Loaf cakes are much simpler in design than layer cakes, yet certainly not less delicious, and they can still be visually stunning if you put in a little effort. Lemon loaves or pound cakes from a bakery often use a simple finishing touch for an appetizing appearance that's far from boring, and you can easily recreate this effect at home.

The secret to professional-looking loaf cakes is a topping of turbinado sugar, which is made from sugar cane that has been pressed, boiled once, then spun in a turbine to dry out. This process creates brown, thick, flaky crystals of sugar with a more striking appearance and flavor, as opposed to ultra-fine granules of white sugar.

Turbinado sugar has a subtle caramel flavor that makes your cakes taste and look better. Add some crunchy, thick turbinado sugar crystals on top of your loaf cakes as a finishing touch, and the grains will prettily glimmer on the surface while also adding a nice crunch and deeper sweetness to the otherwise soft and simple cake.