This gluten-free lemon bundt cake captures that fresh-squeezed lemon flavor in every slice. It’s tender, moist, and topped with a tangy lemonade icing. Whether you’re baking for a birthday, picnic, or just because your lemon tree won’t stop producing, this cake is worth making. It is also gluten-free and dairy-free.
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This gluten-free, dairy-free lemon cake is perfect for a birthday party, summer picnic, barbecue, or any time you are craving something lemony! Many of my other gluten-free lemon dessert recipes have become family favorites, and I know this will quickly become yours.
If you love bundt cakes as much as we do, check out these easy Gluten-Free Vanilla Bundt Cake, Gluten-Free Cranberry Bundt Cake, and Gluten-Free Orange Poppy Seed Bundt Cake recipes.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
For the full list of this gluten-free lemon bundt cake with icing’s ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Almond Flour – (Not pictured above.) Be sure to use almond flour, not almond meal. Otherwise, your cake may turn out grainy. Use this Gluten-Free Lemon Pound Cake recipe instead if you need a nut-free bundt.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1. That does not mean others will not work; I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten-free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon.
- Baking Soda – Always verify that your baking soda has not expired. Baking soda helps acidic bakes rise better than baking powder.
- Eggs – Use large eggs. Note: I have not tested any egg replacers in this recipe.
- Lemons – Fresh lemons are best because you can also add lemon zest.
- Non-Dairy Milk or Regular Milk – I used almond milk, but you can also use another plant-based milk or regular milk. I do not recommend canned coconut milk because it is so thick.
- Oil – Use melted coconut oil or another light cooking oil. I often use canola because it is a nice, flavorless oil.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – Do not use imitation vanilla because you will taste a difference in the cake.
A Note From My Kitchen
Our lemon tree grows lemons the size of grapefruits, seriously! I’ve tested just about every lemon dessert you can imagine using those backyard beauties. This gluten-free lemon bundt cake has become a family go-to for birthdays and gatherings because it’s one of those cakes that everyone loves. Even the non-gluten-free folks go back for seconds. I’ve made it with both King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 blends with great results, and it’s flexible enough to turn into cupcakes when I’m short on time.
How to Make a Gluten-Free Lemon Bundt Cake (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt. This gives an even distribution and helps prevent clumps of baking soda.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, combine your eggs, melted oil, lemon juice, non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and fully blended.
Tip: Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature so they combine easily and bake evenly.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or spoon until just mixed. Don’t overmix! The batter should be smooth but still slightly thick.
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Let the batter rest for 15 minutes before pouring into the pan. This rest period helps hydrate the rice in the flour (especially important for rice-based blends) and improves the texture of your final cake.
Step 4: Bake in a 350ºF oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Start checking at 50 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the thickest part of the cake. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
The best way to see if a bundt cake is ready is to insert a toothpick. If the toothpick comes up clean, the cake is done. If there is batter or crumbs on the toothpick, bake it a little longer!
Step 5: Once baked, remove the cake and set it on a cooling rack. Let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes, not longer, or it may stick. Place your cooling rack upside down over the pan, then invert and lift the pan off. If you sprayed well, the cake should release easily. Allow to cool fully before icing.
Step 6: In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar with fresh lemon juice until smooth and pourable. Drizzle it generously over the fully cooled cake.
Tip: For extra zing, stir in a little grated lemon zest or a drop of lemon extract for more intense flavor.
Tips for Baking a Fluffy Gluten-Free Bundt Cake:
- Let it rest before baking – This gives the flour time to absorb liquid, improving the cake’s texture.
- Do not overmix your cake batter. It will make your cake dense.
- Don’t skip the zest – Zest adds essential aromatic oils that deepen the lemon flavor.
- If you are new to cake baking, here is a good write-up of my favorite Kitchen Tools For Baking Cakes. I also have many Gluten-Free Baking Tips to help you take your cake to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Baking the perfect gluten-free cake can be tricky. The most important things to do are choosing the right flour, avoiding overmixing the batter, and ensuring the recipe’s liquid ratio works well with the flour blend you’ve chosen.
