My favorite vegan lemon loaf recipe filled with a delicious poppyseed filling and draped in the most luscious pink lemonade icing beautifully flecked with golden lemon zest. An easy showstopper quick sweet bread for all lemon lovers and garden parties to come.
Prepare an 8x4 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper making sure to leave a couple of inches of overhang to serve as handles. Lightly oil the narrow ends of the pan where there is no paper. (You’ll want to cut your paper to fit the pan lengthwise basically).
In a small bowl combine the poppy seed filling and set aside.
Transfer half of the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Spoon the poppyseed filling lengthwise through the center of the batter in a skinny line. Top with the rest of the batter.
Place the loaf in the preheated oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or almost clean with a few crumbs sticking to it.
Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack placed on top of a baking sheet and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Make use of the parchment paper handles and remove the loaf from the pan. Allow to continue cooling off completely.
Pink Lemonade Icing
In a small saucepan combine the blueberries and the juice from one lemon. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the blueberries burst and release their juice. Stir and remove from heat. Do not reduce the sauce. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and reserve the smooth juices. (Use the blueberries in lemonade or mix into your morning oatmeal).
1/2 cup blueberries, 1 lemon
Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Start whisking in the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of the blueberry puree until a thick smooth icing is achieved. You can add more lemon juice as you see fit. (Alternatively you can use 2 tsp of dragon fruit puree in lieu of the blueberry sauce).
1.25 cups powder sugar, 3 Tbsp lemon juice + more as needed
Once the loaf has cooled off completely you can pour the icing all over the top making sure to catch the sides too helping it along with a spatula if need be. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and allow to set completely before slicing into it.
Video
Notes
Icing Variation - If desired and where available the blueberry puree can be replaced with 2 tsp store bought dragon fruit puree for the same beautiful pink lemonade effect.
About the Loaf Pan - I used a classic 8x4 inch loaf pan, if using mini loaf pans just make sure to test for doneness starting at the 25 minute mark to avoid over-baking. Also no two ovens seem to ever yield exactly the same results, so better to keep a close eye on your loaf the first time around.