Cardamom Spiced Lemon Almond Loaf
Cardamom Spiced Lemon Almond Loaf is bursting with sunny citrus and super moist with almond flour and skyr.

I love enjoying citrus on chilly, gray winter days. I have memories of my grandma sending boxes of Florida grapefruits to our family in Wyoming in the bleak winter months and just how good that bright, sunny flavor tasted. Later, when my husband and I were living in AZ, I loved gathering tangelos, grapefruits, and lemons from friends’ citrus trees and making endless preparations with the delicious juices and zests. One of my favorite breads from childhood is my mother’s orange bread. More like a cake, it is soaked and glazed with a delicious fresh orange icing. This Cardamom Spiced Lemon Almond Loaf was inspired by the memory of that wintertime bread.
Ingredients:
Cardamom Spiced Lemon Almond Loaf gets its wonderful flavor from fresh lemon juice and zest, ground cardamom and a bit of almond extract. Large fresh eggs are key for giving the loaf its structure, and it is gluten-free and super moist from the almond flour and creamy Skyr. Skyr is an Icelandic cultured dairy product, much like a strained yogurt. Skyr is full of protein and is usually quite low in sugar. I love Icelandic Provisions skyr products and chose the vanilla bean version for this recipe.

Look at how thick and creamy this skyr is!

The Process:
I find that mixing this loaf in a food processor produces the best batter. It smooths out the ingredients and helps develop the structure of this gluten-free treat. The recipe may also be easily mixed by hand in the same sequence. Start by combining all of the liquid ingredients.

Next, add the flour and other dry ingredients along with the fresh lemon zest.

Finish by pulsing in the fresh lemon juice until you have a smooth mixture.

Baking the Cardamom Spiced Lemon Almond Loaf:
I chose a “fancy” pan for this recipe, which is this beautiful Nordic Ware Citrus Blossom Loaf Pan. The pan creates a beautiful design on the finished bread, and comes out clean every time when using Baker’s Joy no-stick spray. If you don’t have such a fancy vessel, just use a standard 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Pour the finished batter into the prepared pan. It might bubble a bit, which is the baking powder and lemon juice getting ready for action.

Bake the loaf for 40 minutes at 325 degrees, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the loaf to cool for a few minutes, then carefully turn out onto a cooling rack by placing the rack directly on the top of the pan.

I love the lemon and leaf design on the baked loaf!

Finishing the Cardamom Spiced Lemon Almond Loaf:
The final step is to give the loaf a lovely glaze. Whisk together confectioner’s sugar, fresh lemon juice, and a bit more ground cardamom in a small bowl.

Be sure to keep mixing until any small lumps have been absorbed.

Place the cooling rack over a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and pour the glaze over the top while the loaf is still warm.

The glaze will start to soak into the warm loaf.

When the Cardamom Spiced Lemon Almond Loaf has cooled completely it is ready to slice and serve.

This citrusy bread is a delightful treat for Fika, breakfast, Sunday brunch, or any time you need a little boost to help with the winter blues!


Cardamom Spiced Lemon Almond Loaf
Equipment
- 9 x 5-inch loaf pan
Ingredients
For the Loaf:
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 6 ounces vanilla or plain skyr, (could substitute Greek yogurt)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups finely ground almond flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- finely chopped zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, about 2 lemons
For the Icing:
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
For the Loaf:
- Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit.
- Prepare loaf pan by spraying with non-stick baking spray. If using a standard loaf pan, also line the bottom with parchment paper. If using a decorative loaf pan, be sure to completely coat all surfaces.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the eggs, skyr, and almond extract. Process until smooth.
- Add the almond flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, salt, and lemon zest. Process again until smooth.
- Pulse in the lemon juice.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the loaf is golden brown.
- Transfer pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Place another cooling rack on the surface of the loaf top and invert the loaf from the pan to cool. Glaze while still warm but cool completely before slicing.
For the Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth and free of lumps..
- Pour the glaze over the top of the loaf once it has been removed from the pan. Do this while the loaf is still warm to allow the glaze to soak in.