This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is moist and fluffy, sweet and tangy and super easy to make!
As my Lemon Drizzle Cake is one of the most popular baking recipes I’ve posted, I decided to make more lemon dessert recipes, and this Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is my answer!
Why you’ll love this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
This cake is so versatile as it’s great for breakfast, brunch, dessert or a snack. It also works well for lots of events like birthdays, Easter, Mother’s Day and baby showers!
The cake is made using my go-to vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free sponge recipe: it comes together easily in one bowl, uses familiar ingredients and it’s super versatile too.
The coconut oil can be substituted for vegetable or olive oil, the maple syrup can be substituted for any other liquid sweetener such as agave or brown rice syrup, and you can use any type of plant-based milk.
What equipment should you use to bake this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake?
I decided to bake this Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake in mini loaf cases because I thought they were cute, but there are other options too. Instead of mini loaves, you can also make these into:
- cupcakes – makes around 12 cupcakes, use a
muffin/cupcake tin and cook for around 15 minutes - one large cake – use a 18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin, and cook for around 30 minutes
- one large loaf – use a one-pound loaf tin and cook for 45 minutes
- muffins – you can just use this recipe for my Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
How to make the lemon syrup
I decided to drizzle some lemon syrup over the cake for extra moistness, sweetness and lemon flavour!
The syrup is refined sugar free and low-maintenance too, as it doesn’t require any cooking and you can quickly mix it together whilst you’re waiting for the cake to bake in the oven.
Tip: It’s important to pour the syrup over the cake whilst it’s still warm from the oven, because that’s the best way for it to be absorbed.
How long does this Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake keep for?
This cake tasted best eaten on the day it was made, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days. Leftovers taste best reheated in a dry frying pan or the microwave.
More vegan lemon cakes:
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 Poppy Seed Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 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)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
For the syrup:
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
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, poppy seeds 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 mini loaf tins**
- Bake in oven for 15-20 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, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days. Leftovers taste best reheated in a dry frying pan or the microwave
Notes
almond flour **Instead of mini loaves, you can also make these into:- cupcakes - makes around 12 cupcakes, use a muffin/cupcake tin and cook for around 15 minutes
- one large cake - use a 18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin, and cook for around 30 minutes
- one large loaf - use a one-pound loaf tin and cook for 45 minutes
- muffins - you can just use this recipe for my Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
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Carrie
April 3, 2019 at 2:14 amI cannot eat nuts… but everything else in this recipe sounds great. I am wondering what you think would be a good sub for the almond meal. Would oat flour work there?
Rhian Williams
April 3, 2019 at 9:35 amGround sunflower seeds, or oat flour could work – if using oat flour I would recommend adding some extra plant-based milk as oat flour requires more moisture!
Raquel Esteban
May 19, 2019 at 2:01 amHi Rhia, I just made this cake and unfortunately didn’t come up so well. Truth is I am a beginner so I don’t know what I’m doing 🙂 We have an old oven so that could be the reason. I left the cake in the oven for 45 min. took it out and it was sticky and chewy. Probably uncocked?
Rhian Williams
May 19, 2019 at 11:43 amHi – really sorry to hear that. I think it could be your oven that’s the problem. Or did you use enough baking powder?
Blissachi
June 17, 2019 at 1:16 amJust made this with half the amount in a medium size loaf tin. I used almond flour with cake flour & whole meal flour. Baked for 30 min, topped with your lemon maple glaze, and mmmm!! It tastes like caramelised goodness with lemon & poppyseed twist! Loved it:))
Rhian Williams
June 17, 2019 at 4:18 amThank you so much, so glad you liked it!