For this lemon cake recipe, you can easily use bottled lemon juice. If you are not using fresh lemon, you won’t have lemon zest, which adds a lot of flavor to this cake.
I have not tested a nut-free version, but you can make this Gluten-Free Lemon Pound Cake recipe in a bundt pan.
Many bundt cake pans have a lot of fine edges and grooves. I highly recommend spraying the pan with La Tourangelle Spray to prevent this gluten-free lemon bundt cake from sticking.
Another reason for a dense cake is that every gluten-free flour blend has a high starch-to-grain ratio. This will greatly affect the cake’s moisture level. If you are using a flour blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust the liquid or flour amount to get the right batter consistency.
For more cake troubleshooting help and tips, see my Gluten-Free Cake Troubleshooting Guide. For more lemon inspiration, try my delicious Gluten-Free Lemon Brownies recipe.
I made this for my mother’s 85th birthday cake. It was a hit with everyone. Even those who don’t have to be gluten free. It is amazing!”
Kathleen H., Pinterest
More Gluten-Free Lemon Dessert Recipes:
- Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Coconut Cupcakes – These are stuffed full of delicious lemon curd.
- Gluten-Free Lemon Tart – This incredible lemon tart has a flaky crust and delicious sweet-tart lemon custard filling.
- Gluten-Free Lemon Donuts – You can make these bite-sized donuts in a donut pan in the oven or use a mini donut maker.
- Gluten-Free Lemon Layer Cake – This is a great birthday cake. This layer cake has lemon curd nestled between each layer.
- Gluten-Free Lemon Oat Bars – These creamy lemon bars will be a hit for any occasion.
- Gluten-Free Lemon Pound Cake – Rich, buttery, and full of lemon flavor!
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free lemon bundt cake recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Let me know which flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gluten-Free Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemonade Icing
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup almond flour * see note
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ cup cane sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups non-dairy or regular milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons light cooking oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice Use four for extra lemon flavor
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Icing
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice add lemon juice slowly until icing is thick and drizzles when you lift the spoon out.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Use the bake and not convection bake setting. Move the oven rack to the middle of the pan.
- Spray a bundt pan with gluten-free baking spray.
- In a large bowl, add 3/4 cup almond flour, 2 cups gluten free flour blend, 1 1/4 cup cane sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and whisk to blend. Whisking helps combine the ingredients evenly in the flour.
- In a small bowl, combine the 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 3/4 cups non-dairy or regular milk, 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons light cooking oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Whisk.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just barely mixed. Do not overmix the batter, it can make your cake turn out dense.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes. Bake time may vary depending on the size of the bundt cake pan you use. If you notice the top of the cake getting too golden, cover it with a foil tent.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cake needs to bake longer.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then hold a cooling rack over the bottom of the cake. Gently invert it to let the cake slide out of the bundt cake pan. Cool the cake fully before icing it.
- Combine the 1 tablespoon lemon zest,1 cup powdered sugar, and 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice and whisk into an icing. You can make it thicker or runnier with more sugar or lemon juice. Drizzle the icing over cool cake.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. Other blends will work, but you may need to tweak the wet or dry ingredient ratios. Add more flour if the batter is runny, and add more milk if the batter is too dry.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon.
- I highly recommend using almond flour instead of almond meal. Almond meal is coarser and will make your donuts grainy.
- Other dairy-free types of milk will work, but I do not recommend canned coconut milk due to how thick it is.
- Note, this cake also makes incredible cupcakes or a sheet cake.
- This cake will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
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SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an old July 2017 post with more recipe details.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Just wondering how to substitute the sugar and wondering if anyone tried less sugar, sugar substitue/alternatives. Thank you
Rachel
Hi Rachel, I am not sure what sugar substitution would work. I would think less sugar would be fine, and you could easily skip the lemon icing. Please write back and let us know what you try and how it turns out 🙂
Wondering if I ca. Sucessfully substitute buttermilk for the coconut milk. I just have a ton of it. Sounds deliscious!
