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When life hands you a box of lemon cake mix, make Lemon Bread! This incredible recipe is about to become your new obsession – it’s moist, bursting with bright citrus flavor, and surprisingly simple to pull together. The secret is adding pudding mix and sour cream for the softest bakery quality texture you’ve ever gotten from such an easy recipe, just like this Lemon Pound Cake.
A Quick Look at this Recipe
- Recipe Name: Lemon Cake Mix Bread
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Bake Time: 1 hour
- Servings: 12 slices
- Time Saving “Practically Homemade” Ingredients: Lemon Cake Mix, Lemon Pudding Mix
Table of Contents
Here’s what I love about this easy lemon bread recipe: it actually works every single time. No failed attempts, no mystery ingredients, just reliable, delicious results.
The pudding mix is the real game-changer here – it keeps everything super moist and adds this richness you can’t get from cake mix alone. Plus, you probably already have most of these ingredients sitting in your pantry right now!
The fresh lemon zest makes all the difference, too. Sure, you could skip it, but those little pops of bright citrus flavor are what take this lemon loaf from good to absolutely amazing.
Key Ingredients
- Lemon Cake Mix: The secret to making this a super easy recipe! I also love using it in these Lemon Cake Mix Bars and Lemon Blueberry Cookies.
- Instant Lemon Pudding Mix: This is the secret weapon that makes this cake mix lemon bread so incredibly moist. Make sure you get the instant kind and not the kind you have to cook.
- Sour Cream: Adds richness and that slight tang that balances the sweetness perfectly. The texture it creates is amazing.
- Lemon Zest: This is where the real lemon flavor comes from. One lemon gives you about what you need for both the bread and the frosting.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Lemon Cake Mix Bread
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix and pudding mix until they’re completely combined. Add the oil, water, eggs, sour cream, and lemon zest to the dry ingredients. Beat everything with an electric mixer for just 1 minute – you want it mixed but not over beaten.
Step 2: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, checking for doneness around the 50-minute mark since every oven is different. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
Step 3: Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and remove it using the parchment paper.
Step 4: While your easy lemon bread is cooling completely, make the frosting by beating together the softened butter, lemon juice, powdered sugar, and lemon zest until smooth.
Once the bread is totally cool, spread that gorgeous lemon frosting right on top.
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip the parchment paper. It makes removing your lemon bread from the pan so much easier, and you won’t risk breaking your beautiful loaf.
- Room temperature ingredients mix better. Take your eggs and sour cream out about 30 minutes before baking for the smoothest batter.
- Double the zest for extra punch. If you love bold lemon flavor, add an extra half tablespoon of zest to both the bread and frosting.
- Make it ahead. This cake mix lemon bread actually tastes even better the next day once all the flavors have had time to meld together.
Storage and Freezing
Store your lemon loaf covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days if you’ve added the frosting.
For longer storage, this easy lemon bread freezes for up to 3 months. Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and then store them in a freezer bag for easy grab-and-go treats.
I recommend freezing the bread without the frosting – you can always whip up a fresh batch when you’re ready to serve. The unfrosted bread thaws perfectly at room temperature in about an hour, or you can pop frozen slices right into the toaster for a quick warm treat.
Recipe FAQs
Sure! Yellow cake mix or white cake mix won’t give you as strong of a lemon flavor, but it will still taste great!
Yes! This batter makes about 4 mini loaves. Bake them at the same temperature but reduce the time to 25-35 minutes. Start checking for doneness around 25 minutes with a toothpick. You could also try these Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes.
Of course! This cake mix lemon bread is delicious on its own. You could also just dust it with powdered sugar or serve it with fresh berries for a lighter option.
Do you love lemon recipes? try these…
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below and tag @practicallyhomemade on Pinterest!
Lemon Loaf Recipe
Ingredients
Lemon Bread
- 1 box lemon cake mix, {13.25 ounces}
- 1 box instant lemon pudding mix, {3.4 ounces}
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup water
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ½ Tablespoon lemon zest, {or about ½ of a lemon}
Lemon Frosting
- ¼ cup butter, {softened}
- 3-4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ Tablespoon lemon zest, {or about ½ of a lemon}
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray the bottom of a 9×5 inch loaf pan {or two smaller loaf pans} with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with a small rectangular piece of parchment paper.
Lemon Bread
- Whisk together the cake mix and pudding mix in a large bowl. Add the oil, water, eggs, sour cream, and lemon zest to the dry ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center of the loaf. If it comes with only a few crumbs {and no raw cake batter}, it is done. Note: every oven bakes differently. Start checking for doneness around 50 minutes. When I make this recipe it takes 55 minutes to bake. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run a butter knife around the edges of the pan. Remove the loaf from the pan using the parchment paper or turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Lemon Frosting
- Once the cake is cooled, mix butter, lemon juice, powdered sugar and lemon zest together using an electric mixer until it is smooth. Frost top of lemon loaf. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
what can be used instead of sour cream for people with food sensitivity?
If you are sensitive to dairy, you can try coconut cream. If not, greek yogurt works great.
I love the lemon flavor! Adding the zest really amps it up.