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You’ll love this easy-to-make Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cake! All you need are two bowls, one pan, and 10 minutes to mix up the batter. The cake has a moist and airy crumb. Top it all off with a tangy lemon drizzle!
It’s always a good time for cake. I’ve been living for good cakes lately (and if you know me, they’re vegan and gluten-free cakes!). First, I made this Vegan + Paleo Chocolate Cake with chocolate ganache frosting. Today, I’m sharing another favorite cake of mine – this Gluten-Free + Vegan Lemon Cake, covered in a wonderful vegan lemon glaze.
I have even more fabulous cake recipes in my cookbook, Bakerita, which is an Amazon editor’s pick and a best-seller!
This Lemon Cake is fabulous all year round. When the sun is beating down and the air feels warm and heavy, the lightness of lemon cake is a delightful treat. When the days are getting dark early and you need something bright and uplifting, this cake is here to lift your spirits with its bright, tart flavor.
Let’s make the BEST Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cake!
Beyond just the bright, lemony flavor and the tender crumb of this cake, one of the things I love most about it is how simple it is to make! All you need are two bowls, one pan, and 10 minutes to mix up the batter.
The most “difficult” thing about this recipe is the need for three different flours. If you’re a fan of my recipes, you know I never use gluten-free flour mixes. While in theory, they make things simpler, I find that each brand is SO different from one another that I prefer to pick and choose the flours I use for each recipe. This helps me to customize the flours I use to suit the texture and flavor I’m after. Even with a few different flours, this recipe has minimal prep time and is easy to make.
Which flours do we use to make this gluten-free lemon cake?
For this recipe, we use a combination of blanched almond flour, tapioca flour, and coconut flour.
The blanched almond flour provides a nice, even crumb and great flavor. The tapioca flour adds lightness and ensures that the cake isn’t too dense. The coconut flour absorbs any excess moisture, which I find can happen easily especially with vegan cakes. The combination creates a texture that isn’t too heavy, dense, or wet. Instead, it’s perfectly moist with a soft crumb.
What you need to make this vegan lemon cake…
As far as equipment goes, I like making this lemon cake in a Bundt pan – but because it’s not a huge cake, I use my BABY bundt pan.
This is the 6-cup Bundt pan that I used for this cake. You can also use a 9-inch cake pan – when I do that, I like using this 9-inch springform pan because it makes the cake super easy to remove and has higher sides than a normal 9-inch cake pan.
You’ll also need a good zester to zest your organic lemons – this is the zester that I use and love!
How long does it take to make & bake?
It’s easy to make, and the batter for this cake is mixed together in no time! The prep time is about 15 minutes. You can use just one bowl.
First, you’ll whisk together all of the dry ingredients, including the flours mentioned above, in a large bowl. Then, you’ll simply mix in all of your liquid ingredients, and stir until combined. THAT’S ALL! Then just pour into your cake pan.
This cake bakes in about 40 minutes, but of course, every oven is different, so I recommend using a toothpick to check if it comes out clean. Another favorite trick to ensure doneness is pressing the top of the loaf. If it springs back quickly, it’s fully baked. If it stays indented, it needs a bit more time!
For the lemon glaze:
Lemon cake MUST have a lemon glaze. I polled you guys on Instagram and it was almost a 50/50 split between lemon glaze and raspberry glaze…so I’m giving options for BOTH! And you can make both, just like I did, because they start the same way with:
- Coconut butter
- Maple Syrup
- Lemon Juice
- Dairy-Free Milk (if needed)
If you want to go for the berry version, you’ll just add in some fresh (or freeze-dried) berries to the mix after the glaze is all whisked together. You could also whisk in a little bit of berry jam!
Can I use bottled lemon juice?
Please don’t! To get a bold lemon flavor, we need lots of fresh lemon juice and zest. Don’t try to get away with the stuff in the plastic lemon – the flavor won’t be nearly as good, and it can mess with the texture.
Other garnish ideas:
I let the glaze be the star of the show, but you could also garnish with lemon zest, lemon slices, fresh berries, candied citrus, or whatever else your heart desires!
How to store leftover cake
The frosted cake can be left covered at room temperature for a day or two after it’s made, but any longer than that and you’ll want to store it in the refrigerator. It’s best kept in an airtight container and will stay good for up to a week. Cover any cut parts of the cake with something like parchment paper or plastic wrap for the best freshness!
This cake can also be frozen in an airtight container. I recommend making sure it’s wrapped tightly with plastic wrap. To make sure it doesn’t get freezer burn, you could wrap it in plastic wrap and then with foil, or wrap it with plastic and then place it in an airtight container.
I would recommend freezing without the glaze and making it just before serving, though the icing will freeze if you’re just freezing leftovers.
If you love this Lemon Cake, you’ll probably love these:
If you make and love this Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cake, share a photo with me on Instagram by tagging me @bakeritablog and #bakerita. Can’t wait to see your creation!
Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2¼ cups (220g) blanched almond flour
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup (57g) tapioca flour
- ⅓ cup (43g) coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus the zest (about 3 tablespoons)
- ⅔ cup non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup (50g) refined coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup (84g) pure maple syrup
- 1 flax egg, see Notes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the glaze (see Notes)
- ¼ cup coconut butter
- 1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- Non-dairy milk, as needed
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 9-inch bundt pan with coconut oil. My pan has a 6-cup capacity. You could also use a 9-inch cake pan (I recommend one with high sides, or use a springform pan).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut sugar, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk thoroughly. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients.2¼ cups (220g) blanched almond flour, ⅔ cup coconut sugar, ½ cup (57g) tapioca flour, ⅓ cup (43g) coconut flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, dairy-free milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, flax egg, and vanilla extract.⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, ⅔ cup non-dairy milk, ¼ cup (50g) refined coconut oil, ¼ cup (84g) pure maple syrup, 1 flax egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. You’ll have a thick batter. Pour into the prepared pan and spread the batter evenly.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed with a fingertip.
- Let cool completely before removing it from the pan and glazing.
For the glaze
- Melt the coconut butter until runny. Place in a small bowl and whisk in 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Taste, and adjust maple and lemon juice to suit your tastes.¼ cup coconut butter, 1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 2 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice, Non-dairy milk
- If the mixture is too thick, thin it out with warmed dairy-free milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
Notes
- For the flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon flax meal and 2.5 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Whisk and let gel for 5 minutes before using.
- A regular egg can also be used if you’re not vegan.
- If you want to make a berry-flavored glaze, add in 1 tablespoon crushed freeze-dried berries to the glaze. Alternatively, you could whisk in 2 tablespoons or berry jam, or a few freshly crushed berries.
For those of us allergic to tree nuts, what flour would you use in place of almond flour in this cake?
Hi Gayle, you could try using oat flour instead!
This looks amazing! Could I substitute one egg for the flax egg? Thanks! I love your recipes and can’t wait for your cookbook!
Haven’t tested it that way so can’t guarantee but it should be delicious that way!! Would love to hear your feedback when you try it out, Iris :)
OMG. Rachel, you’ve scored again! This cake is amazing! Super easy. Super moist. I used an egg instead of the flaxseed with water because I had an egg handy and I’m not vegan. I also added a couple drops Young Living lemon essential oil to both the cake and the icing because I wanted to really bump up the lemon. I also didn’t bother thinning the icing with almond milk because I was too lazy but the almond milk would probably help it pour better.
I’m so thrilled you’re loving this cake, Amy!! Thank you so much for your feedback :) glad to know it works with a regular egg too – will make a note of this in the recipe!
Okay I’m screaming!! This cake sounds INCREDIBLE, Rachel!! I love the lemon flavor, and it looks so moist! Also I just adore bundt cakes, so I cannot wait to make this!
Thank you Britt!!! It’s so delightful :D
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! How would you recommend turning this into a loaf? And if I’m not cooking for GF, could I use APF? thank you!
Hi Kelly, I would use a 9×5″ loaf pan and fill it 3/4 full – if you have any leftover, you can make a few cupcakes with the leftover batter! As for the flour, since this recipe uses a few different types, it’s hard for me to say the exact conversion to all-purpose flour that would work well. If you were set on using all-purpose flour, I use would about 3 1/4 cups. The batter should be thick, so add a little more if it seems runny. Hasn’t been tested that way though, so I can’t make any guarantees!
I have been dairy free for about 7 months and I just stumbled onto your webpage. All of your recipes look amazing!! I’ve already made the vegan pancakes and they were delicious! My only concern is that I dislike using coconut oil in recipes because of the amount of saturated fat. Do you have a suggestion for a replacement? Thanks!!
Hi Becky, thanks so much for the love and I’m so glad you’ve found recipes you love already!! I haven’t used anything else to test this recipe, but a mild olive oil or avocado oil should work just fine :) enjoy!!
This looks amazing! Can you substitute monk fruit sugar for coconut sugar in the cake? Also, what is a good alternative for coconut butter which I don’t have? Thank you!
What can I substitute the coconut butter with? I am not vegan, is regular butter a substitute?
Hi Noha, for the glaze, no, regular butter won’t work! Nothing else will act similarly for the glaze, so you’ll likely just want to use a different lemon glaze recipe entirely to avoid coconut butter.
Looks amazing! Could I double the recipe and bake it in a regular size Bundt pan?
Hi Melanie, yes that should work just fine – just be sure to increase the baking time accordingly to ensure it cooks all the way through!
Hi Rachel,
I can’t wait to make this! I’d prefer not to use coconut sugar. If I substitute maple syrup for the coconut sugar, would it work if I increase the amounts of one or more of the flours?
I love many of your recipes!
Thank you,
Andrea
Hi Andrea, switching to maple syrup would throw off the entire balance of liquid to dry ingredients in the recipe, so I wouldn’t recommend it. You could use maple sugar or date sugar though! You’ll just want to stick with granulated sweetener because the results will be entirely different if you use a liquid sweetener.