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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.
Out of all the gluten free recipes out there, cakes seem to be the hardest to taste good and have a nice crumb. This recipe was outstanding! My husband has suffered through many gluten free recipes over the years and this is one of the first that he said he couldn’t tell it was gluten free. In fact, every time he walks by it he takes a slice. It was almost gone the first day! This is definitely a keeper, I’m thrilled with how well it turned out!
So thrilled you loved it, Tina!! Thank you SO much for your feedback :) such a compliment!!
Out of all the gluten free recipes out there, cakes seem to be the hardest to taste good and have a nice crumb. This recipe was outstanding! My husband has suffered through many gluten free recipes over the years and this is one of the first that he said he couldn’t tell it was gluten free. In fact, every time he walks by it he takes a slice. It was almost gone the first day! This is definitely a keeper, I’m thrilled with how well it turned out!
Looks delicious! My husband is type 1 diabetic. Do you have suggestions on how to lower the amount of sweetner?
Hi Brittany, you could replace the coconut sugar with a 1:1 sweetener or something like Miss Jones Smart Coconut Sugar!
ALLULOSE is the PERFECT sugar replacement for diabetics. Not only does it have 1/10 the calories of table sugar (sucrose = 40/100 g, allulose = 4/100 g), but it has ZERO glycemic index, meaning it does not stimulate insulin production. As a granulated “rare sugar”, it is a 1:1 replacement for table sugar in any recipe, and has only 70% of the sweetness, so baked goods, jams, jellies, and other preserves will not be overly sweet when used 1:1, but you can increase the allulose by 25-30% if you want the extra sweetness without adding significant calories to a recipe. Best of all, it browns perfectly in cooking and baking. I used it in all 7 of my preserved food entries in the 2025 LA County Fair competition, and all 7 received ribbons, including 2 First Place/Best of Class (for sugar-free Orange Marmalade and sugar-free Cherry Butter).
I was so looking forward to this but it didn’t cook all the way through after 55 mins. I had to take it out to prevent the base from burning. I weighed all the ingredients and followed the recipe to a T. Used super fine blanched almond flour. My batter was really thick. What could have happened?
Thanks!
Hi Josie, the batter should be pretty thick! Cakes can be highly dependent on your oven temperature – if it was simultaneously burning and not cooked, my guess is that your oven may run hot so the cake didn’t have the chance to cook evenly. You may want to get an oven thermometer or try cooking on a lower temperature for a more even bake!
Thank you, I’m going to order one and try again. I really want to love this cake!
Hi Rachel, the recipe says use a whisk to mix the ingredients together. Is that going to make it smooth enough or should I use my Kitchenaid mixer? This is my first time attempting to make a gluten free vegan cake and its for a friend so want to make sure it comes out as lovely as your photo and the above comments! Thank you!
Hi Nicole, either is fine! This is pretty easy to make and you shouldn’t have too many issues with clumping. Also, with gluten-free batter, no need to worry about overmixing as much, because usually the worry there is overdeveloping the gluten.
What can I use instead of Tapioca flour? My daughter can’t have it.
Arrowroot flour works well, and cornstarch can also be used!
This looks amazing Rachel! Thank you for so many delicious recipes. Is coconut butter just the thicker top of the can of coconut milk?
Hi Dianne, no that’s coconut cream! Coconut butter is a different product that’s made by blending unsweetened coconut. Here is a recipe to make it yourself, or you can buy it!
Hi Rachel, this turned out great! Really moist and LOVE the lemon. Fun to do as a Bundt too. Question – how long would you recommend this staying good for before needing to freeze? And should it be left to room temp or stored in fridge? Thanks!
Hi Carly, I just added info for storing the cake into the post – you’ll see it towards the bottom. So glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks for the feedback.
Hi is there anyway I can omit coconut flour and also coconut oil? Possible to substitute coconut oil with olive oil? My body doesn’t react well to coconut byproduct. I know coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, if I were to omit it, what will I need to reduce? I also have egg and dairy allergy hence I’m looking for baking recipe like yours. Hope you can help. Thanks!
Hi Chee! The coconut oil sub for olive oil should work. It’s trickier to replace the coconut flour, you wouldn’t want to reduce the liquid, but instead increase the amount of another flour. You would probably be most successful using an extra cup of almond flour in place of the coconut flour. However, I haven’t tested that way, so unfortunately I can’t guarantee how it would work!
Ok good to know I can substitute with olive oil. Will try it out with extra cup of almond flour. Thank you!
Of course, hope it turns out deliciously!
My sweet MIL is now allergic to gluten, eggs and almonds. She has requested a lemon dessert for her next birthday. Your cake looks beautiful and delicious! Do you have any other good options for GF flour combos that don’t include almond? (I freaking love almond. I would have a hard time if I had her allergies, but I want to do something special for her.) I’m a pretty experienced baker, but most vegan/GF recipes use almond. I’d love any advice. Thanks! Again: gorgeous photos and cake!
Hi Kika! Thanks so much for the compliments :) an almond-free all-purpose GF baking flour mix may be your best bet here! Oat flour would also likely work as well, but I’d reduce the amount to 2 cups since it can be a little more absorbent. I hope this helps!