Gluten-free lemon cake made with sour cream so the crumb stays moist for days. This is a simple loaf cake with real lemon juice and zest in the batter, topped with a tangy lemon drizzle that soaks into the top and drips down the sides.
The trick is rubbing the lemon zest directly into the sugar before mixing, which releases the oils and gives the whole cake a stronger lemon flavor. I make this for spring and summer gatherings, but it works just as well with morning coffee as it does after dinner.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag), which already contains xanthan gum. For best results, weigh the flour instead of using a measuring cup (280g). I can’t vouch for other blends since I haven’t tested them.
- Baking Powder – I use 1 tablespoon for 2 cups of flour, which sounds like a lot, but gluten-free cakes need more leavening to get a lighter rise.
- Lemon Zest – Remember to zest your lemons before you juice them. It’s so much harder once they’re juiced. Only grate the yellow part and avoid the white pith, which is bitter. If you have leftover zest, freeze it in a container for another recipe.
- Vegetable Oil – I prefer vegetable oil over melted butter here because it has a neutral flavor that lets the lemon really shine. Avocado oil or grapeseed oil work too if that’s what you have.
- Eggs – Use large eggs that are 50g each, for a total of 150g. Room temperature is best so they incorporate into the batter more easily.
- Sour Cream – This is the secret to keeping the cake moist. If you don’t have sour cream, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt will work as a substitute and you’ll still get that tanginess.
- Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed is the way to go here. You’ll need about 1/3 cup for the cake and 2 tablespoons for the drizzle, which comes out to about 4 lemons total. I really don’t recommend bottled lemon juice for this one.
Rub the Zest Into the Sugar
Before you add anything else to the wet ingredients, rub the lemon zest directly into the granulated sugar with your fingers for about a minute. You’ll see the sugar turn yellow and it will smell incredible. This releases the essential oils from the zest and gives the whole cake a stronger lemon flavor than just tossing the zest into the batter. It’s a small step that makes a real difference.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This gluten-free cake recipe comes together so easily. The below photos with matching steps are meant to show you the cake at various stages and are not the full recipe.
For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe, and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. I find it stays fresher if you keep it whole and just slice off a piece when you’re ready to eat.
Freezer: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or use a freezer-safe container for up to 2 to 3 months. I usually freeze individual slices so I can pull out just what I need. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour. You can freeze it with or without the glaze, but the glaze will soften once it thaws.
Serving Suggestions
On its own this cake doesn’t need much, but a spoonful of whipped cream and some fresh berries on the side dress it up nicely for a dinner party. For a brunch spread, this pairs well with my gluten-free blueberry sour cream coffee cake since they’re both the kind of thing you can bake the day before and just set out in the morning. If you want to lean into lemon, my gluten-free lemon bars and gluten-free lemon brownies round out the table. And if you end up with leftover lemon juice after baking, my cucumber lemonade is a good way to use it up.
Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
Ingredients
For the Lemon Cake:
- 2 cups (280 g) gluten-free flour blend - Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag) which contains xanthan gum
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (12 g) lemon zest - from about 3 medium lemons
- ½ cup (109 g) vegetable oil
- 3 (150 g) large eggs - at room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream - at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (80 g) lemon juice - from 2-3 lemons
For the Lemon Drizzle:
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) lemon juice - from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) lemon zest - optional
**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!
Instructions
For the Lemon Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or grease with oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until yellow and fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the vegetable oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice to the sugar mixture. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until no streaks of flour remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 to 55 minutes until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. The internal temperature of the cake should read 200 to 205°F when inserted with a thermometer in the center of the cake. Don't open the oven until at least 40 minutes in.
- Cool in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
For the Lemon Drizzle:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. It should be thick but pourable.
- You can drizzle the cake when warm or fully cooled. If drizzled when warm, the glaze will melt into the cake a bit. If drizzled when cool, the glaze will form a thick white drizzle, similar to the photos in this post.
- Immediately after glazing the cake, sprinkle with additional lemon zest.
- Let the glaze set completely before slicing. Slice the cake in 10 equal pieces.
Notes
- Flour: Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 (blue bag) is the only flour I’ve tested. It already has xanthan gum. A different blend may change the texture.
- Weigh your flour: Scooping directly from the bag packs the flour into the cup and can make the cake dense. If you have a scale, use it (280g). If not, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off.
- Lemons: You’ll need about 4 lemons total for the zest, cake juice, and drizzle juice. Zest before juicing.
- Internal temp: The cake is done when it reads 200 to 205°F in the center. I find this more reliable than the toothpick test, especially with gluten-free cakes.
Nutrition
I don’t want to use gluten free. Can I use regular flour?
Hi Diane, I haven’t tested it since I have celiac disease and can’t eat gluten, so I cannot verify that it will look exactly the same when baked. If you want to try it, keep in mind that all-purpose flour and gluten-free flour weigh different amounts for 1 cup. I’d recommend using the weight in grams (instead of measuring by cups) that I provided in the recipe card. Hope this helps! If you try it, let me know – I’d love to be able to add notes to the recipe card for others who are wondering the same thing.
What can I use instead of sour cream? My son can’t have dairy, soy, or gluten.
Hi JB, I haven’t tested it, but you can try a plant-based yogurt in its place. There are also some vegan sour creams on the market that work quite well in baking, but you’ll have to look for one without soy. Hope this helps.
Can I use natural sweetener in place of sugar.
I haven’t tested it so I’m not 100% sure to be honest. Monk fruit sweetener is the only one I could see possibly working as it has more neutral flavor. All others, like coconut sugar, will cover up the lemon flavor too much in my opinion.