This decadent lemon loaf gets its rich, tart taste from mascarpone cheese, juicy raspberries, fresh lemon juice, and a touch of lemony glaze to finish it off. It’s perfect for an easy summer dessert or when you need baking to bring to showers, brunches, or parties!
My lemon loaf recipe
How would I describe this recipe?
- Sweet, but not too sweet
- Slightly tart from the lemon
- Dense, rich, and decadent
- Easy to make
- Beautiful to look at!
- Crowd-pleasing
I had a bunch of mascarpone cheese left to use from another upcoming recipe, and a mascarpone lemon loaf sounded like JUST what I was looking for. I found this great recipe from Pretty. Simple. Sweet for her mascarpone lemon loaf recipe, and my own recipe I’m sharing with you today was inspired by it. Be sure to check out her recipe too!
Before we dive into my recipe, let’s talk a little about mascarpone cheese. I’m pretty new to using it for anything other than tiramisu and I figured you might be wondering about it too!
What is mascarpone cheese?
I didn’t really understand at first what made it different than cream cheese and why I paid $14 for a small container of it. Flash forward a few Google searches later into the difference between mascarpone cheese and cream cheese and I had my answers.
Mascarpone is called “Italian cream cheese” because it’s so similar to what we know as American cream cheese. As for their differences, even though mascarpone IS a cream cheese, it’s made with whole cream, so it’s even richer than regular cream cheese.
And that richness works in our favor in this recipe. When you bake with mascarpone, it makes for a really rich, dense result. There’s a time and a place for a light, fluffy lemon loaf. But when it comes to my own lemon loaf recipe, I like it to be thick, dense, and rich!
If you can’t find mascarpone cheese (most groceries stores do have it though!) or you have American cream cheese to use up, you’ll want to check this out. On Spoon University they talk more about mascarpone vs. cream cheese along with substituting one for the other in certain recipes.
Now, in addition to mascarpone, what do you need for this recipe, including the lemon glaze?
Ingredients
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Eggs
- Room temperature mascarpone
- Powdered sugar (this is for the lemon glaze and the lemon loaf)
- Melted unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Raspberries (I use frozen)
- Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest (this is for the lemon glaze and the lemon loaf)
Lemon loaf instructions
Start by preheating your oven to 350F. Grease a standard loaf pan (8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches).
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Set it aside.
Melt the butter and set it aside.
Using the whisk attachment for your stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat together the eggs and powdered sugar for 3-5 minutes, until creamy and combined really well.
Now turn the speed down to low and slowly pour in the melted butter.
Next, you’ll add the room temperature mascarpone, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Once that’s combined, add the flour mixture and slowly mix just until combined.
Learn from my mistakes with micro planing and do yourself a favour: get a micro planer with an attachment that holds the food for you so you don’t grate your fingers to bits!
Now, gently fold in the frozen raspberries.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan, and gently smooth it with a spatula.
It will look something like this:
Mascarpone, Raspberry, and Lemon Loaf with Lemony Glaze
Mascarpone Raspberry Lemon Loaf with Lemony Glaze
Ingredients
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature
- 1.5 cups flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 eggs at room temperature for best results
- 1 + ⅔ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup raspberries I use frozen
- 3-4 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice This will take about 2 medium lemons
- the zest from one lemon
For the Lemon Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- the zest from one lemon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a standard loaf pan (8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches). Melt butter and set it aside. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Set it aside.
- Using the whisk attachment for your stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat together the eggs and powdered sugar for 3-5 minutes, until creamy and combined really well. Now turn the speed down to low and slowly pour in the melted butter. Add the room temperature mascarpone, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Once combined, add the flour mixture and slowly mix just until combined. Gently fold in the frozen raspberries with a wooden spoon or a spatula. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, and gently smooth the surface.
- Bake the loaf for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the centre comes out clean.
- After it's rested for about 20-30 minutes, gently remove it from the loaf pan and place it on a cooling rack. Once your lemon loaf has cooled on the rack for at least an hour, drizzle the glaze on top. Serve immediately or return to the pan. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to five days, although it's best when it's fresh!
For the Lemon Glaze
- Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, and powdered sugar and mix well until there are no clumps of powdered sugar left. If you want a runnier glaze, use more lemon juice. If it's too runny, add more sugar.
So, next time you need a great dessert for a brunch, lunch, or shower, this is the one!
By the way, if you ARE heading to a brunch, here are some of my other brunch recipes you might like:
VEGETARIAN WIFE SAVER BREAKFAST CASSEROLEHope you love this lemon loaf as much as I do.
XO,
C
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Mascarpone cheese not listed in ingredents for how much?? Please advise
Thanks Simone! 8 oz at room temperature.