Jacob literally go to Starbucks every single day. And sometimes twice in a day! When they can go through the drive thru now and just say “it’s Hannah and Jacob” their drinks are ready by the time they pulled around. Hannah LOVES the lemon loaf there. She told Jacob that for her birthday she’d like him to pick up all the lemon loaf they had for the day and just intermittently feed her lemon loaf throughout the day and she would consider that birthday one of her best ever.
There are a few problems with Starbucks lemon loaf.
First, their lemon loaf is $2.30 a slice. Secondly, each slice is 470 calories, 20 grams of fat and 68 grams of carbs! Holy balls that’s a lot of calories for that slice of loaf! I was rearranging my spice cabinet and realized I had lemon extract, and the idea to make a copycat starbucks lemon loaf. Um, turns out I am not the first one to try that, so I looked at a bunch of recipes on Pinterest and then played around with some ingredients in the hopes of making it somewhat more nutritional, and of course, less expensive. I am sure my whole recipe didn’t cost $2.30!
![this is a photo of a copycat lemon loaf recipe from Starbucks](https://mybizzykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/lemon-loaf-720x720.jpeg)
Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf
This Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf is so light, lemony and delicious and nearly 1/4 the calories of the coffee shop. Enjoy with some coffee or tea!
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup cashew milk (any milk works!)
- 1/2 cup no calorie sweetener (I used Truvia)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 3 meyer lemons, zest and juice
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cashew milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and Truvia.
- In a second bowl, mix the yogurt, eggs, milk, lemon juice, zest and oil and mix until the eggs are incorporated. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and using a fork, mix just until combined. It will be light and fluffy.
- Spray loaf pan with avocado oil spray, pour the batter into a loaf pan. Tap the pan on the counter to get out any air bubbles in the batter and bake for 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees. I cooked mine to 45 minutes.
- Let cool before slicing.
- Mix the powdered sugar with the cashew milk and drizzle over the top.
Notes
On #teampurple and #teamblue, each slice is 3 points. On #teamgreen it's 4 points. If you count calories and macros, each slice is 102 calories, 2.9 fat, 20.6 carbs, 0 fiber and 4.7 protein
My version is not nearly as sweet as Starbucks, but with the glaze is sweet enough for me. Taste your batter before baking and see if you need to add more sweetener for your taste.
![this is a photo of lemon loaf bread with a cup of hot tea](https://mybizzykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/withcoffee-copy.jpg)
OMG – insulin worthy!! Although not QUITE like Starbuck’s according to Hannah and Jacob, they said the frosting on their cake is really thick – not sure how to get an icing that thick?
Hannah and I desperately needed to spring up our toes – it had been nearly six months since my last pedicure and almost two years for Hannah! Saturday morning we called a couple places and they were full, but lucked out on the third try. When she asked what time we wanted the appointment I said we were flexible and she said “come right now?!” Um, okay?! So we got dressed really quick and got there in about 15 minutes. To an empty salon with five Chinese women in aprons walking around. As soon as we walked in the door, they started the massage chairs, filled the water, etc. They did an amazing job and it lasted about 45 minutes from beginning to end, which they finished off with a neck message while your toes dried under the drier. Nice touch – and $25 is a great price. Here are our feet together – we picked different shades of grey – my foot on the right, Hannah’s on the left.
So one of the things I’ve never done the whole time I was married to Tony, was research and buy cars. That was Tony’s deal and he always did a great job. Our last two cars we got in June of 2012. We bought his Ford Focus, which will be paid off in December and my car was a 36 month lease, which required that I couldn’t drive more than 36,000 miles in that amount of time. I pulled out my paperwork last week and realized it was actually a 39 month lease, which didn’t expire until September and I was already at 33,000 miles and knew there was no way I would make it to September driving only 3,000 miles. I had done some research on cars last week and was planning to call the dealership this week to find out if I had any options.
