Wow! I just made this delicious sweet bread and it is absolutely wonderful! My family gobbled up an entire loaf last night!!! It's a good thing that this recipe makes TWO loaves :). It is so moist and sweet that it doesn't really need the Lemon Glaze! Would also be great served with vanilla ice cream. Thank you to Mel's Kitchen Cafe for sharing this wonderful recipe!
2CupsSugarI know this isn't a "wet" ingredient, but it goes in this bowl
3TablespoonsLemon Zest
4LargeEggs
1teaspoonVanilla Extract
½CupUnsweetened Applesauce
½CupCanola Oil
1 ½CupsPlain YogurtI used Greek-style yogurt
Lemon Glaze
3-4TablespoonsLemon JuiceFrom the zested lemons or store-bought lemon juice
1 1/2-2CupsConfectioner's SugarI use less sugar to make the glaze a little more runny...add 1 teaspoon of water at a time, if needed to thin it more
Instructions
Gather ingredients.
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare two loaf pans with oil or shortening and floured. Note: I used two different sizes of loaf pans and they were perfect for the amount of batter (one was 8.5" x 4.5" x 2.75" and the other one was 9" x 5" x 2.75")
Dry Ingredients
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt using a fork or whisk.
Wet Ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest using a fork. Mix until it resembles wet sand.
Next, add the rest of the ingredients (eggs to the plain yogurt) one at a time, stirring with a fork after each addition until well mixed (I beat the eggs in a separate bowl before adding them to the mixture).
Add the dry ingredient mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each cup.
Pour mixed batter into the prepared loaf pans (about 2/3 full).
Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes (cook time varies by oven and pan size) until top of loaf is a golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
Let loaves cool completely (if you can wait!) before drizzling the glaze over the top. (Note: I opted to let each person add the glaze to their individual servings)