This homemade gluten free lemon bundt cake with lemonade icing is full of fresh lemon flavor. And as a bonus, this mouthwatering lemon cake is also dairy-free, so if you need a gluten free and dairy-free birthday cake, this recipe is for you!
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If you have been following for a while, you know our lemon tree is overflowing with lemons. Huge lemons, the size of grapefruits! I have been making lots of delicious recipes with fresh lemon juice, and even a few cocktails like this Tequila Lemonade.
It has been fun to create these gluten free lemon dessert recipes. If you haven’t tried any yet, I can’t wait to hear about the recipes you make.
Why I love this gluten free lemon bundt cake:
- One bite of this gluten free lemon bundt cake, and you will want more and more. The fresh lemon flavor shines through!
- This bundt cake is truly a show-stopper dessert and is perfect for entertaining or even using the batter to make delicious cupcakes for a party.
- This delicious lemon bundt cake recipe is perfect for those with food allergies because it is dairy-free and soy-free.
If you love lemon desserts as much as we do, you will want to check out my Most Popular Gluten Free Lemon Desserts! And if you are looking for a buttery pound cake, check out this Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake recipe too! If you love cranberries, this Gluten Free Cranberry Bundt Cake recipe is amazing.
Thanks for this recipe. I appreciate the little oil version. I doubled the glaze 😝and used lime zest and blueberry for decorations.”
gioconda m.
Allergen Information:
This homemade lemon bundt cake is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and oat-free.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Almond Flour – Make sure to use almond flour and not almond meal. Otherwise, your cake may turn out grainy.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t 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 1 teaspoon.
- Baking Soda – Always verify that your baking soda has not expired. Using expired baking soda will affect the rise of the cake.
- Eggs – Use size 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 – I used almond milk, but you can also use regular milk or another plant-based milk. I do not recommend canned coconut milk. If using oat milk, verify it is made with gluten free oats. Soy milk is a good option if you can have soy.
- Oil – Use melted coconut oil or another oil that you like to use for baking. I often use canola because it is a nice, flavorless oil.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – Do not use imitation vanilla
Tips For Success
1. Let the cake batter sit for 15 minutes before baking it to ensure it has no grainy texture. Some gluten free flour blends tend to have a little grit, so this tip will help eliminate this issue.
2. To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using either the spoon or leveling method. Spoon Method: Use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour. Leveling Method: Put the measuring scoop into the flour and fill. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour.
3. Do not overmix your cake batter. It will make your cake dense.
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.
🔑 Sandi says: 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.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Add your flour, almond flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt to a large
Step 2: Add your eggs, oil, lemon juice, milk, and vanilla to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients to blend.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix the cake batter until the ingredients are just barely mixed. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes so the rice flour in your flour blend can soften.
Step 4: Bake your bundt cake at 350º F for 50-60 minutes. Note that the actual baking time will vary by bundt cake pan size and depth.
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: Carefully place a cooling rack under the bundt pan and quickly invert the cake pan so the cake gently drops onto the cooling rack. Let the cake cool.
Step 6: Allow cooling completely, then mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make the lemonade icing. Drizzle the icing onto the cake and enjoy!
If you love lemon, try my delicious Gluten Free Lemon Brownies recipe too!
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Cake Troubleshooting:
Baking the perfect gluten-free cake can be tricky. The most important parts are choosing the right flour, not overmixing the batter, and ensuring the recipe liquid ratio works for the flour blend you choose.
Why did my gluten-free cake turn out dense or crumbly?
There is nothing more frustrating than having your gluten free cake turn out dense. This can be caused by a few potential issues.
- I always tell my readers not to use a stand mixer when they mix cake batter. They tend to overmix your batter, leaving you with a denser cake. Mix the gluten free cake batter only until the ingredients are combined, and avoid overbaking by checking the cake a few minutes before the suggested baking time.
- 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.
- The same answer for #2 applies if your cake is crumbly. You may need to add more liquid to your cake batter to compensate for the grain-to-starch ratio of your flour blend.
How do you prevent the cake from sticking to the bundt pan?
I prevent sticking by spraying my bundt pan with coconut oil spray. Many like to grease it with butter.
For more cake troubleshooting help and tips, see my Gluten-Free Cake Troubleshooting Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions:
For this lemon cake recipe, you can easily use bottled lemon juice.
