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Lemon Cream Cheese Bread Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Lemon Cream Cheese Bread Recipe

I still remember when I took the first slice of this lemon cream cheese bread — the tangy citrus spark and the creamy swirl surprised me in the best way. I baked it one weekend just for fun, and ended up giving the whole loaf away because I couldn’t stop snacking on it.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened — helps give the bread a moist, tender crumb and creamy swirl
  • 1 cup granulated sugar — sweetness to balance the lemon flavor
  • 2 large eggs — bind the ingredients and add structure
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract — rounds out flavors softens the tang
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice — fresh is best; key for that genuine lemon zip
  • 1 box lemon cake mix about 15.25 oz — for convenience, structure, and built-in flavor (this is what gives the base of the bread its lemony cake profile)
  • 1 package 3.4 oz lemon instant pudding mix — adds moisture, helps keep the texture tender

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and grease the loaf pan. In a bowl, beat softened cream cheese with sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla until creamy and smooth.
  2. In another bowl, stir together the lemon cake mix and lemon instant pudding (don’t add milk, as per box). Add the dry mix into the cream cheese mixture and fold gently until combined — don’t overmix.
  3. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50–60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it rest in the pan ~10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before glazing or slicing.

Notes

  • Let the cream cheese sit out fully to soften — I sometimes forgot and got lumps, which ruin the texture.
  • Place a pan of water in the oven (on a lower rack) for extra humidity, which keeps the loaf moist.
  • Check doneness starting around 50 minutes — ovens vary, and overbaking dries it out.
  • After the loaf cools a bit, wrap it in foil to “rest” overnight — flavors deepen by day two.
  • Use fine lemon zest (microplane) to avoid large bitter bits in slices.