Gluten-Free Lemon Cake

This recipe makes the best gluten-free lemon cake! It’s moist, dense, and easy-to-make. Thanks to the lemon zest and juice, it’s got a great lemon flavor. The recipe makes one 8-inch layer cake but can easily be used to make cupcakes or a sheet cake. 

This recipe is almost as easy to make as a box mix. You simply mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and bake.

You’re rewarded with a cake that’s lemony and nicely dense. Just like my gluten-free chocolate cake recipe, this cake is perfect for birthdays and other celebrations.

Thanks to the lemon sugar (that you make in about 20 seconds!) every bite of this cake is nicely lemony.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this along with a substitution for folks who are dairy-free.

• Gluten-Free Flour. I tested the recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Since gluten-free flour blends vary so much from brand to brand, using a different one might change the texture of the cake.
• Sugar. Use granulated sugar (white sugar) for the best taste and results. 
• Lemon Juice and Zest. Fresh lemon juice and zest add a light lemon flavor to the cake. Remember to zest the lemon before juicing it. 
• Oil. Vegetable oil gives the cake a moist crumb.
• Eggs. You want the eggs at room temperature. Take them out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you need them. 
• Milk. Any milk works. I like to use whole milk. The richness keeps the cake fresh and adds a nice flavor.
  Substitution: Use any dairy-free milk except full-fat coconut milk. 
• Baking Powder. There’s three and half teaspoons of baking powder in this recipe. It lightens the cake. 
• Salt. A little salt enhances all the other flavors. Use table (fine) salt. 
• Lemon or vanilla extract. I like to add a little lemon extract to the batter. If you don’t want to get a bottle for just this recipe, use vanilla extract.

Lemon-Sugar: The simple ingredient for the best gluten-free lemon cake ever! 

This cake starts with a lemon-infused sugar. But don’t worry, there’s no need to buy it. Just grab the lemon zest and granulated sugar. It takes about 20 seconds to make.

First, zest your lemon with a microplane grater or fine zester. You’ll need one large lemon or two medium.

Then rub the lemon zest into the sugar. This simple process infuses the sugar with lemon flavor. You can do this by hand or let your mixer do the heavy lifting. After about 20 seconds of mixing, your sugar will take on a damp texture – that’s what you want! And oh, the aroma! It’s downright heavenly.

Once you make the lemon sugar, it’s time to make the batter. 

How to Make Gluten-Free Lemon Cake

You’ll need one large bowl, a whisk or electric mixer and two round cake pans to make this batter.

1. Make the lemon sugar. Rub the lemon zest together with the granulated sugar until it’s damp and looks like sand.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together with the lemon sugar. 
3. Add the milk, eggs, oil, lemon juice, and extract. 
4. Mix until a thick batter forms. Use a whisk or electric mixer. Both work great!

5. Divide the batter evenly between two greased 8-inch pans. 
6. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 
7. Place the cake pans on a wire cooling rack. Let them cool for about 15 minutes. Then carefully remove the cakes from the pan. Place them directly on the wire rack. Make sure they’re completely cool before frosting. This takes about an hour or so. 

Tips for Success

• Grease the pans well. I like to use a nonstick gluten-free spray. You can also line them with a piece of parchment. Remember to grease the sides of the pan if you use parchment on the bottom. 
• Spread the batter into the pans. This recipe makes a thick batter. Spread the batter evenly into the pans with the back of a spoon. 
• Let the cake cool before you frost it! If you frost a warm cake, the frosting will melt and run off the cake. 

Storing Leftovers

Cover the leftover cake and store it at room temperature for up to three days. Like most gluten-free cakes, it will get dry after that. If you’re not going to eat the cake in that time, freeze it. 

Place the frosted cake in a freeze container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw the cake at room temperature when you’re ready to enjoy. 

Print

Gluten-Free Lemon Cake

This moist gluten-free lemon cake recipe is so easy to make. The combination of lemon zest and juice give this cake a bright lemony flavor.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar (12 ½ ounces; 350 grams)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free baking flour, see note 1 (14 ½ ounces; 405 grams)
• 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• ¾ cup oil (5 ¼ ounces; 150 grams)
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 2 teaspoons lemon or vanilla extract

For the Lemon Frosting

• 1 cup softened butter (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 4 cups powdered sugar (16 ounces; 455 grams)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 ½ ounces; 42 grams)
• 2 tablespoons milk (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• pinch salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare your pans. Lightly grease two 8" round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Rub sugar together with the lemon zest until fragrant in a large bowl.

3. Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the milk, oil, eggs, lemon juice, and extract. Stir until a thick batter forms.

   Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Give the batter a final stir.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Spread the batter evenly into the pans with the back of a spoon.

5. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, about 30 minutes.

6. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. This takes about 1 hour..

7. Prepare the frosting. Mix the butter until light and creamy in a large bowl. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, milk, lemon zest, and salt. Mix until smooth and creamy. If frosting is too thin, add an additional ½cup powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add another tablespoon of milk.

8. Fill and frost the cake. If the frosting gets very warm, chill the frosted cake for 30 minutes before serving.

9. Cover the leftover cake and store for up to three days. You can freeze the frosted cake in a freezer container for up to three months.

Recipe Notes

Note 1 Gluten-Free Flour. I tested the recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Since gluten-free flour blends vary so much from brand to brand, using a different one might change the texture of the cake. 

Note 2 Cupcakes. This recipe makes about 24 cupcakes. Spoon the batter into paper-lined cupcake pans and bake until set, about 20 minutes.

Note 3. Sheet Cake. To make a sheet cake, spread batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.