This Healthier Copycat Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf Is So Delicious, Fans Say They Make It Every Saturday
At bakeries and coffee shops, the line between "muffin" and "cupcake" or "cake" and "quick bread" can be pretty fuzzy.
Here at EatingWell, we're all about everything in moderation, but starting the day with a grande Iced Caramel Macchiato (250 calories, 34 grams of sugar) and a single piece of Iced Lemon Loaf (450 calories, 40 grams of sugar), for instance, is a recipe for a big blood sugar spike then crash right when we need to be focused for that mid-morning meeting. Plus, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women stick to 25 grams of added sugar per day; this breakfast alone adds up to almost triple that.
So what's a balance-minded sweets-craver to do? Turn to TikTok, of course, where we landed on Liz Moody's wildly popular copycat recipe.
Moody's Healthy Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf is her lower-sugar yet still flavor-packed twist on the coffee shop's menu item.
"You asked for it. The Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf? I went and got one so I can make an even better version for you. Uh, yeah. I can do this," she says after ordering, holding up, then taking a bite of the Starbucks slice to see what the competition is baking up.
"I kept my traditional approach to desserts here, which is to add more protein, fat and fiber to elongate your blood sugar curve so you don't have that spike and crash and feel really crummy after you eat it," Moody explains, giving a nod to the philosophy behind many of the recipes featured in her 2019 cookbook Healthier Together.
For the one-bowl batter, she whisks together almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, eggs, maple syrup and avocado oil in a bowl, then pours it into a parchment-lined loaf pan before baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
The deliciousness doesn't stop there: "I also wanted to add even more of that zesty lemon flavor, so we have zest in the loaf and juice in the icing," Moody says. So for said icing, she simply mixes citrus juice with just enough powdered sugar to make a glaze-like consistency.
After mixing, baking and assembling Moody's made-over citrus bread, fans deem it, "10/10! The ingredients are so simple, yet the loaf turns out moist and decadent," and "made the lemon loaf two Saturdays in a row. It's so delicious!"
We don't know about you, but we're already dreaming about tomorrow's breakfast including a generous slice of this Healthy Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf recipe. Once you've mastered Moody's rendition, savor similar flavors in our Test Kitchen's….
No time to DIY? Hey, we get it (and can't give up our coffee shop habit completely, either)! Study up on 10 Starbucks Drinks That Have Less Than 10 Grams of Sugar.