Gluten Free Lemon Cake

slice of 2 layer lemon cake with white filling and frosting

5 from 26 votes

Prep Time : 35

Cook Time : 35

This tender gluten free lemon cake is full of bright lemon flavor. Don't skimp on the light and fluffy cream cheese frosting!

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This gluten free lemon cake, bursting with lemon flavor, has the smooth and fluffy lemon cream topping that tastes like everyone's favorite Olive Garden cake!

A piece of lemon cream cake on a white plate with a fork and lemon slice

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What makes this gluten free lemon cake recipe special?

Incredibly tender and moist white cake with tons of lemon flavor, this cake is filled and topped with light and bright lemon cream. There's also a lemony crumb topping, just like the Olive Garden cake.

The crumb topping is another step, and you should feel free to skip that portion of the recipe. I mostly included it if you really miss Olive Garden and want the full experience.

There are more than a couple ingredients to this cake, particularly with the topping. That's because we've made it from scratch, unlike most other copycat lemon cream cake recipes I've seen.

Overhead image of round cake with white swirled frosting on white serving platter with lemon rinds

How to make this gluten free lemon cake

Since this is a layer cake, we will make the individual round lemon cakes, then the lemon frosting, and then assemble the cake in layers. If you'd like, you can also make the lemon crumb topping, which is a lightly-colored, more tender and lemon-flavored version of a brown sugar crumble topping you might find on a berry crumble or a coffee cake.

First, make the round lemon cakes

The lemon cakes are made in the traditional way that a vanilla cake is made, by creaming together the butter and sugar first, to incorporate air that will create an open, tender crumb in the oven. Then, add the eggs and vanilla, and beat to combine.

Next, whisk the dry ingredients (gluten free flour blend (including xanthan gum), milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and plenty of lemon zest). Whisk together the milk and lemon juice separately. Then add both the dry ingredients and the milk mixture to the butter, sugar, and eggs mixture, alternating between the two and beating just to combine.

The cake batter will be fluffy, but pretty thick. Divide the batter between the two round cake pans that you've greased well, and smooth the tops. Bake at 350°F and then let the cakes cool.

Then, make the (optional) crumb topping

The crumb topping is just made of softened butter, vanilla, and fresh lemon juice mixed with confectioners' sugar and flour into a soft dough. You'll roll out the dough quickly and roughly (perfection is not necessary!), and then bake it until it's just baked through.

Let the baked dough cool for about 10 minutes, and then crumble it in your hands. This part of the cake is meant to match the lemon cake crumble that Olive Garden adds to its lemon cake. It's really very optional, but adds some really nice texture.

Make the lemon cream filling/frosting

This is essentially a cream cheese frosting, not a classic buttercream frosting, but it's even softer than a cream cheese frosting because it's made with whipped cream as a base. Beat softened cream cheese and butter together with confectioners' sugar like a cream cheese frosting, but then fold in fresh whipped heavy cream. Add lemon juice and lemon zest for that bright tangy lemon flavor.

Assemble the cake

Like any other layer cake, we begin by turning one of the cooled round lemon cakes on a cake plate or other serving platter and adding about half of the prepared lemon cream filling on top. Spread the filling all the way to the edges, and then top with the other cake, inverted (so the top of the layer cake is flat).

Frost all around the sides and top with the remaining filling, and then add the crumbled topping to the top and sides of the cake. Press in the crumbles so they adhere. Slice and serve!

How to make this cake ahead of time

I usually make the undecorated round lemon cakes ahead of time. Just let them cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze, and then defrost at room temperature before serving. Don't refrigerate the cakes, though, as the refrigerator tends to be drying.

If you do make the crumb topping, it can be made ahead, too. Just store it covered at room temperature for a day, or wrapped very tightly and frozen for weeks, and allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

The cream filling is quite a bit softer than a traditional buttercream frosting, so I really don't like to fill and frost the cake until the day I plan to serve it. Cream cheese frosting is softer than all butter frosting, and folding in whipped cream softens it further.

