The Best EVER Gluten-Free Lemon Cake
Posted: 03/31/22
Updated: 04/21/22
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This gluten-free lemon cake might just be the best lemon cake ever, gluten or not! Moist, with the perfect lemony flavor, and the perfect tart glaze that’s just thick enough, this lemon loaf is just delicious.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- If you’ve ever had Starbucks’ iced lemon pound cake, you know just how incredible it is. Moist and rich and soft and dense and sweet, with a bright lemon flavor and an amazing thick icing on top. OK, well, what if I told you that this is that cake, only better AND gluten free?!
- We use freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh lemon zest in this iced lemon loaf, so none of the flavors taste artificial or chemical-y. Just tart and zesty natural citrus throughout the cake and the icing.
Chef’s Tips
- Both the eggs and the butter have to be at room temperature when you begin making your lemon cake! If the butter’s too cold, it won’t blend with the sugar well, and you’ll end up with a texture that just won’t work. If the eggs are too cold, you risk curdling the butter & sugar mixture.
- For the lemon zest, you’ll need 2 to 4 lemons to get 1 tablespoon of zest. I say 2 to 4 because it all depends on the size of the lemons, their age, and firmness of the lemon rinds.
More Gluten-Free Treats to Try
- Gluten-Free Mug Cake
- Gluten-Free Ginger Snaps
- Keto Peach Cobbler
- Keto Pie Crust
- Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
The Best EVER Gluten-Free Lemon Cake
Perfectly moist with an amazing lemon flavor and a thick, sweet icing, everyone will love this springtime cake whether they're gluten free or not!
slices
Ingredients
For the Gluten-Free Lemon Cake
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from 2-4 lemons, see Notes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature, see Notes
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature, see Notes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice approximately 1-2 lemons' worth
- ½ cup buttermilk divided
For the Lemon Icing
- 1 ¼-1 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice approximately 1-2 lemons' worth
- 1 tablespoon milk
Equipment
- loaf pan 9×5 or 8×4
- Parchment paper
- 2 medium bowls
- 2 whisks
- stand mixer with paddle attachment, or hand mixer
- Wire cooling rack
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line loaf pan with parchment paper. Parchment paper should be as wide as loaf pan and laid inside. Alternately, skip parchment paper and grease pan well instead. Set aside.
- Add flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt to medium bowl. Whisk well to combine thoroughly. Set aside.
- In stand mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until mixture is pale and fluffy, approximately 4 to 6 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
- Switch mixer speed to low and add room-temperature eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg well before adding another.
- Add vanilla extract and lemon juice. Switch mixer speed back to medium-high and beat mixture until well combined.
- Once combined, switch mixer speed to low. Add ⅓ of flour mixture to stand mixer bowl. Mix until almost combined, then add ¼ cup buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat with another ⅓ of flour mixture, then remaining ¼ cup buttermilk, then remaining ⅓ of flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
- Transfer batter into prepared loaf pan and place pan in oven. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until toothpick or knife inserted in center of cake comes out clean or with very few crumbs. Cake should be golden brown. Baking times can vary so adjust as needed.
- Remove loaf pan from oven. Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove cake from pan and transfer to wire cooling rack. Allow cake to cool completely.
- When cake has cooled completely, add all lemon icing ingredients to medium bowl and whisk well to combine thoroughly. Start with 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar and add more as needed until mixture is thick and gives resistance when stirring. Icing should not be runny.
- Pour icing over cake and let dry. Note: I like to put my cake back in the loaf pan for this part. It keeps the icing from running down the sides of the cake and onto the counter or surface beneath the cake, plus you end up with a thick layer of icing on top, similar to Starbucks iced lemon pound cake.
- Slice lemon cake and serve.
Notes
- It’s super, super important that the butter and eggs are at room temperature before you begin.
- Eggs: To quickly bring the eggs to room temperature, put them in a bowl and cover them with hot tap water. Let them sit 3-4 minutes, then drain the water and cover them again with fresh hot tap water. Let them sit 5 more minutes and then continue with the recipe.
- Lemon Zest: You’ll need 2 to 4 lemons to get 1 tablespoon of zest, depending on the size of the lemons, their age, and firmness of the lemon rinds.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 387kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 102mg, Sodium: 270mg, Potassium: 63mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 45g, Vitamin A: 484IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 95mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 60g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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