This homemade gluten free lemon bundt cake with lemonade icing is full of fresh lemon flavor. And as a bonus, this mouthwatering lemon cake is also dairy-free, so if you need a gluten free and dairy-free birthday cake, this recipe is for you!
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If you have been following for a while, you know our lemon tree is overflowing with lemons. Huge lemons, the size of grapefruits! I have been making lots of delicious recipes with fresh lemon juice, and even a few cocktails like this Tequila Lemonade.
It has been fun to create these gluten free lemon dessert recipes. If you haven’t tried any yet, I can’t wait to hear about the recipes you make.
Why I love this gluten free lemon bundt cake:
- One bite of this gluten free lemon bundt cake, and you will want more and more. The fresh lemon flavor shines through!
- This bundt cake is truly a show-stopper dessert and is perfect for entertaining or even using the batter to make delicious cupcakes for a party.
- This delicious lemon bundt cake recipe is perfect for those with food allergies because it is dairy-free and soy-free.
If you love lemon desserts as much as we do, you will want to check out my Most Popular Gluten Free Lemon Desserts! And if you are looking for a buttery pound cake, check out this Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake recipe too! If you love cranberries, this Gluten Free Cranberry Bundt Cake recipe is amazing.
Thanks for this recipe. I appreciate the little oil version. I doubled the glaze 😝and used lime zest and blueberry for decorations.”
gioconda m.
Allergen Information:
This homemade lemon bundt cake is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and oat-free.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Almond Flour – Make sure to use almond flour and not almond meal. Otherwise, your cake may turn out grainy.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Baking Soda – Always verify that your baking soda has not expired. Using expired baking soda will affect the rise of the cake.
- Eggs – Use size large eggs. Note: I have not tested any egg replacers in this recipe.
- Lemons – Fresh lemons are best because you can also add lemon zest.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used almond milk, but you can also use regular milk or another plant-based milk. I do not recommend canned coconut milk. If using oat milk, verify it is made with gluten free oats. Soy milk is a good option if you can have soy.
- Oil – Use melted coconut oil or another oil that you like to use for baking. I often use canola because it is a nice, flavorless oil.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – Do not use imitation vanilla
Tips For Success
1. Let the cake batter sit for 15 minutes before baking it to ensure it has no grainy texture. Some gluten free flour blends tend to have a little grit, so this tip will help eliminate this issue.
2. To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using either the spoon or leveling method. Spoon Method: Use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour. Leveling Method: Put the measuring scoop into the flour and fill. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour.
3. Do not overmix your cake batter. It will make your cake dense.
If you are new to cake baking, here is a good write-up of my favorite Kitchen Tools For Baking Cakes. I also have many gluten-free baking tips to help you take your cake to the next level.
🔑 Sandi says: Many bundt cake pans have a lot of fine edges and grooves. I highly recommend spraying the pan with La Tourangelle Spray to prevent this gluten-free lemon bundt cake from sticking.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Add your flour, almond flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt to a large
Step 2: Add your eggs, oil, lemon juice, milk, and vanilla to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients to blend.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix the cake batter until the ingredients are just barely mixed. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes so the rice flour in your flour blend can soften.
Step 4: Bake your bundt cake at 350º F for 50-60 minutes. Note that the actual baking time will vary by bundt cake pan size and depth.
The best way to see if a bundt cake is ready is to insert a toothpick. If the toothpick comes up clean, the cake is done. If there is batter or crumbs on the toothpick, bake it a little longer!
Step 5: Carefully place a cooling rack under the bundt pan and quickly invert the cake pan so the cake gently drops onto the cooling rack. Let the cake cool.
Step 6: Allow cooling completely, then mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make the lemonade icing. Drizzle the icing onto the cake and enjoy!
If you love lemon, try my delicious Gluten Free Lemon Brownies recipe too!
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Cake Troubleshooting:
Baking the perfect gluten-free cake can be tricky. The most important parts are choosing the right flour, not overmixing the batter, and ensuring the recipe liquid ratio works for the flour blend you choose.
Why did my gluten-free cake turn out dense or crumbly?
There is nothing more frustrating than having your gluten free cake turn out dense. This can be caused by a few potential issues.
- I always tell my readers not to use a stand mixer when they mix cake batter. They tend to overmix your batter, leaving you with a denser cake. Mix the gluten free cake batter only until the ingredients are combined, and avoid overbaking by checking the cake a few minutes before the suggested baking time.
- Another reason for a dense cake is that every gluten-free flour blend has a high starch-to-grain ratio. This will greatly affect the cake’s moisture level. If you are using a flour blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust the liquid or flour amount to get the right batter consistency.