Assemble the cake soon before you serve it, and if you store it in the refrigerator be sure to allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. Cakes made with butter taste dry when chilled.

lemon cake batter in glass mixing bowl with paddle attachment

Frosting options for this gluten free lemon cake

The cake has quite a bit of lemon flavor, so you don't have to serve it with the lemon cream just to ensure that it tastes, well, like lemon cake. There are other options for frosting or even icing that taste great with this cake.

Swiss meringue buttercream

You can't ever go wrong with a Swiss meringue buttercream. The quick, foolproof recipe I use and recommend is by SugarHero. She doesn't cook the sugar, which makes everything a snap! You can also add some lemon zest to it, or lemon extract.

Round lemon cake with big dollop of white frosting on a white cake turner

How to make a simple lemon glaze

You can always make a simple glaze to pour over each individual slice, or the whole cake. Place 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar in a medium-size bowl and add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (or water).

Mix until you have a very smooth, thick paste. Add more lemon juice until you have a very thickly pourable glaze.

Add the liquid slowly, because it’s much easier to thin it than to thicken if once you’ve added too much liquid. Pour or spoon the glaze over the cooled cake or each slice before serving.

How to make a classic vanilla buttercream

For a classic vanilla buttercream, for every 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, you'll need 1 to 1 1/2 cups (115 to 175 g) confectioners’ sugar, 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and milk by the teaspoonful, at room temperature. That will make about 1 1/4 cups of buttercream. For a full cake, you'll need 4 to 5 cups of frosting total.

For full details on how to make that buttercream, please click over to our recipe for gluten free Funfetti cupcakes with frosting. Just leave out the edible rainbow confetti (or don't)!

fork on side of slice of 2 layer lemon cake with lots of white frosting on small white plate on blue cloth

Gluten free lemon cake ingredients and substitution suggestions

How to make a gluten free dairy free lemon cake

There is dairy in this recipe in a few forms: milk and milk powder in the cake, butter in the cake recipes and in the cream filling/frosting, and cream cheese and heavy whipping cream in the filling. I have suggestions for how to replace all of it with non-dairy alternatives—except for the frosting.

For the butter in all cases, I highly recommend a vegan butter alternative. Melt and Miyoko's Kitchen brands are my favorites.

For the milk powder, you can try using coconut milk powder. It does tend to be a bit drying, so add more milk by the teaspoonful until the consistency of your cake batter is right.

For the milk, any nondairy milk will work. Even water works here, but milk with some fat makes for a richer, more tender result.

Can you make a gluten free egg free lemon cake?

This recipe calls for 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites so that it's only made yellow by the lemon. Otherwise, it tends to be a lot darker yellow. If you'd prefer, you can use 2 whole eggs + 1 egg white instead.

If you can't have eggs, I'm afraid I don't recommend trying to make this cake with an egg replacer. It simply has a lot of eggs, and I don't think you could replace them successfully.

What gluten free flour blend works best in this recipe for gluten free lemon cake?

This recipe works especially well with my Better Than Cup4Cup blend, which is a less starchy variation of Cup4Cup gluten free flour blend. If you don't want to make that blend, you can use Better Batter or Cup4Cup itself.

If you use Better Batter, use the following flours:

2 cups (280 g) Better Batter or mock Better Batter
1/4 cup (36 g) cornstarch
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (54 g) milk powder

If you use Cup4Cup, use Cup4Cup in place of all flours. Cup4Cup is quite starchy, and uses plenty of milk powder already. Here's the full amount of Cup4Cup to use in place of the flour blend, xanthan gum, and milk powder in this recipe:

2 5/8 cup (368 g) Cup4Cup or mock Cup4Cup

Closeup image of fork with cake crumbs on small white plate with slice of 2 layer lemon cake with lemon in background

FAQs

Why did my cake collapse out of the oven?

When cakes rise in the oven and then fall as they cool, they're not baked all the way through. Your oven may be running too hot, which browned the outside of the cake too quickly, long before the center had a chance to bake enough to hold its shape as the steam escaped. Next time, use a standalone oven thermometer since most ovens run hot, and bake for longer.

Can I make this cake batter as cupcakes?

I haven't tried making these as cupcakes, but it might work. You can usually make cupcakes into cake and cake into cupcakes, but you won't always get the best version of either.

