This Lemon Blueberry Explosion Loaf is actually a home-made Copycat Starbuck’s Lemon Loaf except this lemony loaf has an explosion of robust blueberries inside that will absolutely tantalize your taste buds!
It's superbly finished off with a simple old-fashioned powdered sugar glaze and now we're off totally off to the races!
I am certainly hoping this race ends with kicking Spring into action. I'm ready!
Coming with?
The lemon & blueberry combination is just so invigorating and bursting with so much flavor, I can hardly stand how perfect the balances of contrasting flavors all come together.
So, last month I was thinking about spring and lemon recipes, and happened to wander on this Pure Lemon Extract on Amazon. I love trying extracts, especially from Nielsen-Massey. This one is an organic extract, which is produced from lemon oil, drawn from the natural essence of the highest quality California lemons.
What's so bewitching about it is, it offers a convenient and tasty alternative to having to zest or juice lemons, although I did add zest to the loaf, because that's what the Copycat Starbuck's recipe calls for.
So, lucky you! You get a double dose of lemon, and no one's complaining, right?
The extract is not overwhelming, unless you add more than the recipe calls for, which is not a good thing.
DON'T ADD MORE for extra lemon flavor, because the measurement in the recipe is the perfect mix of tartness needed.
Like most extracts, you add too much for extra punch and it can affect the whole outcome of something that could have been wonderful, except for vanilla. I always add a little extra, do you? It's the one extract you can get away with without disastrous results.
More lemony desserts? Who can blame you?
Super Soft Lemon Glazed Sugar Cookies
Kick-Ass Lemon Cream Cheese Blondies
Lemon Burst Poke Cake
I am loving these new 9x5 baking pans I got from Kohl's. I used them making this Awesome Country Apple Fritter Bread a few weeks ago and they baked wonderfully! Looking forward to making this Country Blueberry Fritter Loaf in them and more!
Lemon Blueberry Explosion Loaf
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Explosion Loaf
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar I use a little over ¾ cup
- 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- ½ cup oil - I used canola
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 to 2 tbsp pure lemon extract I used Nielsen-Massey
- 1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen I used fresh
- 1 tablespoon flour to toss and coat with blueberries before adding to loaf
Old Fashioned Powdered Sugar Glaze:
- ¾ cup to 1 cup powder sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons almond milk or whatever milk you want
Instructions
Lemon Blueberry Explosion Loaf
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Lining with parchment paper makes it super easy to get out of loaf pan. Spray with non stick spray.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream/yogurt and oil and quickly whisk together until smooth and combined.
- Add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and whisk together well.
- Add dry ingredients and whisk or stir until just combined and do not over-mix. Very little lumps are ok.
- Put blueberries in a container and add 3 teaspoons flour and shake. Add to mixture and fold blueberries in.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 52-57 minutes.
- The last 10 minutes of baking, tent pan with foil by loosely draping a sheet of foil over bread to prevent excessive browning on the top and sides of bread before center cooks through.
- Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a baking wire rack for at least 30 minutes before before glazing.
- For the glaze, in a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar and almond milk until smooth and combined.
- Drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving.
I don't see why not? Sounds yummy! Hope you enjoy!!
Can we substitute cranberries instead the blueberries?
So exciting to hear Judy! So happy to hear your comment, it makes my day! Thank you so much! xo
Super delicious. I’ve had several comments on it when I have served it to friends. This is my first time to use lemon extract. It’s awesome!
That's awesome Linda! I'm so happy to hear that your husband loves it! Thank you so much for letting me know and for the awesome rating! xo
My husband says this is the best bread I've ever made! When I made it a second time, he cut a piece right out of the pan! He didn't even wait for it to be cooked and fristed!
I'm excited to hear you've made it so many times! That's great! Thank you so much for your high rating and feedback. xo
I found this recipe about a month ago and have probably made it a half dozen times. Really good, only addition I make is adding one teaspoon of vanilla into the batter...delicious!!
cool
Lemon and blueberry together is the best!! Pinning this!
I'm so glad it turned out for you Sahar! I'm not sure why it took that long to bake! Enjoy and thank you so much for trying it and wanting to make it again! woohoo!
This was delicious! However my bread took an hour and a half in the oven until it was finished from the inside. I also used 1/4 cup of lemon juice instead of lemon extract. I love that the bread was so moist on the inside! For the icing, I will use a hand mixer next time as opposed to whisking it with a regular whisk. It didn't thicken enough to look like icing. Can't wait to make this again soon!
Yes you can use lemon juice, anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup depending how much lemon taste you want. Thank you for asking Sharon and enjoy!! xo
Can I use lemon juice instead of the extract?
I'm so happy to hear your review! Thank you so much for letting me know, especially since you are a blueberry muffin/bread fanatic. I hear ya! Coconut oil sounds yummy too Patti! xo
This is by far the best we have ever had! I’ve been a blueberry muffin, bread fanatic my whole life and have never had a recipe as good as this one. The lemon really compliments the berries and it’s so moist. I used coconut oil with great results but will certainly use olive oil next time . This didn’t last long in my family.
I love using olive oil! It always goes very well with citrus fruits. Thank you so much Sandra!
using olive oil make it tastier and give it a better texture.
No it's not. Sorry...
Is this high altitude?
Yes you can use lemon juice, anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup depending how much lemon taste you want. Hope you enjoy Dorie-Ellen!
Can you substitute real lemon juice for the extract? If so, how much juice would you need?
Hi Lori, no need to change the temperature, but not sure it will all fit in an 8x4 pan and the time might change as well. Hope that helps some.
only have an 8x4 loaf pan! i have read some info on this and said to lower temp ...
