This lemon cottage cheese loaf cake is moist, has a tender crumb, and delivers bright citrus flavors. It’s high in protein (7g protein) and perfect for your afternoon coffee break.

Loaf cakes are one of my favorite things to bake. They are quick, easy, and don’t need a lot of handling (you don’t need to be a master baker to make them).

And, this lemon cottage cheese loaf cake checks all the boxes for a winning baked good.

It gives you a nice tangy taste that’s blended with a delicious creamy texture.

So, how did I achieve this? By using cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is my favorite ingredient now to make high protein desserts!

One of the great things about this recipe is that it packs a good amount of protein. Each serving gives you almost 7 grams of protein, enough to keep you full for a long time.

That is why this makes a great breakfast, afternoon snack, or after-dinner healthy dessert.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Eggs (3 large)

Cane sugar (1/2 cup) – Swap with coconut sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup. If you want to reduce the carb content, try using a sugar-free option like erythritol.

Cottage cheese, blended (1 1/4 cup) – Replace with Greek yogurt, ricotta cheese, or silken tofu.

Grated lemon zest (2 tbsp) – If you don’t have lemon zest (or want to try a different flavor), you can use orange or lime zest.

Lemon extract (1 1/2 tbsp) – You can also use vanilla extract or fresh lemon juice.

Coconut oil, melted (½ cup+ 1 tbsp) – Swap with ghee, butter, or any vegetable oil.

All-purpose flour (1 ½ cups) – Substitute with whole wheat flour or a gluten-free alternative.

Baking powder (2 1/4 tsp)

Salt (1/4 tsp)

GLAZING

Lemon juice (2 tbsp) – You can also use lime juice or orange juice.

Powdered sugar (6 tbsp) – If you don’t have powdered sugar, grind granulated sugar or use a sugar-free powdered sweetener.

How to Make Lemon Cottage Cheese Loaf Cake

Step 1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a 9×5” loaf pan by flouring it. Grab a large bowl, add the eggs, and whisk them.

Step 2. Add the cane sugar.

Step 3. Combine the ingredients thoroughly.

Step 4. Add the cottage cheese, lemon zest, lemon extract, and melted coconut oil.

Step 5. Give all the ingredients a good stir.

Step 6. In another bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Step 7. Combine all the ingredients.

Step 8. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Step 9. Blend the ingredients until they are all combined, just be careful you don’t overmix. You should end up having a  thick and lumpy batter.

Step 10. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Grab a spatula and level it out.

Step 11. Place the loaf pan in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Check it with a toothpick to make sure it’s all cooked.

Step 12. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool down inside the loaf pan for 10 minutes. Then, remove it from the pan and place it on a wire rack.

Step 13. Grab a small bowl and add the lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Step 14. Give the ingredients a good stir.

Step 15. Glaze the cake with the lemon and powdered sugar mix before you serve it.

Make it Gluten-Free

It’s very easy to make this recipe gluten-free. Simply replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free baking flour blend.

Make sure you look for a blend that has xanthan gum or psyllium husk. If it doesn’t have it in the blend, add ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum.

Keep in mind that almond flour is not a good replacement, as it behaves a bit differently from wheat flour. But, I’ve tried using a combination of 1 cup of almond flour and ½ cup of coconut flour, and it ends up pretty great.

My Tips & Tricks

1. Blend the Cottage Cheese: We don’t want to have any lumpy cake here. So, blend your cottage cheese in a food processor before adding it to your mixture.
2. Use Room Temperature Eggs: They blend more easily with the sugar.
3. Cool Before Glazing: Let the cake cool for at least 20 minutes before adding the glaze. Otherwise, it might melt and run off.

More Cottage Cheese Desserts

• Lemon Almond Cottage Cheese Cake
• Peach Blueberry Cottage Cheese Cake
• Cottage Cheese Apple Zucchini Cake