• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Rhian's Recipes

  • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Meal Plan
  • Cookbook
  • Blogging Tips
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Healthy Meal Plan
  • Cookbook
  • Blogging Tips
    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

    Last updated - July 11, 2021; Published - January 22, 2020 By Rhian Williams 107 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    A collage of two Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake photos

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is moist and fluffy, sweet and tangy and a little nutty from the poppy seeds! It's also covered in a rich, lemony frosting. It's easy to make as it comes together in one bowl, and is easily customisable too. It's also refined sugar free, and is great for birthdays, Easter, Mother's Day and baby showers!

    Gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed cake topped with frosting, lemon zest and poppy seeds with two slices next to it

    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 the answer!

    How to make the cake

    Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

    • Mix together the ingredients for the cake in a glass mixing bowl.

    Tip: Use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.

    Gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed cake batter in a mixing bowl
    • Transfer the cake batter into a one-pound loaf tin.

    Tip: Make sure to line the loaf tin with greased baking paper - this will make removing the cake from the tin so much easier!

    Gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed cake batter in a loaf tin lined with baking paper
    • Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
    Gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed cake in a loaf tin lined with baking paper
    • Transfer to a cooling rack to cool down before applying the frosting.
    Gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed cake loaf on a wire rack

    For the frosting

    • Place the ingredients for the frosting in a food processor or blender.
    Cashew nuts, lemon juice and maple syrup in a food processor
    • Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.
    Vegan lemon frosting in a food processor
    • Use a knife (or palette knife for frosting) to spread the frosting over the top of the loaf.
    Gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed cake loaf topped with vegan lemon frosting on a wire rack

    How to decorate

    I decided to decorate this cake with lemon zest and poppy seeds, but you can use whatever you like!

    Gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed cake loaf topped with vegan lemon frosting, lemon zest and poppy seeds on a wire rack

    Substitutions you can make

    • You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, vegetable oil, olive oil etc.
    • You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
    • You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, rice milk etc.
    • If you don't need the cake to be gluten-free, you can replace the gluten-free flour with plain flour.
    • The ground almonds can be replaced with ground walnuts.
    • For a nut-free version, use ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds, use a nut-free plant-based milk and omit the frosting or make a different frosting.

    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.

    How long does this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake keep for?

    This Lemon Poppy Seed Cake tasted best eaten on the day it was made, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days. 

    Gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed cake loaf topped with frosting, lemon zest and poppy seeds with two slices next to it

    More vegan lemon cakes

    • White Chocolate Lemon Cake
    • Lemon Blueberry Mug Cake
    • Lemon Drizzle Cake
    • Lemon Blueberry Cake
    • Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

    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.

    Watch how to make this recipe

    Gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed cake topped with frosting, lemon zest and poppy seeds with two slices next to it

    Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is moist and fluffy, sweet and tangy and a little nutty from the poppy seeds! It's also covered in a rich, lemony frosting. 
    4.23 from 77 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: gluten-free lemon poppy seed cake, gluten-free vegan cake, vegan lemon poppy seed cake
    Prep Time: 25 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings: 10 slices
    Calories: 356kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the cake:

    • 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
    • 180 ml (¾ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
    • 8 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons lemon zest (use unwaxed lemons)
    • 12 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pinch salt
    • 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

    For the frosting:

    • 100 g (⅔ cup) raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
    • 6 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 4 tablespoons lemon juice

    To decorate (optional):

    • Lemon zest
    • Poppy seeds

    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 a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper (I used a one-pound loaf tin).
    • Bake in oven for 45 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
    • Once out the oven, transfer the cake from the baking tin onto a wired rack to leave it to cool completely before applying the frosting.

    For the frosting:

    • Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and lemon juice.
    • Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.

    To frost and decorate the cake:

    • Use a knife (or palette knife) to spread frosting over the top of the loaf.
    • Decorate with lemon zest and poppy seeds, if desired.
    • This cake tasted best eaten on the day it was made, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    Video

    Notes

    *You can alternatively use almond flour.
    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 Poppy Seed Cake
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 356 Calories from Fat 180
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 20g31%
    Saturated Fat 7g35%
    Sodium 56mg2%
    Potassium 205mg6%
    Carbohydrates 42g14%
    Fiber 4g16%
    Sugar 24g27%
    Protein 7g14%
    Vitamin C 9mg11%
    Calcium 154mg15%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

    More Baking & Dessert Recipes

    • Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free)
    • Gluten-Free Vegan Churros (Baked!)
    • 35 Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes (Gluten-Free)
    • Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Cindy Johnson

      April 29, 2022 at 3:31 am

      I had a craving for cake and this was the recipe I tried. I'm so glad I did!! It was delicious - the tang of lemon and the quiet sweetness of maple syrup made it so satisfying. Knowing that the ingredients are healthy options, just made it even more tasty! I used almond meal that was left from making almond milk.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        April 29, 2022 at 11:11 am

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

    Learn more.

    Popular Recipes

    Three vegan blueberry muffins with a bite taken out of one with a bowl of fresh blueberries in the background

    Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free)

    A stack of oat flour pancakes topped with desiccated coconut and syrup on a blue plate

    Oat Flour Pancakes (Vegan + GF)

    A loaf of gluten-free rice bread topped with mixed seeds with two slices next to it against a sheet of brown baking paper

    Gluten-Free Rice Bread (Vegan)

    A loaf of coconut flour bread topped with sunflower seeds and poppy seeds with two slices next to it

    Coconut Flour Bread (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

    A loaf of gluten-free vegan oat bread topped with oats with two slices on the side

    Gluten-Free Vegan Oat Bread

    Five vegan coconut flour pancakes stacked in a pile decorated with fresh raspberries and coconut flakes on a green plate against a grey background

    Vegan Coconut Flour Pancakes (Gluten-Free)

    A loaf of oat flour bread with two slices

    Oat Flour Bread (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

    A sliced vegan baked cheesecake topped with wild strawberries and strawberry flowers

    Vegan Baked Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

    Footer

    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Copyright Notice

    Newsletter

    • Subscribe for free updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework ·