I got to help out in Little Boy #1’s class this week, and as I was sitting at the table in the back with one little girl doing some make-up work, she says, “Do you know why I was gone last week? I had a tummy bug. And I’m feeling the same way I did then right now.”
Oh, awesome.
God bless teachers is all I have to say!
My boys have the most awesome teachers ever. They come home and tell me the coolest things they are learning about. I love when random facts come out of their mouths. Did you know that the Emperor of China built a massive army out of clay to for protection in the afterlife? It took 40 years to build. And no two soldiers are exactly alike. And they invented the crossbow?
Amazing. Kids excited about learning about the world around them is a huge blessing, and teachers make it happen.
And while the older ones are at school soaking it up like a sponge, Little Boy #3 and I are home making Mini Iced Lemon Pound Cake Loaves, per his request. Because he can’t walk by the lemons that have fallen off the trees onto the sidewalk without thinking about lemon cake. And I’m easy to persuade.
And we even made them a little healthier for you with coconut oil and Greek yogurt. You’re welcome.
I love the denser texture of these loaves, and their sweet, creamy, lemon flavor. The lemon is there, but it’s gentle. Kind of like, “Oh hey there,” not like, “HELLOO!!!” if you know what I mean.
Make these and see what I love about them! Off to pick up the boys from school. Have a lovely weekend. If you make something yummy, share it and tag me on Instagram so I can see!
PrintMini Iced Lemon Pound Cake Loaves
These little loaves are sweet and moist with just the right amount of lemon flavor. Made healthier with coconut oil and Greek yogurt!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 3 mini loaves 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (in liquid form)
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup lemon Greek yogurt (5.3 ounce carton)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together coconut oil and sugar on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed in between.
- Add yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Divide the batter evenly between three greased mini loaf pans.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, checking for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf. The toothpick should come out with a few crumbs attached but no wet batter.
- Remove the pound cake loaves from oven and let the cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove loaves from the baking pans, and allow to cool on a wire rack while you make the icing.
- Whisk the icing together until smooth, adding just enough milk to bring it together. You want it to be almost as thick as toothpaste. Spread it over the slightly warm loaves and allow it to drip over the sides. The icing will harden within 10 minutes.
Notes
Adapted from Myrecipes.com
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Mini Loaf
- Calories: 1115
- Sugar: 122g
- Sodium: 544mg
- Fat: 42g
- Saturated Fat: 32g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 172g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 187mg
Hi – just wondering if I can use butter or vegetable oil in place of the coconut oil in this recipe?
You can use vegetable oil.
Hi, just wondering what is the size of your mini loaf pans?
Hi Betty – my mini loaf pans are 3″ wide x 5 1/2″ long x 1 3/4″ deep. Hope this is helpful!
These loaves look wonderful! Lemon desserts are hard for me to pass up. Love that they have coconut oil and yogurt – so moist!
Thanks Alyssa!
Okay, first of all – pound cake is probably the best thing that anyone has ever created in the history of the world. Second, lemon in dessert = deliciousness. Third, I am totally making this dessert and it sounds AMAZING.
I hope you enjoy Annie!
These mini lemon loves are lovely. I really liked how you lightened them up with Greek yogurt and coconut oil.
Thank you Thao!
I love all your sweet desserts Julie! I think I’ve mentioned it before but truly that’s your thing 🙂
I do enjoy my sweets! Thanks Katya!
Love your “Oh hey there” lemon. Sophisticated. Just want to say that I totally love it. Stay tune for my masterpiece. Thank so much for sharing this lovely.
You are very welcome, Myrtice. Thanks for stopping by!
These are so cute!! I’m sure the Greek yogurt makes them so moist. Can’t wait to try!
Thanks Kelley! Hope you enjoy!
Lemon flavor AND that gorgeous glaze? I am literally salivating Julie! YUM.
Thanks Sarah. These were dangerous for me to have around. I actually ate a whole loaf by myself!
Hi there, can I use sour cream instead of yogurt?
Hi, I would like making them in miniature loaves but what about in a round bunt? Would this work?
Ivette, thank you for your question. Yes, I think a Bundt could work, but you may need to adjust the baking time. I think it would be more like 50-55 minutes, but that is just a guess.
Hi Julie,
Oh my. This bread is incredibly delicious! I can see why one could easily eat the entire loaf. Instead of using Greek yogurt and coconut oil I used regular lemon yogurt (6 oz.) and vegetable oil. Instead of using 3 mini loaf pans, I baked it in a 9” loaf dish for 25 additional minutes. Thank you so much for sharing! I have tried several other recipes you have posted in the past. All delicious!
-Lisa
Lisa, I’m glad you liked it as much as I did! I could not leave it alone!
I just made these! I mean literally just made them!! Absolutely delicious!! I was supposed to be taking them to our son’s school in the morning but, needless to say one of them will not be making it!! I could not resist! I had to try it!! I have to make more before!
That sounds like something I would do, haha! Glad you like them!
Just wondering if sour cream would work at all as a substitute for the lemon greek yogurt. The sour cream is all I have on hand and these minis look so delicious, I’d love to try them without a trip to the grocery store. What do you think? Thanks!
Joy, sour cream will be just fine. Maybe add a little extra lemon juice and zest. Enjoy!
Hi Julie,
What if I don’t have access to only Greek yogurt, but not lemon Greek yogurt? Could I just add lemon juice?
How much?
I think you could use plain Greek yogurt as a substitute, but sweeten it a bit (maybe a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey), and add the juice of half a lemon. Hope you enjoy!
You used refined or unrefined?
Kay, I mostly use unrefined. This is what my Costco sells at the best price. It does have a stronger coconut flavor than the refined, and I know coconut is an issue for some :0)
for lactose intolerant people, who can’t digest dairy/yogurt, what is the best substitute?
Loni, I haven’t tested this out so I’m not sure, but I wonder if a lemon curd (dairy free like this one http://www.savorylotus.com/easy-lemon-curd-paleo/) would be a good substitute for the yogurt? I’ve also seen yogurt made from coconut milk, but I’m not sure if you have access to that. Let me know if how it goes if you decide to try it.
Hi Julie,
I’ve made them for Christmas and they’ve turned out amazing, everybody loved them so much . I’ve add some blueberries inside also 🙂 . I will put them on Instagram so that you can see them.
Thank you for this amazing recipe !
Oana
I’m so happy to hear that! Love the blueberry idea!
This recipe is my new go-to for all hostess gifts! I use super mini baking pans and keep a couple for myself 🙂
I also sub 3/4 of the sugar and flour for coconut sugar and whole wheat flour, add lemon zest to the icing, and use almond milk in the icing to make it dairy free.
Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks Lindsey, I’m glad you could make it your own. What a lovely gift!
Ive never been a fan of the taste of Greek yogurt. Would it work with regular lemon yogurt?
You probably won’t taste it. You could try regular lemon yogurt or sour cream is probably a better sub here. Enjoy!
Julie I made this last night because I had almost all the ingredients in quarantine. I did use plain Greek yogurt but added some additional lemon juice. We all ate it this morning for the Sunrise Easter Service and it was enjoyed by all. Delicious recipe, loved all the lemon flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness.
So glad you could make it work with what you had on hand, and that it was enjoyed by all! Hope you all had a great Easter weekend… missing our church fam!
How big is each mini loaf? And did I read the nutrition information correctly? Is one mini loaf 1,115 calories?
I haven’t made it yet -just printed out the recipe. But I wanted to tell you this is one of the best organized, most clearly presented and easy to follow recipes I’ve ever seen! Thank you so much. I can imagine how much work it took to get it just right! I can’t wait to try it