Hi Erika, I have not tested this recipe with dairy because of the lemon. If you try this, please check back and let us all know how it turns out.
I can’t wait to try this ….. it will be good with iced tea here in the Arizona desert !
Sandi, thank you for sharing this recipe !!
I hope you like it Janice, just make sure the gluten free mix you use doesn’t have dry milk powder, it can react with the lemon juice.
Hello from ?? Rockies! I’m new to your site & love it! My allergies are many, do you know of a substitute for Xanthan gum, or other Gums? I badly want to make this Lemon Bundt Cake, but know I will need to replace it at the higher 4,600 ft. Altitude here. Thanks for your great site (still happily exploring) & help. Cheers.
Hi Elle, thank you so much for your note. I had someone else write about the gums today and I did a quick Google search and see people often use egg white as a substitute. I haven’t tried this, but egg white is pretty sticky so it makes sense. If you try this, could you please come back and let everyone know if it worked? Thank you 🙂
Will do! Wish me luck. Thanks so much! ??
Question? Made the cake per recipe. Used better batter for GF flour. Had to cook it another 20-30 min after the 40 and still a little gummy?? What am I doing wrong??
Thanks ?
Hi Angela, I am not sure since I have never used this flour. I looked online at their ingredients and there is A LOT of starch in their flour blend. I have to think the starch content with the lemon probably is the reason your cake is gummy. I always use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend or Authentic Foods Multi Blend when I make this recipe.
Can I sub maple syrup for the sugar?
Hi Selina,
I have not tried this recipe with maple syrup. Because it is a liquid, you may need to adjust the dry ingredients. Would you please write back and let us know how it turned out if you try it.
It is me again……Yes! another success. And it is sweet enough not to have icing!
🙂
Thanks so much for the Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Icing recipe. I have used it for the last four weekends as a base. I have added different mixtures of sugar (turbine, white cane, and brown) different kinds of flours, even quick oats, and different kinds of fruits. I have a mini bundt pan and a couple of small baking dishes. I keep one, and give the other ones away. It works every time. Since it is sweet enough to add icing, I put the zest in the batter. Still have 15 minutes until my lemon blueberry, raspberry, dark chocolate chip bundt cake is done to have with a cup of coffee. Thank you again!
You made my day Sue…I am so happy you like this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to write and tell me 🙂
I love lemons and just made this bunds cake. It turned out very moist/dense inside and looked under cooked, even though I had it in the oven for 55 minutes. I am new to gluten free cooking, any suggestions?
Hi Troy, I am happy to help. First, can you please tell me what gluten free flour blend you used?
Hi Sandi,
I used Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour.
Thanks
Hi Troy, I have only used the flour mix you used for fried chicken coating. It contains bean flours, which are very dense. If you click the link gluten free flour blend, you will see I used a very different mix by Bob’s. His 1 to 1 gluten free mix is much lighter than what you used. Using gluten free flours is like doing a chemistry experiment. Each starch, flour, and how finely the flours are milled all play different roles.
Thank you so much Sandi. There is loads of helpful information here. I can suddenly see my G/Free cooking taking a positive change for me and my daughter.
Many Thanks
I am so happy I can help. I remember when the kids and I had to go gluten free. It was before there were products in the stores and I had to figure out how to make gluten free bread. I tossed so many attempts straight into the trash. If you ever have any questions, please let me know. My favorite gluten free flour blend is Bob’s 1 to 1 mix Ultimately, it works in almost everything. Plus it has xanthan gum already in it so you don’t have to add more. My other favorites include Authentic Foods Multi Grain blend and Pamela’s Pancake and Baking mix (has nuts though.) Please feel free to ask any questions you have along the way. sandi@fearlessdining.com Also, the mix you have with the bean flours is great for savory things. I use it for eggplant parmesan and frying foods, like fried chicken.
I am allergic to almonds, is the another flour to substitute?
Hi Adele, Thank you for taking the time to write. You can substitute 1/4 cup of additional gluten free flour blend instead of the almond flour. Please let me know how it turns out.