Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is:

• moist and fluffy
• sweet and tangy
• 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!

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.

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, and cook for around 15 minutes
• one large cake – use a 7inch/18cm baking tin, and cook for around 30 minutes

The sweet tanginess of the citrusy sponge goes so well with the nutty poppy seeds. I decided to add a lemon drizzle syrup 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. 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.

This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed cake is so versatile as it’s great for breakfast, brunch, dessert or a snack. It also works well for lots of events like Easter, Mother’s Day and baby showers!

For more lemon cakes, check out my:

• White Chocolate Lemon Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Mug Cake
• Lemon Drizzle Cake
• Lemon Blueberry 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 on Instagram! Thank you.

5 from 5 votes

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Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is moist and fluffy, sweet and tangy and super easy to make! 

Course: Dessert

Servings: 4 mini loaves

Calories: 277 kcal

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• 200 ml (4/5 cup) milk, any kind
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 150 g (1 1/4 cups) ground almonds (almond meal/flour)
• 150 g (1 1/4 cups) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking power (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

For the syrup:

• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
2. 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)
3. 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
4. Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
5. Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
6. Transfer mixture into mini loaf tins*
7. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean

For the syrup:

1. Whilst the cake it baking, mix together the lemon juice and maple syrup
2. 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
3. Be sure to wait for the cake to cool completely before cutting
4. This cake tasted best eaten on the day it was made, and leftovers taste best reheated in a dry frying pan or the microwave

Recipe Notes

*Instead of mini loaves, you can also make these into:

• cupcakes - makes around 12 cupcakes, and cook for around 15 minutes
• one large cake - use a 7inch/18cm baking tin, and cook for around 30 minutes