Lemon zest is delicious in desserts, and I highly recommend adding some to get lots of lemon flavor into this gluten free lemon bund cake recipe.
If you love bundt cakes as much as we do, check out this easy Gluten Free Vanilla Bundt Cake recipe with fresh raspberries. If you love oranges, this Gluten Free Orange Poppy Seed Cake is amazing too.
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 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.
Reader Adaptations:
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake
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 sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups almond milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons oil I used coconut
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice Use four for extra lemon flavor
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.
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Spray a bundt pan with coconut oil.
- In a large bowl, add dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a small bowl, add wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just barely mixed.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes. Bake time may vary depending on the size of the bundt cake pan you use.
- 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.
- Prepare icing and drizzle 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. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your donuts grainy.
- Other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Note, this cake also makes incredible cupcakes or sheet cake.
- This cake will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
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.
Do you think it is okay to try it with Cassava flour instead of gluten free blend flour?
I have never tested this recipe with Cassava Flour so I can’t give you an answer if it would work in my recipe.
I love your recipes, thanks so much!
Thank you so much. I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This cake is very tasty! I accidentally grabbed my coconut flour instead of my almond flour and added the full 3/4 cup and mixed it all up before I noticed! Because I know coconut flour requires more liquid I added another 1.25 -1.5 cups of water and it turned out beautifully. Very tasty and moist! Now I have to make it again to see what it tastes like with the almond flour, haha!
Wow, that is good to know. Thank you so much for coming back to let everyone know how it worked with coconut flour, and how you adjusted the recipe.
I want to make this delicious looking gluten free lemon cake. I don’t have a regular size Bundt pan but I do have a pan that makes smaller bundt cakes (12 small Bundt cakes) Do you have any idea how long I would need to bake them?
Hi Lucy, Can you tell me the measurements of the pans, including the depth?
This is not dairy free. Butter is a milk product. This would be dangerous for someone with a true dairy allergy.
There is no butter in the recipe, but you are right, I inadvertently left a photo of butter in an ingredient photo. Given there was no butter listed in the recipe or directions, I hope you gave this cake a try.
Can I substitute maple syrup or honey for the sugar?
Hi Jeanne, I have not tested using a liquid sweetener. It will change the wet dry ingredient ratio and without testing this, I do not know how this cake would turn out.
Hi Kelle, I am sorry it didn’t work for you. I have not tested the gluten free flour blend you used. I looked it up and it is almost all starch. “Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Sorghum Flour, Arrowroot Starch, Guar Gum, Sweet Rice Flour, Rice Bran.” Starchy flour blends don’t really work in my recipes. I am not sure why but I am pretty sure this is why my recipe didn’t work. I do hope you can try it again with a flour I tested the recipe with.
What size bundt pan is suggested? This sounds perfect for Easter!
Hi Sheri, I have a 9 inch bundt pan (by Wilton).
Can I successfully substitute rice flour for the almond flour?
Hi Hillary, I do not think rice flour would sub well. It absorbs a lot more moisture than almond flour. Are you trying to make the cake nut-free? If so omit the almond flour and add 1/3 cup additional gluten free flour blend.
This was very good and lemony! I added raspberries and made extra glaze which made it even better!
I love you added raspberries, that is a great idea!
I am so glad you enjoyed it Susie 🙂
Looks delish – can it be made without almond flour? thanks!
Hi Judy, you can make this without almond flour. Almond flour absorbs less liquid so if you omit the almond flour, add an additional 1/3 cup gluten free flour blend.
Thanks for including this. Gluten dairy and tree nut allergies are a tough combination and I’m trying to learn. Really appreciate your time sharing your recipe and substitution suggestions!
You are very welcome Catherine. Have a good day.
Hi , made this cake tonight. But it deflated once cooled and is not very high compared to other gluten-free bundt cakes I have made. Is it normally only 2.5-3 “ high?
Hi Rachelle, a few questions. How full was your bundt pan with the cake batter? What gluten free flour blend did you use and did you substitute anything? Which liquid non-dairy milk did you use? Thank you.
Can I use regular whole milk in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Sheila, I haven’t tried it with whole milk. In theory, it should work, use King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend as I have used these with other recipes with milk.