Hi Karen! I used 2 tablespoons, but the recipes says 1 to 2 tablespoons, depending how much lemon flavor you want. I hope you enjoyed!
one to two TABLESPOONS of the extract?! I'm making it now and scared ....
I'm so excited you all loved it Laura! Yes, you can use any berries you choose or even a combination of them. Thanks so much for the 5 stars! xo
I made this and my family loved it!! I have some real lemon lovers in my family and they gave it two thumbs way up. I added some fresh lemon juice to the glaze. I love that you dont need a mixer. Simple simple! I’m guessing you can use other berries in this, like blackberries?
Thanks for the recipe!!
I just discovered your site and everything looks SO delicious!
This recipes sounds excellent and I love how bright and cheerful it it. Beautiful photos, and Nielsen-Massey is one of my favorites for extracts. 🙂
This looks so good! I can't get enough lemon and blueberry in the spring!
I'm not familiar with high altitude, but I do know baked goods take longer to bake because of the lower air pressure. Either increase the oven temperature and/or increase cooking time. Plus check out Conversion Charts & Kitchen Tips Scroll down the page a bit and you'll see a chart that should help you out with this recipe. Hope that helps! 🙂
Do you happen to know the adjustments to this recipe for high altitude?
Hi Joanne! You could substitute lemon juice if you wish. I would say about 1/4 or 1/3 cup of lemon juice or the juice of one to 2 lemons? Glad you all loved it, let me know how the lemon juice goes. 🙂
I made your bread for Fat Tuesday at work and everyone loved it! But some said it needed more lemon , so is it possible to substitute lemon juice for the lemon extract and if so how much lemon juice will I need, I plan to use fresh lemon juice.
Thank you
Joanne Hess
Hi Bev, I'll try to start doing that. Thanks so much for you continued support! xxxo
Do you bake anything gluten free
COULD YOU PUT THE PREP TIM FOR RECIPES AND PERHAPS PUT THE COOK TIM IN THE SAME SPOT IN EACH RECIPE AND NOT NECESSARILY ON THE DIRECTIONS COPY LOST SOMEWHERE. GREAT RECIPES.
I haven't, but you could Chelsea. Just decrease the baking time to 15-20 minutes instead. Hope you enjoy!
Have you ever done this in cupcake size or small loafs? Was there a baking time difference?
Agree, updated. Original recipe had 2 teaspoons and I updated it to three, but didn't convert it over. Thanks!
Btw, 3teaspoons is a tablespoon. I would rather measure once. Just me, I guess.
I just made this loaf, didn’t have lemon extract so just used fresh lemon juice. Lao didn’t make the glaze, still it looks beautiful and very tasty. It’s is very moist and delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Lemon glaze sounds super yummy. Thanks so much for trying it and I'm sorry, I do not have nutritional information Leslie! xo You are welcome!
Made this yesterday. Love it. I did change the glaze to a lemon one. I had to cook It an extra 10 minutes. It is definitely a keeper!
Do you have any nutrition information?
Thanks for a great recipe,
Thank you so much Faye. That means a lot! That extract is really amazing, I hope you try it! xoxo
It was McCormick's extract. I'll have to look into the organics. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes. They are innovative and great!!
Awesome Mary! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Thank you so much!
It's not a mistake Faye, but can I ask why kind of extract you were using? I'm glad you enjoyed the Lemon Sugar Cookies though! However, I think I will change it to 1 - 2 tablespoons in the recipe, solely for the reason the extract I used was the organic and some others might be stronger. Thanks for the feedback Faye and I hope you try it again and bump it down. 🙂
i had those loaf but not the blueberry one i had which has almond in it definitely going to try this one looks so great!
I made this loaf yesterday. I was surprised the recipe called for 2 TABLESPOONS lemon extract, but added it anyway. Oh, my! The extract was so overwhelming I couldn't eat it. I love your recipes normally (I made the Lemon Sugar Cookies yesterday, too, and they are AWESOME!!) , but the amount of lemon extract must be a mistake??
You had me at "copycat Starbucks lemon loaf," but then it was my head that exploded when you mentioned blueberries! Yowza!
This is just what we need to kick spring into gear!! So bright and sunny, I'd love a piece to go with my tea right now!!
I’m All About lemon and blueberry, and double-dose of lemon is just my speed. This cake looks magnificent, Kim! Pinning!
Updated! Thank you for letting me know!
Updated! Thank you for letting me know!
Updated! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
Updated! Thank you for letting me know! Thank you so much Linda for being so sweet and I hope this helps! You will love it!!
Updated! Thank you for letting me know!
Updated! Thank you for letting me know!
Updated! Thank you for letting me know!
OMG! Sorry blueberries add in! Yikes, sorry about that! Thank you for letting me know!
I am sorry if missed something here but as I read this recipe I noticed there's no mention of how much blueberries to put in this loaf.
Can you please advise.
This looks so yummy and full of lemon flavor. Love the addition of blueberries and that glaze of course. Perfect for Spring and I am sooooo ready for Spring!!
Where are the blueberries in this recipe? They are named and pictured but not mentioned in the actual recipe!!!
Where are the Blueberries and when are they added to the recipe?
Blueberries were excluded from om recipe completely!
Will be ting this soon but there isn't any mention of blueberries in ingreient list or direcions. An expsrienced baker can udge it but a newbie might not be able to. Bless you for all your delishious recipes!! Linda
I've read the recipe, am anxious to try it today - too much snow to go out - but can't find the amount of blueberries to use. There's no listing of that ingredient even in the copy for printing. Where does the blueberry explosion come from?
There's No Blueberries in your recipe how many do you use?
How many blueberries?
I love the flavour of lemon and blueberries together! And the blueberries in this loaf look so juicy. Totally feeling the spring vibes Kim! Have a great week!
I'm so trying this! Lemon and blueberry together are just unbeatable!