When friends visit in the summer, I like to have something a little sweet on hand that they can munch on whenever the mood strikes. So I’ll put out a bowl of fruit and this all-day lemon cake. It’s one of those cakes that goes equally well with a morning cup of coffee or a post-dinner, end-of-day drink.
Although the finished cake tastes like you spent a lot of time on it, the only prep required is a bowl, a whisk, and about five minutes. The recipe is what my mother would call a “dump cake:” You throw all the ingredients into one bowl, whisk by hand, plop the batter into a greased cake pan, and bake it for about thirty minutes. That’s it. And the best part? Your minimal effort is rewarded with a delicate, lemon-scented cake that’s a bit like a cross between a coffee cake and a birthday cake.
To finish the cake, I sometimes make a thick white icing from powdered sugar and lemon juice. Other times, I’ll boil simple syrup with some lemon zest. Both glazes intensify the lemon flavor without making the cake too sweet. The simple syrup glaze changes the texture of the cake a little, making it damp, while the powdered sugar icing leaves the coffee cake-like texture in tact.
By the way, if you have extra berries on hand, toss them into the batter. This cake welcomes fruit. Blueberries are my favorite, but that’s because I’m partial to anything lemon-blueberry. Or, if you don’t want to put berries in the cake, put them on top. Macerate some ripe, chopped berries with just enough sugar to make the juices run and spoon the berries over the cake. Either way, with berries or without, this cake tastes like summer all day long.
One Bowl Gluten-Free Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 1/4 cups white or brown rice flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch (1 ounce; 28 grams)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (6 ounces; 170 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (8 ounces; 226 grams)
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest from 2 to 3 lemons
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (3.5 ounces; 100 grams)
- 2 large eggs
Lemon Icing Option 1: Simple Syrup Glaze
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (5 1/4 ounces; 148 grams)
- 2 tablespoons zest and 6 tablespoons fresh juice from about 4 to 6 lemons
Lemon Icing Option 2: Powdered Sugar Icing
- 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
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Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
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Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
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In large mixing bowl, whisk together rice flour, granulated sugar, tapioca starch, baking powder, and salt. In a measuring cup or a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and lemon zest. Pour buttermilk mixture over dry ingredients. Whisk in vegetable oil and eggs until smooth.
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Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
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Icing Option 1: Simple Syrup Glaze Combine granulated sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring gently until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and cook syrup until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.Store cookies in a covered container on the counter for up to four days.
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While cake is still warm, poke it all over with a fork. Brush top of cake with syrup and allow to absorb fully, about 5 minutes. Repeat until all syrup is absorbed.
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Icing Option 2: Powdered Sugar Glaze. Allow cake to cool completely. In small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Stir with a fork until smooth. Icing should be thick but spreadable; if the icing is too thick, add a little more lemon juice. Spread icing on cake and allow to set for 15 minutes before serving.
Vickie says
This cake is absolutely fabulous! I made it with 1 1/2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour blend and the cake rose perfectly and had a great texture. It was super easy to put together and baked up beautifully. This is the gluten free cake recipe I have been looking for! My husband, who doesn’t need to eat gluten free, pronounced it delicious and and asked me to make one for him to take to a faculty pot luck dinner. Now that’s a recommendation!
Elizabeth says
That is quite the recommendation! Glad everyone enjoyed the cake!
Dawn says
Which ingredients did you replace with the Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free flower blend?
Elizabeth says
You’d replace the rice flour and tapioca starch with Bob’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour.
Aimèe Artigliere says
This looks sooooo good!
Elizabeth says
Thanks!
Hesther says
We LOVE this recipe! We added fresh blueberries to ours and it was awesome!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!!
Elizabeth says
Yay! Glad you enjoy it!
Lau says
Great recipe! Made it for bday and everyone loved it. 3 adults and two kids demolished it lol. Kids preferred without glaze, adults with. Either way it’s a keeper?
Elizabeth says
Yay!
Radhika says
Hi Elizabeth,
Can this be made egg free. It looks delicious!
Have you ever tried a vegan version?
Elizabeth says
Radhika,
This one doesn’t work egg-free, I’m sorry to say. 🙁
Patty says
I just made this cake and all I can say is Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! I love lemon cake (brings back memories of my Mom) and have tried a few store-bought gluten free ones. They just didn’t cut it, not to mention how expensive they were. This cake is amazing. I didn’t think it would turn out good because the batter seemed a little thin to me, but I was so wrong. Yum! I’m looking forward to trying the soft pretzels next. May I say, you are simply a blessing. Thanks again!
Debbie says
Is there something I can use instead of the buttermilk to make it dairy free ? Would almond milk work ? Can’t use full fat coconut milk either. ?
Thanks.
Elizabeth says
I believe combining 2 teaspoons lemon juice with 1 cup dairy-free milk, like soy milk, should work.
Rachel Brown says
Would this cake hold up ok under a fondant icing?
Elizabeth says
Yes!
Melissa says
No xanthan gum in this cake?
Elizabeth says
Nope! The xanthan gum does a great job of giving this cake a delicate crumb.
Roberta Dinnie says
I’m in Australia, we do’t have Bobs Redmill and the market didn’t have plain gf flour today (sold out) Will it work if I substitute self raising and skip the baking powder ?
Roberta Dinnie says
It is a blend of rice flour, tapioca starch and baking powder.
Elizabeth says
That should work!
Roberta Dinnie says
It is a blend of rice flour, tapioca starch and baking powder.
Shannon says
This is a great recipe! Thank you! I made this for Easter dessert. I followed the recipe, but did not use the powdered sugar icing. I had lemon curd to put on it instead. My boys do not normally eat citrus dessert, and they devoured this! Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful Easter!
Sneha says
Your recipe is excellent! I made some tweaks. Used sorghum flour (easily available in India) and AP flour instead of tapioca starch and the texture was still gorgeously soft. So not gluten free but quite quite delicious.