Well, they called me! Just as we were leaving to get our toes done. He said that they had a two week program going on that would allow on people on a lease six months or less to trade in their car for 2015 models, and they would pay the remaining six payments I had. Huh. So I told him Hannah and I would drive in after our nail appointment. After a couple test drives and waiting forever to actually get through financing because they only had two people doing the paperwork on a Saturday, three hours later, I drove home with this amazing car – meet my Nissan Juke! Another huge change I’ve had since Tony passed away – I bought a car all by myself.
It had five miles on it when I got it, and now has a whopping 28 after my weekend around town.
It has tons of room in the back – this was after a Sam’s Club stock up run and grocery shopping:
And I am loving the sunroof which I haven’t had since I traded in my Toyota Camry in 2001. My car payment is $75 more, but since I won’t be paying $345 a month for Tony’s car in December, it totally works in my budget. Here are the reasons I love to lease:
- You get a new car every 3 years.
- I don’t have to do any maintenance other than to get quarterly oil changes, which are free with the lease at the dealership – they already have me set up in their calendar and I’ll get a reminder email a week before and a day before the oil chance.
- Free car washes.
- You can get a much better car than you otherwise could afford if you were to pay for it intending to keep it.
- The features of a deluxe car you normally couldn’t afford if buying: heated seats, bluetooth, in car navigation, google, Facebook, Pandora just to name a few. And if I click the Facebook button at a stoplight and hit another button, it will read the post along with the comments – so cool.
So all in all, it was a great weekend. I did my shopping, meal planned, got my clothes ready for the week and I also made some amazeball Chobani banana trail mix scones, but you’ll have to come back tomorrow for that recipe. Aren’t I such a fucking tease?!
Alright, off to get in a quick 30 minute walk before work – I thought I lost my fitbit over the weekend but finally found it in the bottom of the laundry basket last night – whew! Gotta get those steps in – make it a great day!
p.s. if you love Starbucks muesli bread, check out my copycat recipe here!
My 2012 Ford Focus lease is up at the end of July. I’m already over on miles because I accidentally checked the 12,500 box instead of 15,000, and only discovered it a few months ago when I went hunting for my paperwork. Whoops! Penalties are inevitable at this point but if I am conservative it shouldn’t be too bad. I’m in conversation with my sales guy to find the best option coming up. Scone looks good – can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with now!
I think now is a good time to buy a car through the summer because by the end of the summer to late fall, the 2016’s will already be coming out!
So proud of you on the new car! Buying/leasing is such a big deal… so much information and haggling. It is kind of an early birthday present to yourself. I’ll have to pick your brain on the leasing stuff. Sadly, we too are Starbucks junkies. However, being the frugal girl I am we make most of our Starbucks drinks at home. We buy the coffee, syrups etc. but get tons of them compared to the price if you buy a couple of drinks. I’ve never been a fan of any dessert yet. Mine are always dried out and flavorless. I’ve tried almost every dessert at least once. Your lemon loaf looks superb and you can’t beat the cut in calories.
I was just proud that I did it all by myself – I think Tony would have been proud of me too! I should mention that to Hannah and Jacob, but I think they like hanging out there as much as getting the coffee. I don’t bake much, but this lemon cake was so moist and I think it’s better without all that extra glaze like the Starbucks version.
Yay for the new wheels!!!!!!!!! OOOH…lemon loaf. OOOH!!!! Big hug Vat!!!
Thanks Roz! Hugs!
Cute toes, new wheels and lemon loaf! Nice weekend Biz!! 😀
It was a nice weekend 😀 Perfect way to start my birthday week.
New car = so exciting!
It is really nice – even this morning it was only 32 degrees outside but I was like “I’ll turn the heated seats on!” Loving your recaps of NOLA – it’s on the top of my bucket list to visit.
So exciting about your new car!! Love that you got such a great deal!
Thanks Kim! FYI, still looking for a food truck for us to buy and run – ha! 😀
Happy for you Biz. And thanks for those helpful tips on leasing. I’ve never leased before and now I may just go for it. You look very cute in your glasses BTW.
Thanks Jan – yep, I try to wear my glasses one day over the weekend to give my eyes a break from my contacts. 😀
The lemon loaf and scones look absolutely mouth watering! Congratulations on the new car.
