Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cake

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:

• No-Bake Lemon Bars
• Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
• Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cookies

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!

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