by A deliciously moist lemon loaf cake with a lovely hint of thyme. This easy to make lemon cake is made with olive oil which imparts an exquisite depth of flavour to baked goods. And along with the yogurt, it renders the cake with a wonderfully light and moist crumb.
Dress it up with a luscious lemon glaze for an extra tangy bite and watch every slice disappear in a flash!
Lemon glazed desserts are by far my favourite kind of sweet treats. So much so that you’ll find quite a few more of these lemonlicious goodies, in one form or another, here on the blog.
From soft cake-like Lemon Ricotta Cookies topped with a lemon glaze to the ever popular Italian knot cookies we call Tarallucci al Limone.
Other zesty Italian cookies that take a deep dive into lemon glacées are Ciambelle Cookies and yes, even biscotti!
Glazes have a way of elevating simple sweets to flavoursome, toothsome desserts!
And all you need for a lemon glaze are two ingredients!
Icing sugar, otherwise known as powdered sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. So simple!
And here today, this lemon concoction dazzles when adorned over a simple loaf cake!
Main Ingredients for a Lemon Thyme Cake
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar and processed the sugar and thyme together in a food processor. This infuses the sugar with the thyme scent.
- Thyme: A little goes a long way and enhances this loaf cake with its peppery-sweet taste.
- Flour: The flour along with the baking powder and salt is sifted directly over the wet ingredients to break up any lumps while making mixing that much easier.
- Eggs: Use large eggs at room temperature and make sure to whisk them for 2 minutes alongside the thyme-sugar and olive oil to aerate the eggs.
- Olive Oil: Gives a wonderful flavour to baked goods and reduces saturated fat.
- Yogurt: It’s creamy texture helps to keep baked goods fresh and light.
- Lemon zest and juice: Adds a bright and sweet taste to baked goods. It’s a bite of sunshine in every morsel.
- Baking powder: Helps baked goods to rise and will lighten its texture.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors of all ingredients used.
How To Make A Lemon Thyme Cake with Yogurt and Olive Oil
Step 1: In a bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, whisk together the sugar-thyme mixture, eggs, olive oil and lemon zest. For about 2 minutes.
Step 2: Whisk in the lemon juice and the yogurt till well combined.
Alternately, you can use a hand held mixer.
Step 3: Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix till combined.
Step 4: Pour the cake batter into your prepared loaf pan.
Gently tap the loaf pan on the counter to release any air bubbles.
Step 5: Bake the lemon cake in a preheated oven for approximately 50 to 55 minutes.
Test for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean then it’s ready.
Step 6: Allow the lemon and thyme cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack.
And now we’re ready to glaze this simple lemon and olive oil cake.
Glaze Tips:
If you want to have that brilliantly white snow capped look adorning your lemon loaf cake, you’ll need to allow it to cool completely after it’s released from the pan.
Glazing a still warm cake will give the glaze a translucent runny appearance. Which is ok if that’s the appearance you’re looking for.
Finally, let the glaze set and dry out before slicing into the sweet loaf. This should take a couple of hours.
Waiting a couple of hours not only allows the cake to soak up some of the glaze but it’ll also be easier to slice into. A wet glaze is a messy glaze!
The final step, and this is optional. I poke about a dozen or so holes over the cake with long wooden skewers. And then I drizzle the lemon glaze over the cake.
This allows some of the glaze to seep into the loaf and absorb some of the glacé. You’ll end up with an extra moist crumb in every bite.
But do allow it to set for a couple of hours as this firms up the glacé and makes slicing so much easier!
This lemon loaf stays fresh for quite a few days which is great if planning ahead.
Keep it stored at room temperature in a seal proof container. Or slice, wrap and freeze in individual portions for a quick grab-and-go treat.
Happy Baking!
Lemon and Thyme Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Thyme Cake
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 large eggs
- lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup yoghurt
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately)
Instructions
Lemon Thyme Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease and flour a loaf pan or use your favourite non-stick baking spray.
