Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake is easy to make, elegantly simple and incredibly delicious. It’s moist and fluffy, perfectly tangy and refined sugar free. It comes together in one bowl and the recipe is easily customisable.

Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

• You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
• You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
• You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
• You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.
• For a nut-free version: substitute the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (1/4 cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds.
• You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.

Tips for making this Lemon Drizzle Cake

• Make sure to use the right amount of baking powder – 2 heaped teaspoons! Use too little baking powder and your sponge won’t be fluffy, too much and it’ll have a bitter taste.
• Make sure to use an all-purpose shop-bought gluten-free flour blend (or a homemade gluten-free flour blend), as opposed to just using any type of gluten-free flour you can find (such as almond flour, coconut flour, buckwheat flour etc).

How to make the lemon syrup

As delicious as the sponge is, the main highlight (as with any other Lemon Drizzle Cake situation) is the syrup! I used a simple 2-ingredient mixture of lemon juice and maple syrup, which works really well to lock in the moisture, and works to add extra sweetness and citrus aroma.

Tip: The trick to getting the full potential out of the drizzle is to pour it over the cake as soon as it’s out of the oven. The heat will help the sponge soak up all the flavour and keeps it extra moist. It may seem like a lot of liquid at the time, but it will all be absorbed into the sponge.

Tips for baking with lemons

• For optimum lemon flavour, I would recommend using fresh lemons (not ones that you’ve had sitting in your fruit bowl for weeks!) and organic ones if possible.
• You have to be careful when baking with lemon juice as the acidity and lemon flavour can really vary depending on the lemons you use.
• I would recommend tasting the lemon juice you’re using and adjusting the amount of lemon juice you use accordingly.
• For the lemon zest, make sure you use unwaxed lemons.

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS Lemon Drizzle Cake:

• glass mixing bowl – for mixing the cake batter.
• measuring jug – for measuring out the plant-based milk.
• 18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin – for baking the cake.
• baking paper – to line the baking tin.

How long does this Lemon Drizzle Cake keep for?

I found that this cake tastes best eaten on the day or day after it was made – just be sure to wait for it to cool completely before cutting, though! Any longer than that, it tasted best reheated in a dry frying pan or the microwave.

More gluten-free vegan cakes:

• Red Velvet Cake
• Tropical Carrot Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Orange Cake
• Strawberry Cake
• Vanilla Cake
• Coconut Cake

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake is easy to make, elegantly simple and incredibly delicious. 

4.37 from 69 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, British

Keyword: gluten-free lemon drizzle cake, healthy vegan lemon cake, vegan lemon cake, vegan lemon drizzle cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 343kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)180 ml (3/4 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• 8 tablespoons lemon juice8 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (use unwaxed lemons)2 tablespoons lemon zest (use unwaxed lemons)
• 12 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)12 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch saltPinch salt
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

For the syrup:

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)

Instructions

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
• Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds
• Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
• Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
• Transfer mixture into a greased baking tin lined with baking paper (I used a 7inch/18cm springform baking tin)
• Bake in oven for around 30 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean

For the syrup:

• Whilst the cake it baking, mix together the lemon juice and maple syrup
• Drizzle it over the cake as soon as it’s out of the oven – it will soak into the cake better when it’s hot
• Be sure to wait for the cake to cool completely before cutting
• This cake tasted best eaten on the day it was made, and leftovers taste best reheated in a dry frying pan or the microwave

Notes

*You can alternatively use almond flour.

TIPS FOR MAKING THIS LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

• Make sure to use an all-purpose shop-bought gluten-free flour blend (or a homemade gluten-free flour blend), as opposed to just using any type of gluten-free flour you can find (such as almond flour, coconut flour, buckwheat flour etc).
• Pour the syrup over the cake as soon as it’s out of the oven. The heat will help the sponge soak up all the flavour and keeps it extra moist. It may seem like a lot of liquid at the time, but it will all be absorbed into the sponge.

I found that this cake tastes best eaten on the day or day after it was made – just be sure to wait for it to cool completely before cutting, though! Any longer than that, it tasted best reheated in a dry frying pan or the microwave.

Tips for baking with lemons

• For optimum lemon flavour, I would recommend using fresh lemons (not ones that you’ve had sitting in your fruit bowl for weeks!) and organic ones if possible.
• You have to be careful when baking with lemon juice as the acidity and lemon flavour can really vary depending on the lemons you use.
• I would recommend tasting the lemon juice you’re using and adjusting the amount of lemon juice you use accordingly.
• For the lemon zest, make sure you use unwaxed lemons.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 343 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 7g35%

Sodium 68mg3%

Potassium 131mg4%

Carbohydrates 45g15%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 26g29%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin C 9mg11%

Calcium 134mg13%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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