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Lemon-Soaked Citrus Loaf

  • Author: joshisbaking
  • Prep Time: 20 Min.
  • Cook Time: 75-85 Min. + 2 Hr. Soak
  • Total Time: ~3 1/2 Hrs. with Soak
  • Yield: 1 Large Loaf 1x

Description

A bright and happy citrus loaf, bursting with zest and made all the sweeter with a lemon syrup soak. If you can stand the wait, let that soak work its magic overnight to further saturate the already tender crumb inside.


Ingredients

Scale

Citrus Loaf

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (310g)
  • 1 large lemon for 1 tablespoon lemon zest (6g) — use this same lemon to juice for your soak
  • 12 medium navel oranges (or 1 large) for 2 tablespoons orange zest (14g)
  • 3 large eggs (152g)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (100g, 125 ml)
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (198g, 200ml)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (282g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder (3g)

Lemon Simple Syrup Soak

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar (60g)
  • 1/4 cup water (52g)
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (approx. juice from 1 large lemon)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and position your oven rack in the middle. Prep a 9×5 non-stick loaf pan by greasing the bottom and sides just a bit. Feel free to line with parchment as well if you’re worried about sticking or want help pulling the loaf out of the pan.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add your granulated sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest. Using your fingers, massage/rub the zests and sugar together for about a minute, until the mixture turns a yellow orange and feels like wet sand (this will smell UH-mazing).
  3. Then add in your 3 eggs, whisking until fully combined. Next, add your vegetable oil & heavy whipping cream and whisk until fully incorporated.
  4. Sift in your all-purpose flour, sprinkle in your baking powder, and fold the mixture together with a spatula until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
  5. Pour the mixture into your prepared loaf pan (will be quite full, but won’t spill over I promise). Bake at 350°F for 75-85 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into a few areas in the middle (sweet spot for my oven was always 85 minutes). You can lightly tent the top with foil if it starts to get too brown, but I never did—your soak will help soften things back up.
  6. WHILE IT BAKES: Make your lemon simple syrup soak! Add your sugar, water, and lemon juice to a small or medium sauce pan. Heat over medium-high heat until it boils, gently stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer undisturbed for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a heat-safe bowl to cool down. Set aside until the loaf is done baking.
  7. As soon as your citrus loaf is done, take it out of the oven, skewer holes around the top using a knife (about 6-8 will do), and while still in the loaf pan, brush/spoon your soak all over the top and sides.
    1. If any of your soak collects around the sides of the pan, just run a knife around the edges to separate the loaf from the pan a bit and it’ll find it’s way down to soak in.
  8. Let that soak work it’s magic for about 2 hours (you want it to seep all the way through and settle in) before cutting and enjoying. If you can handle the wait, let it sit overnight wrapped tightly in plastic to enjoy for breakfast the next morning. That next-day crumb is worth the wait—I promise! The loaf will keep for up to 5 days wrapped tightly in plastic at room temperature.

Notes

  • Make sure to apply your simple syrup soak right after you pull the loaf out of the oven and it’s super warm. Poke those holes and get to brushing! This allows the soak to seep deep into those crevices and fully saturate the loaf. See my notes in the blog above for why the soak is necessary!
  • Like I mention in the recipe, if you don’t want your loaf to get too brown on top (I like the crust it provides), you can lightly tent the top with foil in the last 15 minutes or so. With that said, once you add your soak, it’ll add moisture back to the top and soften things up again. It all works out in the end!
  • This loaf is best stored at room temperature! I found that storing it in the fridge made it dry out a lot quicker. So just keep it wrapped tightly in plastic on the counter.

Keywords: loaf, citrus, citrus loaf, lemon-soaked citrus loaf, lemon, orange, loaf recipe, bread, zest, simple syrup