Can I use 9-inch cake pans instead of 8-inch pans?

Of course! Just follow the instructions as written, but you'll need to reduce the baking time because baking in a larger pan means that there is more of the batter exposed to the heat of the oven at all times. Start to check the cakes at about 22 minutes.

Can I swap out lemon flavor for another citrus fruit, like orange or lime?

Sure! You can use lime zest in place of lemon zest, and lime juice in place of lemon juice. Same goes for orange.

How would I frost this cake with simple buttercream?

For a classic vanilla buttercream, if you want to fill and frost the whole cake, you'll need 24 tablespoons (336 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, 3 to 4 1/2 cups (345 to 518 g) confectioners’ sugar, scant 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and milk by the teaspoonful, at room temperature.
Beat the butter until it's pale, light and fluffy, then add the confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until it's absorbed, and adding at least 3 cups total. Keep beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, and only drizzle in milk as needed to smooth out the frosting and burst any large air bubbles.

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Gluten Free Lemon Cake Recipe

This tender gluten free lemon cake is full of bright lemon flavor. Don't skimp on the light and fluffy cream cheese frosting!

Course: Cake

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 35

Cook Time: 35

Chilling time: 30

Total Time: 1 5

Yield: 8 slices layer cake

Author: Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the cakes

2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend please click thru for full info on appropriate blends; See Recipe Notes
1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
9 tablespoons (54 g) milk powder See Recipe Notes
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon at least 1 tablespoon
12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) large egg at room temperature, beaten
3 (75 g) egg whites at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk at room temperature
3 tablespoons (1 ½ fluid ounces) freshly squeezed lemon juice at room temperature

For the crumb topping

½ cup (70 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend I used Better Batter; any of my recommended blends will work
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
½ cup (58 g) confectioners’ sugar
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the lemon cream filling

1 ½ cups (12 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream chilled
1 8- ounce package cream cheese at room temperature
5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups (460 g) confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon at least 1 tablespoon

For assembling

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice for brushing
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round baking pans and set them aside.

First, make the cakes.

In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, nonfat dry milk, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest, and whisk to combine well. Break up any lumps in the lemon zest.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, place the butter and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla, beating on medium-high speed until well-combined after each addition.
Add the dry ingredients and the milk and lemon juice, alternating between the dry ingredients and milk or lemon juice, and beginning and ending with the flour, beating on medium speed to combine after each addition. The batter will be fluffy but rather thick.
Divide the cake batter evenly among the two prepared cake pans and shake into an even layer in each.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake, rotating once, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (about 25 minutes).
Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely.

Make the (optional) crumb topping.

Place the flour and confectioners’ sugar in a medium-size bowl and whisk to combine well. Add the butter, vanilla and lemon juice and mix to combine. The dough will be thick.
Place the dough between two small sheets of unbleached parchment paper and roll out into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.
Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and transfer the dough still on the bottom sheet of parchment to a small rimmed baking sheet.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 7 minutes, or until just beginning to brown on the edges.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before breaking and crumbling into small pieces. Set aside.

Make the lemon cream filling.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, place the heavy whipping cream and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes).
Scrape the whipped cream into a separate bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill.
In the same mixer bowl, place the cream cheese and butter and beat (with the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer) until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
Add the salt and confectioners’ sugar, and beat on low speed until the sugar is absorbed into the cream cheese-butter mixture.
Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, turn the mixer up to high speed and continue to beat until the frosting is light and fluffy (about 3 more minutes).
Remove the whipped cream from the refrigerator and fold it into the cream cheese frosting.

Assemble the cake.

Place one of the cooled 8-inch cakes, still upside down, in the center of a serving platter.
Brush the exposed side of the cake with lemon juice and place about one-half of the lemon cream filling on top.
Spread into an even layer all the way up to the edge of the cake, and top with the other cooled 8-inch cake, still upside down.
Brush the exposed side of the top cake with lemon juice and cover the whole cake, top and sides, with a very thin layer of the filling.
Cover with the remaining filling on the top and as much of the sides as you like.
Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the optional crumb topping, pressing the crumbs gently into the frosting/filling to adhere.
Chill the cake for 10 minutes to make slicing and serving easier.