Thanks Kimberly – the lemon loaf must have been a hit because it didn’t last more than a day!
My mom did the same thing last fall after my dad passed away! She gave my little sister the mini van and she upgraded to a Toyota Venza! Good for you both 🙂
That is so sweet – hope you are doing well – I need to email to catch up with you!
That lemon loaf looks divine!
Congrats on your new car!
Thanks Suzi! 😀
Congrats on your new car, Biz! I’ve never bought a new car myself, but Darren can barely go a year without trading his in for something different! He bought a brand new Jeep when I first met him, then he traded that for my 2014 Volkswagen (which was a surprise and I LOVE) and bought himself a 2014 diesel Volkswagen…and 10 months later he traded that in for a 2015 Toyota Tacoma. That boy is crazy. I’ve never leased, but it sounds like you get a good deal out of it! The dealership we use does free oil changes for life and free state inspections for life which is awesome.
I like that they already set up the oil changes and it will just send me an email reminder – nice! Glad you love your car, I am loving mine so far!
Sweet car!
Alas, I am too cheap to lease a car, or to even buy a new car. I look longingly at minivans. I think about how much easier it would be to load kids in one, or go camping without needing the roof rack.
But the 2006 Matrix and 2009 Civic are paid for, and will likely last 15-20 years apiece. They were, in fact, the first and only two cars we bought new. I figure by the time one of them dies, at least one kid will be in college and I won’t even need a minivan. The key to good solid cars like Honda and Toyota is that you don’t need very much maintenance. The Toyota has needed a bit more than I expected, but the 2009 Honda is now 6 years old and has only ever gotten oil changes and one set of new tires.
Our old cars only lasted about 10 years before they started needed major repairs in 2012 – even with Tony maintaining them very well. I don’t mind the lease payment – and with Tony’s car being paid off in December, it’s totally affordable for me – but then again my mortgage is only $377 dollars, so that helps!
LOVE the new car! Congrats!
Thanks Amanda! I love that you started an I DO Ideas board in Pinterest – so many ideas out there nowadays for a wedding!
You made me drool all over my keyboard at work. Guess I’ll just have to try that recipe!
It’s so simple and easy – let me know if you try it Courtney 😀
So interesting on the car… I’ve bought every single car I’ve had all on my own. I think leasing can be a great option, not only for people who don’t do a lot of driving but also for older people who drive. My 87 year old father in law still drives so about 6 years ago we got him to start leasing. Perfect for him!
Tony was the best at buying cars, so I would just sit and wait for all the negotiations to be over with – ha! I also got them to add an extra 3,000 miles, so now I have 45,000 for 36 months – plenty!
A tip for saving at Starbucks: Order a tall coffee but ask for it in a grande cup and then add cream and if youadd some of that vanilla powder they have it taste pretty close to a vanilla latte, all for under 2 bucks instead of the 4 for a latte.
That lemon loaf looks divine but I do not like lemon in my dessert. It sounds good and then when I try it I am like, yuck.
That is a great tip Diana!
That car looks mighty good on you! Sounds like you had a good weekend. Besides the calories of the loaf I am always amazed at how much people spend daily at Starbucks. My daughter included! Think how much they could save caloriewise and penny wise! I think they will pick up good tips living with you. Now you’ve heard my mom tips of the week!
When I figure that the cost they spend at Starbucks, even on just one run is equivalent to a nice steak, I don’t think its worth the money for the drink – I’d rather have the meat!
Congrats on the new car – the Juke is a cute one!!!
Now we both have fun cars! 😀
HAPPY…..is what I see on your face. Yay for the new car!!! What did your lemon bread taste like, did Hannah like it??? Have a good day!!!
Note: thicker frosting…..more powdered sugar???
I loved the lemon loaf – it was so lemony and light, and I think better without all the extra glaze. I think maybe you are right, more powdered sugar?!
Congrats on the new car! Buying a car without male help is a daunting task and you did it! Big high five!
Thanks Dana! I was nervous, but it went well 😀