How long should I bake it as a two layer cake?
Hi Amber, I would bake for 30 minutes each or until you can stick a toothpick in and it comes back clean.
This sounds perfectly refreshing for these hot summer day’s! Adding to my must make list.
I wish I had a lemon tree like yours. Totally jelly right now and this lemon cake looks delicious. I’m not even gluten free and I want to try this.
This is the 2nd time I’m making this. 1st time my kids and husband said it was the best cake I’ve ever made. It was very dense and moist and I felt like it wasn’t truly done when I took it out. I’m making right now, I’m on 50 minutes and crumbs still come out, and it looks quite pale. Is the paleness from the almond/GF flour? Any idea why I may need to back so much longer? I’m using Bob’s 1:1 an unblanched almond flour. Even still – it’s still extremely delicious, but I can’t help feeling I’m doing something wrong.
Hi Keri, I am not sure, you are not the only reader to tell me they need to bake the cake longer. I am wondering if it is because of the bundt pan making the cake batter deeper? My bundt pan isn’t as deep as it looks in the photo. I will add a note for readers. I am glad you like it :-).
I can’t eat coconut and was going to use almond milk, should I use sweetened or unsweetened almond milk?
Hi Ellen, I would use original almond milk as that is closest to what I used in coconut version. I would keep an eye on the moisture of the batter. Almond milk is not as thick as coconut milk. If the batter looks too thick or too runny, you may need to adjust the flours to moisture a little bit. Let us know how it turned out 🙂
Hi there! I just put my cake in the oven! I do have a question: Is the batter supposed to have the consistency of thin pancake batter? I followed the recipe exactly, and used the gf flour you recommended, but it was very thin. I’ve never seen cake batter that thin before.
Hi Donna, My batter is wet, maybe like thick pancake batter. How did it turn out?
So, I tried this for my first ever Bundt cake and the first time using a new oven! I used Pamela’s pancake mix for both flours and I used fresh lemon for the juice and zest. It was a big hit!! I had to cook it for 55 to 60 minutes at 350. Light and moist!
I am so glad you liked it. I find the baking time is varying widely for readers. I think it depends on the gluten free flour used.
Bob’s Red Mill has a paleo flour with tapioca flour included, but no xanthan gum, should I add it still?
Hi Gretchen, That flour behaves differently from a gluten free flour. I am not sure how it will do in this recipe. You may need to modify things a bit. I think that flour has coconut flour, which absorbs a lot more liquid than a normal flour. Let me know how things turn out.
Love it, it’s a…….do over….and over an over again. I may try it with some ginger added. I like ginger.
I am so glad you liked this cake Bev!!
LOVED this recipe. Served it with Lemon Mousse and fresh raspberries. Even those who don’t eat gluten free enjoyed it. Definitely on to save to my personal recipes.
I am so glad you loved it Jane, you made my day 🙂
Sorry for the stupid question, but you list oil (coconut oil in your case) in the ingredients. Is this for the wet ingredients or is this just to put in the pan so it doesn’t stick? Sorry, I’m a very inexperienced baker, but wanted to make this for my birthday 🙂
Hi Brittany, no question is stupid. When I was learning how to make gluten free baked goods, I had SO many fails. It is hard. Coconut oil is considered one of the wet ingredients. I also like to use a separate coconut spray oil (Trader Joe’s) to spray pans so nothing sticks. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any question :-). Sandi
This was a hit! Made this for a gathering where the host is a gluten-and-dairy-free eater, so I wanted to make sure she could enjoy it! Everyone (including the gluten and dairy lovers) went back for seconds! Next time I might add some lemon zest; I love lemon cakes so I like them to be extra lemony. I used Bob’s Red Mill for both the almond flour and the GF blend and the cake turned out perfectly moist. Thanks for the great, easy recipe!
Hi Sandi!
Thank you so much for the recipe! I am planning to make it for a little gathering with some friends tonight! I’ll write another comment later about how it turned out! 🙂
Thank you so much Chloe. I had a person write that they used Cup4Cup for this recipe and it didn’t work. The only big difference I could figure is that that particular flour blend has a lot of milk powder in it…and somehow it reacted differently. I am not sure which gluten free flour blend you are using so I did want to mention that just in case you were looking at using that brand.
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.