Here’s a soft, moist Lemon Cream Cheese Bread with a bright citrus flavor and a creamy swirl. 🍋🍞 It’s great for breakfast, tea time, or dessert.
Ingredients
Lemon Bread Batter
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
- ½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Layer
- 225 g (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Optional Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
1. Preheat
- Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
- Grease and line a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
2. Make the Cream Cheese Filling
- In a bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
- Set aside.
3. Prepare the Lemon Batter
- In one bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, mix sugar, eggs, oil, yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
- Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
4. Assemble the Bread
- Pour half the lemon batter into the loaf pan.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over it.
- Add the remaining batter on top.
5. Bake
- Bake 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the edge comes out clean.
6. Cool and Glaze
- Let bread cool in the pan 10–15 minutes, then transfer to a rack.
- Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice to make glaze.
- Drizzle over cooled bread.
Tips for Best Results
- Use fresh lemon zest for the strongest flavor.
- Don’t overmix the batter or the bread may become dense.
- If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil during the last 15 minutes.
✅ Optional Add-Ins
- ½ cup blueberries for lemon-blueberry bread 🫐
- ¼ cup poppy seeds for lemon poppy seed flavor
If you want, I can also give you a bakery-style lemon loaf like the one from Starbucks that’s extra moist and very lemony. 🍋