Zesty and tangy gluten free lemon drizzle cake! This gorgeous lemon cake is citrusy and packed with lemon zest and lemon juice. The soft and moist crumbs of this cake are coated with tangy lemon icing that is difficult to resist!
This is hands down my favorite cake!
You should make this cake for several reasons and here are a few:
- The cakes looks gorgeous without any effort or decorating!
- This is an easy gluten free lemon cake to make!
- The vibrant yellow color is irresistible!
- Soft and moist crumbs that no one will know this lemon drizzle cake is gluten-free!
- Zesty, tangy and crunchy lemon drizzle icing!
- NO BUTTER! 😉
Not convinced? Scroll down for the pictures and see for yourself!
The Secret to a Moist Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
The secret to achieving a soft and moist gluten free lemon drizzle cake comes down to the ingredients used.
If you don't want to understand the science behind the ingredients chosen then feel free to skip this section! 😀
If you are looking for substitutions, read this section friend!
Gluten Free Flour Mix
The gluten free flour mix I'm using for this gluten free lemon cake consists of white rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch, and brown rice flour. This gluten-free flour mix is what makes the crumbs of this cake soft and moist!
Alternatives: You can use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour or Dove Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour.
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oil is the main source of fat in this recipe. I do not like using butter and try to limit the use of it as much as possible. Also, in this case, the vegetable oil works best as it makes the cake moist and soft.
You can use canola oil, corn oil, or any vegetable oil you like that does not have a strong flavor.
Eggs
Eggs give this cake structure and make it fluffy. Without them, the cake won't rise and it will sink. This recipe requires 4 eggs.
Lemon Zest & Lemon Juice
To flavor the cake and make it zesty and citrusy, I recommend the use of fresh lemon zest and lemon juice. The zest makes the lemon flavor stronger and so make sure to include it.
I do not recommend the use of Lemon extract for flavoring as it is dull and just not as good as using fresh lemon!
Buttermilk
I love love love buttermilk! It makes everything so much better. The buttermilk makes the crumbs soft by hydrating the gluten-free flours.
If you don't have buttermilk and want to make it at home, simply add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to 200 ml of full-fat dairy milk. Let the milk thicken for 10 minutes before using it.
Baking Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake from Scratch
Like I said before, this is an easy gluten free lemon cake recipe!
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make this citrusy gluten free lemon drizzle cake at home with ease:
- Prepare The Dry Ingredients: Sift all your dry ingredients and then combine them in one bowl. Sifting the ingredients ensures that there are no lumps!
- Prepare the Wet Ingredients: Using a handheld mixer, or a standalone mixer, with the paddle attachment fitter, beat the vegetable oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, and beat until combined after each addition. Do not add the eggs all at once, or the batter will curdle. Then, add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice and beat until combined.
- Make the Batter: Add half of the dry ingredients, followed by the buttermilk and beat until combined. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Do not over mix the batter at this stage. The batter will be loose.
- Bake the cake: Transfer the lemon cake batter, to a greased bundt pan and bake the gluten free lemon cake for 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Let the cake sit in the bundt pan for 10 minutes before inverting it.
- Prepare the icing and drizzle it: Add and combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and heavy cream. Then once the cake is cooled down to room temperature, drizzle the icing over the cake and enjoy your gluten free lemon drizzle cake!
Dairy-Free Option & Substitutions
You can make this cake dairy-free by following the below substitutions:
- Dairy-Free Buttermilk: Instead of using dairy buttermilk, make dairy-free buttermilk by adding one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to 200 ml of Almond milk/Coconut milk. Let the milk thicken for 10 minutes before using it.
- Coconut Cream: Coconut cream can be used as a substitute for the heavy cream in the icing. Feel free to omit the coconut cream, the icing will still taste great but won't have the white thick color.
Frequently Asked Questions
A cake can sink at the center for various reasons, but one of the main reasons is oven temperature. If the oven temperature is too low or too high, the cake can sink. Invest in an oven thermometer to prevent this issue from occurring.
Yes, you can use All-Purpose Flour instead of Gluten-Free Flour. However, if you do so then omit the xanthan gum and use 170 ml of Buttermilk instead of 200 ml.
Yes, you can bake this lemon cake in a loaf pan with a standard size of 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ inches.