- Place the sugar and thyme leaves in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds to combine. This infuses the sugar with the thyme scent.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, whisk together the sugar-thyme mixture, eggs, olive oil and lemon zest. (For about 2 minutes)
- Add in the lemon juice, yoghurt and whisk till combined.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt directly into the mixing bowl.
- Stir together, either with a wooden spoon or the "stir mode" of your stand mixer.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Give the pan a little tap on the kitchen counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 50 to 55 minutes. Or until a wooden skewer inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool slightly in the loaf pan for about 10 minutes.
- Then, invert the cake directly onto a cooling rack positioned over a tray. (the tray will catch any drippings from the glaze)
- Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the lemon glaze.
Lemon Glaze
- Prepare the lemon glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a medium sized bowl.
- With a long wooden skewer, poke holes on top of the loaf cake. About a dozen or so, as this will allow the cake to soak up some of the glaze.
- Slowly drizzle the lemon glaze over the cake.
- Allow the glaze to set and then garnish the top of the loaf cake with thyme leaves and small lemon wedges.
- Slice, serve and enjoy alongside fresh berries if desired.
What an outstanding looking cake. So beautiful and refined. I’ve made small lemon thyme cakes but never a large loaf so this is must try. That lemon thyme combo is so amazing!
It really is a wonderful combo and the thyme does not over power! I may just have to try smaller cakes…love that idea! Thanks Bernice!
What a gorgeous cake! I’m with you on the lemon desserts, they are my absolute favourite too!! I want to make this cake this weekend as I’m craving lemon desserts now 🙂
Thank you Laura! It doesn’t disappoint and it’s so incredibly easy to make! And such a crowd pleaser too!
This is just a beautiful cake and I also love lemon desserts. The thyme adds such an intriguing touch. Thanks for the glazing tips, too. Oh and I love that pan!
Thanks Colleen! Thyme or rosemary work quite well in baked goods and a little goes a long way…its just another wonderful way of using aromatic herbs.
I love lemon cake so much! I have tried other version with olive oil and it’s a winning combo, but never one with thyme. I am looking forward to trying this.
Hope you get to try it Heidi…the thyme adds such a delicate aromatic taste!
What a great combination, lemon and thyme! The thyme in this lemon cake recipe brings such a sense of tranquility. Delicious!
The thyme in this lemon cake recipe brings such a sense of tranquility. Delicious!
I was looking for a lemon cake recipe for a long time. Finally found your recipe and decided to make it. So glad I did it! It tasted really good and it was also easy to make.
Hi Rose, I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. It’s an easy to make recipe and such a crowd pleaser. Thanks for commenting!
Looks lovely and I was looking for a cake to bake in my Christmas formed pan. Can you use fresh thyme from the garden?
Hi Linda, yes fresh thyme is what I used! Enjoy!
Reporting the cake is wonderful.
I have made it in both a loaf pan like yours (thanks for getting me hooked on Nordic Ware pans) and 10-12 cup bundt pans (I double your recipe for the round bundt pan and bake a bit longer checking with a cake tester).
Great moist cake with subtle lemon and thyme flavour.
I have modified the glazing a bit and like the results even more. After releasing the cake from pan at 10-min mark, I brush with cakes sides and top with warm glaze (2 tbsp granulated white sugar heated and dissolved in 2tbsp fresh lemon juice in pan for 2-3 min, using a silicone brush.
When the cake is somoletely cold, I drizzle with icing whose run I was deoends in how much lemon juice I used. I sift a bit of icing sugar into a bowl, say 1/2 cup and then stir in some fresh lemon juice for desired consistency. The run I ess depends on your desired effect (more aesthetic garnish in nature )
The hot glaze glaze and cold icing drizzle combo is perfect. The cake is delicate in taste and the bright lemon flavour brushed on the outside contrasts and marries perfectly with the cake crumb.
I would upload my pictures of your cake but don’t know how
Sounds like you did a wonderful job with switching it up in a bundt pan Gabriella. And yes, the warm lemon glaze gives the cake more of a lemon kick and extra moistness. Thanks so much for your feedback Gabriella!
this looks delicious! what type of yogurt? greek yoghurt or regular?
Thank you, Emily. I used regular yogurt. Enjoy!