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! This makes two lemon loaves, so you can freeze one for later!
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If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know we have a small, very prolific lemon tree in our backyard. It produces lemons almost year-round, thanks to 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 his delicious Gluten Free Chicken Piccata recipe or these Gluten Free Lemon Donuts!!
Why this gluten free lemon pound cake is so good:
When you need a gluten free cake to serve, look no further than this gluten free lemon pound cake recipe.
- It is that good with the lemon flavors mixed with that buttery goodness! You won't believe how good a cake with few ingredients can taste!
- This recipe makes two big loaves so you can freeze one for later!
- Use fresh or bottled lemon juice and enjoy this decadent loaf cake all year long!
Ingredient notes:
- 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 just have not tested other flours and I can not guarantee the recipe will work if you use other mixes.
- Xanthan Gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
Check out my best gluten free lemon dessert recipes for more inspiration and recipe ideas! I also have a great lemon pound cake web story.
Are you ready to dive in and make this gluten free lemon pound cake recipe? This recipe is made with very few ingredients.
Recipe step by step directions:
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to blend.
To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using the spoon method or leveling method. 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!
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 well, but be careful not to over-mix your batter or your cake will be denser
Step 5: Add the batter to a bread loaf pan and spread the pound cake batter around the pan. Bake the cake at 350º F for 45 minutes.
Every bite is full of fresh lemon flavor. Top with this homemade lemonade icing for even more flavor. Nobody will know this lemon pound cake is gluten free!! Need more lemon desserts in your life?
Step 6: 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.
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
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.
You can easily use bottled lemon juice, but a fresh lemon is better so you can also use the lemon zest.
If your lemon cake turned out heavy it is due to three possible reasons. If you increased the amount of lemon juice but didn't adjust the baking powder, it can make your cake dense. Using a starchy gluten free flour blend or over mixing the cake batter can make your cake heavy and dense.
Yes, you can, 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 by a brand called Smart Balance.
This cake will keep for up to 4 days in an air-tight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
You can use this yummy lemon cake in my Gluten Free Cakesicles recipe too!
More lemon dessert recipes to try:
- If you love ice cream, you must 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.
Reader adaptations:
One reader loved this recipe using King Arthur Measure for Measure, Earth Balance vegan butter, and oat milk.
Another reader turned this into a bundt cake and she said nobody knew it was gluten free.
Amazing, you wouldn't even know its GF. Haven't tried it a day old, but I plan to freeze the leftovers. I also used baking block, not butter. 10/10 😋
Kirsty S., Pinterest user
Excellent. I topped it with powdered sugar dusting instead of the icing. I tasted the icing and did not like it. I barely stirred it and it was a great texture. I also sifted the dry ingredients together which worked well. I definitely will make this many more times! Can't stop eating it!!"
Kirsty S., Pinterest user
Recipe
Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter melted
- 3 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
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until it 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 the powdered sugar and lemon juice 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.
- Other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Check the cake 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 bake a little longer.
- This cake will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
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.
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This post was updated from an older June 2015 post with more details and easier-to-follow directions.
Fern Petrillo
Thanks for sharing your recipes. All that you sent today look awesome and are on my to do list. I have recently changed to gluten free. It has taken quite a long time to amass my new ingredients and out with the old. I am a senior (79) and a widow living alone. Before my non gluten days I did not want to bake my favorite cakes due to living alone. The temptation would be too much. I decided to make them all in cupcake pans and freeze all cupcakes. It has worked out extremely well I made my first pound cake last week and the cupcakes continue to work out well. I have been looking for a recipe for whipping cream pound cake and have not been able to find one. (I find it is great to use as a strawberry shortcake base). One cupcake per person cut in half with strawberries and of course whipped cream. So that brings me to my question do you think I could substitute heavy cream for the milk in your recipe? To me it looks like it would but then again my experience with gluten free is limited. Looking forward to your response. And of course starting to attempt some of your recipes. Apple cake looks awesome. Thanks Fern
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Fern, it is nice to meet you :-). I love the cupcake idea!! We do this often and freeze them so we have them on hand when we are craving sweets. I honestly do not know how whipping cream would work in my pound cake recipe. It is pretty thick and I am not sure how that would work with gluten free flour due to their starch content. If you try it, please let me know. Take care.
Jody
We are not only gluten free but also grain free. What kind of flour would you suggest. All the gluten mixes I’ve been able to find have some kind of grain flour? Thank you for your help. Really want to make this. Jody
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Jody, I haven't tested my recipe with a grain-free flour blend. I am so sorry. I can try to do this at some point, but I have a very busy few weeks coming up.
Susan
This recipe sounds delicious! Loaf pans vary in size — what are the dimensions of the loaf pans you use? Thanks!
Sandi Gaertner
My pans are 9.25 inches by 5.25. Enjoy!
Rebecca
My family loves the lemon pound cake! I used a flour blend called Divided Sunset. It turned out perfect.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you all loved this recipe. I haven't heard of that flour blend so thank you for letting me know.
Mia
Can this be cut in half for one loaf?
Sandi Gaertner
You can easily halve the recipe 🙂