If you love lemons, you are in for a special treat today! This moist, delicious gluten free lemon pound cake is about to become one of your favorite desserts! The fluffy gluten free lemon cake is full of lemon flavor, and it is then topped with creamy lemonade icing.
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If you have been reading my blog for any length, you know we have a small, prolific lemon tree in our backyard. It produces lemons almost year-round, thanks to the beautiful California weather! Our lemons are not normal-sized lemons; they often look like small grapefruits!
We make a lot of recipes with lemons from sweet to savory…or should I say savory to sweet? We love our desserts here in the Fearless Dining household. Check out all of my gluten free lemon recipes or these Gluten Free Lemon Donuts!!
Why I love this gluten free lemon cake:
When you need a gluten free cake to serve, look no further than this gluten free lemon cake recipe. It is a crowd-pleasing cake, and nobody will know it is gluten free!
- This lemon cake has lemon flavors mixed with that buttery-sweet goodness! You won’t believe how good a cake with few ingredients can taste!
- This recipe makes two big loaves so that you can freeze one for later!
- You can use fresh or bottled lemon juice and enjoy this decadent loaf cake all year!
- This cake is freezable and can be made ahead!
This recipe is an absolute hit. I have used King Aurther brand and the Walmart GF brand. I think as long as it’s a white/brown rice flour blend with xanathin gum, it will work.”
crystal, blog comment
Allergen Information:
This homemade lemon pound cake is gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, and oat-free.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I have not tested other flours, and I can not guarantee the recipe will work if you use different mixes.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter in this cake recipe.
- Eggs – Use size large eggs.
- Milk – I used milk, but plant-based non-dairy milk also works well in this recipe.
- Lemon Juice – Use freshly squeezed lemon juice or bottled lemon juice.
- Powdered Sugar – If your powdered sugar is lumpy, strain it for best results.
Check out my best gluten free lemon dessert recipes for more inspiration and recipe ideas!
Tips For Success
1. If you think your gluten free flour blend has a gritty texture, I highly recommend letting the cake batter sit for 15-20 minutes. This allows the ground rice flour to soften.
2. If you are gum-free and can’t have xanthan or guar gum, try my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend.
3. Do not overmix the batter. I do not recommend using a stand mixer. They tend to overmix the batter, making your cake turn out denser.
I share all of my easy to follow Gluten Free Baking Tips so you can bake gluten free like a pro! I also share tips on what my go-to gluten free flour blends are and what recipes are best for different gluten free flour blends.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to blend.
I recommend using the spoon or leveling method to measure your gluten-free flour. In a perfect world, people weigh their flour, but most do not own a kitchen scale. 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.
Use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour.
Step 2: Grab a lemon and a zester. Zest the whole lemon because you need 2 tablespoons of lemon zest for this recipe!
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Step 3: In a smaller bowl, add your wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until the ingredients are just barely mixed. Be careful not to over-mix your batter, or your cake will be denser.
Step 5: Spray oil in two loaf pans. Add the batter to a bread loaf pan and spread the pound cake batter around the pan. Bake the cakes at 350º F for 45 minutes.
Step 6: Remove the cake from the oven and insert a toothpick in the middle. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is fully baked. If you see crumbs or batter, you must bake it a little longer.
Step 7: Now, it is time for the homemade lemonade icing. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. You can easily control how thin or thick your icing is by the quantities you use. Drizzle the icing over the cake.
If you love citrus flavors, you want to make this Gluten Free Orange Poppy Seed Cake recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can easily use bottled lemon juice, but a fresh lemon is better, so you can also use lemon zest.
If your lemon cake turned out heavy, it is due to a couple of reasons. Using a starchy gluten free flour blend or over-mixing the cake batter can make your cake heavy and dense. You can read more about troubleshooting in my Gluten Free Cake Troubleshooting Guide.
Yes, you can make this cake dairy-free, and in fact, one of my readers already tested this out and had great success! She used soy milk (but you can also use almond milk), and she used vegan butter from a brand called Smart Balance.
Storage:
Store this cake in an airtight container. You can also freeze this cake quickly in your freezer. This cake will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
You can use leftover lemon cake in my Gluten Free Cakesicles recipe.
More Gluten Free Lemon Dessert Recipes:
- If you love ice cream, try this No-Churn Lemon Ice Cream recipe!
- Need a special cake? This Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake with lemonade icing is your cake!
- Grab some lemon curd and learn how to make this Easy Gluten Free Lemon Filled Cupcake recipe.
- This easy Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfect for breakfast or dessert.
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 Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 ½ cups cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted melted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups milk or non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
For Icing
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice depending on how thick you want your icing
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 3 cups gluten free flour blend, 1 1/2 cups cane sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Use a wire whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, add 1 cup unsalted melted butter,3 large eggs, 1 1/3 cups milk or non-dairy milk, 2 tablespoons lemon zest, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is barely mixed. Over mixing can cause the cake to become denser.
- Spoon the batter into two greased bread loaf tins. Optional: sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 45 minutes until done. Check doneness with the toothpick test (see Notes).
- Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow cooling.
- Add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice to a bowl and whisk to make the icing. Add the lemon juice slowly until you get the consistency you want. Drizzle the icing over the cake.
Video
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.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter and use plant-based milk.
- Other dairy-free kinds of milk will work, but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Check the cake’s doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is ready. If there is batter or crumbs on the cake, it needs to be baked a little longer.
- This cake will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight 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 older January 2020 post with more detailed information.
Came out super dense..didnt work out for me.
I am happy to troubleshoot. What flour blend did you use? Did you use a stand mixer or mix by hand? Did you substitute any ingredients?
Delicious! And so very easy.
I am really glad you loved my lemon cake recipe. Thank you, Jill!
This tastes just like a cake with regular flour! However, the cake took almost two hours to cook… not sure why. But this is a great recipe!
I am thrilled you loved the recipe. Two hours is a very long time. What flour blend did you use, and what kind and size of cake pan?
can this be made dairy free?
Hi Ella, some readers use dairy-free butter (Smart Balance) and plant-based milk. It should work fine.
Has anyone tried this with an egg substitute?
Hi Colleen, I checked my spreadsheet and I don’t have any readers who have written in to say they tried an egg replacer. If you try one, please write back or come comment and let us know hhow it turned out.
The best lemon pound cake, gluten or not! I used a Pyrex dish to make a sheet cake for a birthday. All enjoyed, no one was disappointed even the gluten eaters. Thank you for an excellent recipe! Terry
I am so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you!!
This recipe is an absolute hit. I have used King Aurther brand and the Walmart GF brand. I think as long as it’s a white/brown rice flour blend with xanathin gum, it will work.
Made a regular batch that produced 2 loaves in regular metal bread pans. Everyone loved them and they went fast.
Doubled the recipe this time and got disposable bread pans so I can give them away in the tins. Wound up making 5 loaves as these were smaller than the heavy pans I used last time.
Pro tip for lemon zest. I don’t have a seater so I used a paring knife to peel the yellow off the lemons. I added some lemon juice and blended it in the ninja to make mix better. Got four full tablespoons this time around!
Thank you for the recipe. Before this, I had never attempted to make pound cake even though it’s been my favorite!
I am so glad your first gluten free pound cake baking experience! Thank you for coming back to let me know you all loved it!