Lemon Cream Cheese Bread

Lemon cream cheese bread is a delicious iced loaf cake made with lemon cake mix, lemon pudding mix and cream cheese topped with a lemon glaze.

This lemon cream cheese bread comes together quickly and is bursting with lemon flavors. We usually enjoy this mid morning treat along with apple cinnamon baked oatmeal and two ingredient bagels.

Lemon Cream Cheese Bread

Why you’ll love this recipe!

📌 A delicious cream cheese swirl throughout the bread.

📌 Topped with a lemon and powdered sugar glaze.

📌 Made with a simple boxed cake mix and lemon pudding mix.

Lemon Cream Cheese Bread Ingredients

• Cake mix – Lemon cake mix.
• Pudding mix – Lemon instant pudding mix.
• Water – Cold, filtered.
• Oil – Vegetable oil.
• Eggs – Large, divided.
• Cream cheese – Softened.
• Sugar – White granulated.
• Vanilla – Real vanilla extract.
• Flour – All purpose flour.
• Glaze – Powdered sugar, fresh squeezed lemon juice.

How do you make a lemon cream cheese loaf? (step-by-step directions)

⭐ First, preheat the oven and spray a bread loaf pan with non-stick spray. Whisk together the cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, oil and eggs in a large bowl until well combined.

⭐ Next, in a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla and flour. Whisk together until smooth.

⭐ Then, pour half the lemon batter into the loaf pan. Pour all of the cream cheese mixture on top of the lemon batter. Then pour the remaining lemon batter on top of the cream cheese mixture. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

⭐ Finally, remove bread from the pan and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Then whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until combined. Pour glaze over the cooled cake and allow to set. 

Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions. 

Preparation

Can lemon cream cheese cake be made ahead of time?

Yes, this can be made a day or two in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. If making ahead of time, we recommend leaving the glaze off until before serving.

What type of pudding mix do I need?

Make sure to grab the instant pudding mix instead of the cook & serve pudding mix. You can either do lemon flavor or vanilla flavor if you want to cut back on how much lemon flavor there is in the bread.

What size loaf pan to use for lemon cream cheese cake?

We used a 9×5 loaf pan for this recipe. If your loaf pan is smaller, we recommend making this into two smaller loaves.

Storage and leftovers

How long does lemon cream cheese bread last?

Because it contains dairy (cream cheese) the bread should be stored in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 5 days in the fridge or longer in the freezer.

Can you freeze lemon cream cheese bread?

Yes, to freeze it you’ll want to wait for the loaf to cool completely. Then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then again in foil, or place in a sealed container (freezer bag or tupperware).

Tips and tricks

✅ Add poppy seeds to the lemon batter to make it a lemon poppyseed bread.

✅ Swap the lemon pudding mix for vanilla pudding mix to cut back on the lemon flavor.

✅ Add some vanilla bean paste to the glaze mixture for an added kick of vanilla.

✅ Zest a lemon and sprinkle over the top of the glaze to give the cake a fresh burst of lemon flavor!

Frequently asked questions

Can I add nuts or other mix-ins to the batter for extra texture?

Yes, you can customize the bread by adding chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, or other mix-ins like dried fruits or chocolate chips to the batter before baking.

How do I know when the bread is fully baked (what should the texture be like)?

The bread is fully baked when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, with no wet batter clinging to it. The texture of the bread should be moist and springy, with a golden-brown crust on the outside.

Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing and serving for the best texture.

What can I do if I don’t have a loaf pan? Can I use a different baking dish?

If you don’t have a loaf pan, you can use a similarly sized baking dish, such as a round cake pan or a square baking dish. Just ensure that the baking dish is adequately greased to prevent sticking.

What to enjoy with cheesecake lemon bread (serving suggestions)

This is such an easy quick bread that doesn’t last long in our house! We enjoying this after a dinner of Dr. Pepper pulled pork, Brussels sprout soup, and  parmesan roasted potatoes.

More delicious quick bread recipes

• Pumpkin cream cheese bread
• White chocolate banana bread
• Peanut butter bread
• Pumpkin spice bread
• Chocolate chip banana bread
• Peanut butter banana bread
• Classic zucchini bread
• Banana bread recipe
• See all our easy bread recipes!

Other fantastic lemon recipes

• Lemon curd
• Lemon gooey butter cake
• Lemon poke cake
• Lemon pasta
• Lemon pudding cookies
• Lemon raspberry cupcakes
• Easy lemon bars
• Lemon mousse
• Easy lemon cookies
• See all our easy lemon recipes!

Tools we love

• Loaf pans – We love these basic loaf pans, especially because the flared ends make them easy to get in and out of the oven.
• Cooling rack – A good cooling rack is essential for baking!
• Bread knife – Using a serrated bread knife will get you the perfect slices every time.

How to Make Lemon Cream Cheese Bread