Simple Lemon Icing Recipe {Lemon Glaze}

Ingredients for Lemon Icing

Just like my favorite simple Vanilla Icing, Lemon Icing requires just a few ingredients:

• Powdered sugar (also called confectioners sugar)
• Salt. A bit of salt is crucial to adding balance to the sweet flavor of icing.
• Heavy Cream.
• Lemon Juice, preferably fresh squeezed.
• Lemon extract or lemon oil.

What's the difference between lemon extract and lemon oil?

Lemon extract is made by soaking lemon peels in alcohol. The alcohol absorbs the essential oils in the peels, which is what gives lemon extract a potent lemon flavor without all the acid in lemon juice.

Lemon oil is a great addition to your pantry, adding concentrated lemon flavor to things like Lemon Loaf Cake, Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Mascarpone Cream, and the BEST melt-in-your-mouth Lemon Bars.

But be aware that there are two very different, kinds of lemon oil:

1. Olive oil that's been infused with lemon either by including lemon with the olives when they are cold pressed, or by gently heating olive oil with lemon peel to infuse it with lemon flavor. This kind of lemon oil is fantastic in salad dressing, pasta dishes, or simply drizzled over grilled meat or veggies. But, it's not the kind of lemon oil you want to use in baking.
2. The kind of lemon oil you want to use in baking is one that's made by cold pressing lemon rinds. This kind of lemon oil is super concentrated. The brand I like is Boyajian Pure Lemon Oil, which uses 225 lemons in every 3.4 ounce bottle.

For the most part I think lemon oil has a better flavor than lemon extract.

Also, because lemon oil is so concentrated, you only need to use a little bit to achieve a strong lemon flavor.That concentrated, clean flavor of lemon oil is perfect for things like this lemon icing.

It would be quite impossible to include enough fresh lemon juice in icing to give it a strong lemon flavor without making it too runny.

How to Make Simple Lemon Icing:

Lemon Icing is one of the fastest, easiest ways I know to add a delicious sweet citrus flavored finish to all variety of baked goods. The whole process takes about 5 minutes. Here's what you do:

Add powdered sugar and salt to a small bowl and stir to combine. Then pour in the heavy cream, lemon juice, and lemon oil or lemon extract. Stir until the icing is completely smooth and there are no lumps.

You can use a spoon or a fork to stir the icing. If you're having trouble getting the lumps out, use a fork.

Lift the spoon or fork from the bowl to check the consistency and taste the icing for lemon flavor. If you want a thinner consistency, you can add more cream, lemon juice and/or lemon oil or lemon extract.

• If you want a thicker layer of icing over whatever you plan to use it on, add less liquid.
• If you want a very thin layer of icing, add more liquid.

Which liquid you use to thin the icing out depends on whether or not you also want to increase the lemon flavor.

A Few of My Favorite Uses for Lemon Icing:

• Blueberry Loaf Cake
• Raspberry Swirl Loaf Cake
• Lemon Loaf Cake
• Perfect Pound Cake
• Mini Cranberry Bundt Cakes
• Lemon Berry Snack Cake
• Lemon Ricotta Olive Oil Loaves
• Lemon Blueberry Muffins
• Gingerbread Bundt Cake