- The same answer for #2 applies if your cake is crumbly. You may need to add more liquid to your cake batter to compensate for the grain-to-starch ratio of your flour blend.
How do you prevent the cake from sticking to the bundt pan?
I prevent sticking by spraying my bundt pan with coconut oil spray. Many like to grease it with butter.
For more cake troubleshooting help and tips, see my Gluten-Free Cake Troubleshooting Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions:
For this lemon cake recipe, you can easily use bottled lemon juice.
Lemon zest is delicious in desserts, and I highly recommend adding some to get lots of lemon flavor into this gluten free lemon bund cake recipe.
If you love bundt cakes as much as we do, check out this easy Gluten Free Vanilla Bundt Cake recipe with fresh raspberries. If you love oranges, this Gluten Free Orange Poppy Seed Cake is amazing too.
I made this for my mother’s 85th birthday cake. It was a hit with everyone–even those who don’t have to be gluten free. It is amazing!”
Kathleen H., Pinterest
More Lemon Dessert Recipes:
- Gluten Free Lemon Curd Coconut Cupcakes – These are stuffed full of delicious lemon curd.
- Gluten Free Lemon Tart – This incredible lemon tart has a flaky crust and delicious sweet-tart lemon custard filling.
- Gluten Free Lemon Donuts – You can make these bite-sized donuts in a donut pan in the oven or use a mini donut maker.
- Gluten Free Lemon Layer Cake – This is a great birthday cake. This layer cake has lemon curd nestled between each layer.
- Gluten Free Lemon Oat Bars – These creamy lemon bars will be a hit for any occasion.
Reader Adaptations:
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup almond flour * see note
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups almond milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons oil I used coconut
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice Use four for extra lemon flavor
Icing
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice add lemon juice slowly until icing is thick and drizzles when you lift the spoon out.
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Spray a bundt pan with coconut oil.
- In a large bowl, add dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a small bowl, add wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just barely mixed.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes. Bake time may vary depending on the size of the bundt cake pan you use.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cake needs to bake longer.
- Allow cake to cool.
- Prepare icing and drizzle over cool cake.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your donuts grainy.
- Other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Note, this cake also makes incredible cupcakes or sheet cake.
- This cake will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an old July 2017 post with more recipe details.
it was great!! very moist and delicious
I am so glad you loved this cake. Thank you!
Hi! I tried making this recipe and did not use almond flour because my husband is allergic. I used more bobs red mill gluten free flour. The Bundt cake turned out sticky and maybe like it wasn’t cooked through. However, I baked it as suggested but checked it at 40 minutes and the toothpick came out clean so I assumed it was done. Plus it was browning along the edges. 1. Should I have baked it longer anyway? 2. Is there another substitute for almond flour?
Thank you – I think it will taste incredible once I get it right.
Hi Julie, Did you use Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose or the 1:1? What liquid did you use? I am happy to troubleshoot. Also, what size was your bundt pan?
My cake turned out just ok. It doesn’t have any lemon flavor and I even added extra lemon juice and lemon zest. The texture is fine but it’s very bland. The icing instructions are not sufficient to make it liquid enough for a drizzle. I had to look at a previous recipe I’ve used. To get the consistency right I used a tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 tsp cashew milk.
Hi Heather, you don’t say what gluten free flour blend you used, so it is hard for me to help troubleshoot. Every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio, and this affects the texture and amount of liquid needed. I am surprised there wasn’t enough lemon flavor, you may consider adding lemon extract the next time for a boost in flavor.
Good morning, has anyone made this recipe with some sort of natural sugar replacement? If you have, can you please recommend the substitute you used? Thank you!
Hi Nadelia, I haven’t heard anyone tell me they used a sugar substitute in this recipe. I hope if someone did, they see your comment.
Do you think it is okay to try it with Cassava flour instead of gluten free blend flour?
I have never tested this recipe with Cassava Flour so I can’t give you an answer if it would work in my recipe.
I love your recipes, thanks so much!
Thank you so much. I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This cake is very tasty! I accidentally grabbed my coconut flour instead of my almond flour and added the full 3/4 cup and mixed it all up before I noticed! Because I know coconut flour requires more liquid I added another 1.25 -1.5 cups of water and it turned out beautifully. Very tasty and moist! Now I have to make it again to see what it tastes like with the almond flour, haha!
Wow, that is good to know. Thank you so much for coming back to let everyone know how it worked with coconut flour, and how you adjusted the recipe.