This delicious lemon raspberry loaf is moist and tender with a bright lemon flavor and tons of raspberries dotted throughout. It’s topped with a lemon raspberry glaze that makes this bread absolutely beautiful.
This lemon raspberry loaf combined two of my favorite quick bread recipes – lemon loaf and raspberry bread. Instead of simply adding raspberries to my lemon loaf, I wanted to adjust the recipe slightly so that
- The loaf didn’t overflow in the pan due to the increase in batter from the raspberries
- The lemon flavor didn’t overpower the raspberries
- And to incorporate raspberries in the glaze on top.
You end up with a beautiful loaf that’s incredibly moist with a sunshine-y lemon flavor, sweet berries and a beautiful pink glaze. It’s delicious for brunch or as a simple, elegant cake.
How to Make Lemon Raspberry Bread
This recipe is very simple. It’s made without the use of an electric mixer, which is always a win for me. I’ve included step-by-step photos to help you avoid any recipe pit falls.
- Start by preheating your oven and preparing the pan. I always recommend lining the pan with parchment/baking paper and greasing any exposed sides. I find this makes it easier to remove the loaf later on compared to just greasing and flouring the pan.
- First, make sure to wash and fully dry your berries. This means that you should place the berries on a piece of paper towel or a cloth so that all the water can drip off them. If using frozen berries, do not thaw. Toss the berries with a little flour. This helps the berries “stick” to the batter. Do this carefully so that you don’t pierce or break the berries.
- Then you’ll whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
- In a separate bowl you’ll whisk together the wet ingredients: melted butter, oil, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla extract and sour cream. This recipe uses both oil and butter – the oil keeps the loaf moist for longer and the butter adds more flavor. This recipe uses slightly lemon lemon flavorings than my lemon loaf recipe as to not overpower the berries.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently mix together until you no longer see lumps or streaks of flour. I typically use a combination of a wire hand whisk and a rubber spatula. Note that the batter will be thick.
- Fold about ¾ of the berries into the batter using a rubber spatula. Do this very gently so that you don’t pierce or crush the berries.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, placing a few extra berries into the loaf as you go. Adding the extra berries at this step is simply to minimize the risk of crushing the berries as you add them to the batter.
- The loaf will bake in your preheated oven for about 55-65 minutes. Note that if you use frozen berries, the loaf may take an extra 10 minutes or so. That’s because the cold berries bring down the temperature of the batter, and therefore make it take longer to bake. When the loaf is done baking an inserted toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. It shouldn’t have gooey cake batter attached to it.
- I recommend checking the loaf around 40 minutes. If the top is already golden brown, then tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan to prevent over browning.
The loaf will need to cool fully before adding the glaze. If the lemon raspberry bread is still warm, then the beautiful pink glaze will melt and you won’t see the beautiful pink color.
To make the glaze, you’ll simply process a few more raspberries and a little lemon juice in a blender or food processor. You can run the puree through a metal sifter to remove the seeds. Then you’ll whisk in the powdered sugar until you get a glaze that’s thick and opaque, but still thin enough to drizzle.
I love this lemon raspberry bread because of it’s moist crumb, delicious flavor combo and beautiful pink glaze. It can be served for a special breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea – but also makes for an easy, everyday dessert for you don’t need anything too fancy.
Lemon Raspberry Bread
Equipment
- 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan of 9 x 5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
Lemon Raspberry Bread
- 1 ¼ cups raspberries fresh or frozen, if using frozen do not thaw
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (56 grams) melted and cooled
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil (75 ml) or canola oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (45 ml) freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream (240 ml) room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
Lemon Raspberry Glaze
- ¼ cup raspberries fresh or frozen - fresh are easier to puree
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml) freshly squeezed
- 1 ½ - 2 ½ cups powdered sugar (165 - 275 grams)
Instructions
Lemon Raspberry Loaf
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line an 8 ½ x 4 ½ (21.5 x 11.5 cm) or 9 x 5 inch (33 x 13 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper, or line the bottom and lightly grease the sides.
- Ensure the raspberries are completely dry after washing (if using fresh). Toss the raspberries with 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla extract and sour cream. Keep whisking until you no longer see pieces of eggs or lumps of sour cream.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Make a well in the dry ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the well that you made in the dry ingredients. Mix the batter together gently. I typically do a few stirs using a rubber spatula and then whisk with a wire whisk. Do not overmix the batter - otherwise the loaf can become dry and tough.
- Gently fold in about 1 cup of the raspberries using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Be very careful not to crush the raspberries.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, adding in a few raspberries as you go.
- Bake in the middle of the preheated oven. Around the 40 minute mark, check the loaf. If the top is already golden brown, then tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan. The loaf will take about 55-65 minutes if using an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch pan or about 50-60 minutes if using a 9 x 5 inch pan. If using frozen berries, the loaf will take longer to bake.
- Cool the loaf in the pan for at least 30 minutes before gently inverting the loaf and continue cooling on a wire rack.
Lemon Raspberry Glaze
- Add the raspberries and lemon juice to a food processor or blender and pulse until it's a puree.
- Optionally, push the puree through a metal sifter to remove the seeds.
- Whisk together the puree with 1 cup of powdered sugar. Whisk in the rest of the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time until the glaze is thick, but still thin enough to drizzle and pink in color.
- Ensure that the bread is fully cooled and carefully remove the loaf from the pan. Then pour the glaze over the loaf, letting the glaze drip over the sides.
Notes
- Pan Sizes: Do not use an 8 x 4 inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan. There will be too much batter and the loaf with overflow and then sink in the middle.
- Raspberries: Fresh or frozen will work for this recipe. However, I prefer not to use frozen berries as it will increase the bake time of the loaf by at least 10 minutes.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: The eggs and sour cream should be at room temperature before getting started.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream can be substituted with plain, Greek yogurt. Do not use sweetened yogurt or anything that contains gelatin.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 slice with glaze, assuming the loaf is sliced into 10 uniform pieces and all the glaze is used.
- Storage: This loaf will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the fridge for about 4 days. Because of the berries, it won't last quite as long as a regular lemon loaf.
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