Other Delicious Gluten-Free Cake Recipes
- Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake
- Gluten Free Marble Bundt Cake
- Gluten Free Vanilla Bundt Cake
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Gluten Free Orange Bundt Cake
- Gluten Free Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake
- Easy No Bake Lazy Cake
- Gluten Free Strawberry Jam Cake
Easy Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 162 grams of White Rice Flour
- 64 grams of Tapioca Flour
- 32 grams of Corn Starch
- 64 grams of Brown Rice Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon of Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Salt
- ½ teaspoon of Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum
- 175 grams of Vegetable Oil
- 326 grams of Granulated Sugar
- 4 Large Eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
- 3 tablespoons of Lemon Zest
- 100 ml of Fresh Lemon Juice
- 200 ml of Buttermilk (at room temperature)
Lemon Icing
- 130 grams of Powdered Sugar
- 1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice
- ½ teaspoon of Lemon Zest
- 2 tablespoon of Heavy Cream (at room temperature)
Instructions
Lemon Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180 ℃ (356 ℉)
- Add and combine, the white rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch, brown rice flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and xanthan gum. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- In a stand-alone mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer, beat the vegetable oil and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Next, add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Then add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice and beat until combined.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, followed by the buttermilk and beat until combined. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
- Grease your bundt pan with butter and add your cake batter until the pan is ⅔ full.
- Place your bundt pan in the oven on the center rack and bake it for 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the middle comes out clean. Let the cake sit in the bundt pan for 10 minutes before inverting it.
Lemon Icing
- In a bowl, add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and heavy cream. Then using a whisk, combine the ingredients. If the glaze is too thin, you can add more powdered sugar, and if the glaze is too thick, add more heavy cream.
- Once the cake has cooled down, pour the glaze on the cake and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Notes
- Storage & Freezing Instructions: This cake can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for three days, and it can be stored in the fridge for up to one week. To freeze the baked cake, cut it into slices and wrap each individual slice with plastic wrap. The slices of cake can last for up to four months in the freezer.
- Loaf Pan: This cake can be baked in a standard size loaf pan. All instructions remain the same.
- Dairy-Free Option: This cake can be made dairy-free by using dairy-free buttermilk for the cake and coconut cream for the icing. See above for more details.
Leslie says
What a delightful recipe! This is perfect for the spring & summer season and I love that it's gluten-free!
Tammy says
So grateful to be coming across a lot of gluten free recipes lately. This one is definitely a keeper for the spring season. It looks so delightful!
Veronika Sykorova says
I love any desserts with lemon this time of the year and this bund cake definitely didn't disappoint! Our whole family really enjoyed it and I can't wait to make it again.
Kayla DiMaggio says
Yum! This lemon drizzle cake was so delicious! It was moist, light and fluffy and filled with yummy lemon flavor!
Mikayla says
I must say this cake came together quite quickly and the use of fresh lemons made all the difference for me. Would not have guessed it was a gluten free recipe if I hadn't made it myself.
Amanda Mason says
This is a really good lemon cake recipe and I love that it is gluten free! It turned out REALLY good - just enough lemon taste. It's perfect for spring!!
Jere says
We have so many fresh lemons right now and needed to use them in something. I normally don't bake GF but I did use the GF flour and the cake came out amazing. Nice and tangy, and so easy.
Lauren Michael Harris says
This lemon cake looks incredible! My gluten free husband will love this and next to chocolate, lemon desserts are my favorite too!
Marta says
My son is a lemon-lover so i made this lemon drizzle cake to celebrate him getting into 4 colleges. He loved it as did the rest of my family.
Marie says
The texture of this cake is absolutely perfect! And that lemony aroma is irresistible. I can't wait to make the cake again for my lemon-obsessed gluten intolerant friend. She'll be so happy to enjoy one of her favorite cakes again! Grateful that you shared this recipe.
Tara Watson says
I made this today. My daughter has a birthday in a few weeks. I’ve often made her a lemon-poppyseed angel food cake with a lemon glaze. This is a great cake recipe. I’m amazed at the softness of it. I did add poppyseeds just to see if anyone notices much difference flavour-wise. thanks for another super recipe.
Aya says
Thank you for the kind comment, Tara! I'm so happy you liked it, and happy early birthday to your daughter!
Ghaida says
Great recipe! So refreshing and perfect for the spring!