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This gluten free iced lemon pound cake is a moist and tender, sweet pound cake is just like those thick slices in the glass coffee shop case.
Table of Contents
- What makes this gluten free lemon pound cake recipe special
- Do I need a stand mixer to make this gf lemon pound cake recipe?
- Does Starbucks have gluten free desserts?
- Gluten free lemon pound cake: Ingredients and substitutions
- Gluten free iced lemon pound cake recipe, step by step
- Iced Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
What makes this gluten free lemon pound cake recipe special
A simple loaf cake made in the traditional style, this pound cake gets its lift from eggs and eggs alone. No baking powder and no baking soda.
In the past, I've made this recipe with True Lemon crystals, which are truly delicious, but they can also be hard to find for some. This time, the bright lemon flavor comes exclusively from lemons themselves, both the juice and the zest.
I even added some lemon zest to the glaze, which is by far the sweetest part of the pound cake—especially since I reduced the sugar from 1 1/2 cups to 1 cup. The lemon flavor in this pound cake is intense.
What really sets this pound cake apart is the combination of butter and cream cheese in the batter. A traditional pound cake, delicious in its own right, has only butter, sugar, eggs and flour. In fact, it's so-named for beginning with one pound of each ingredient.
Do I need a stand mixer to make this gf lemon pound cake recipe?
No, you don't need a stand mixer. If you have one, it makes quick work of creaming together the butter and cream cheese, and then the granulated sugar.
If you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer with the regular beater attachments. Use a large bowl, larger than you really need, so the ingredients don't escape during beating.
If you don't have a hand mixer, use elbow grease. You'll need to cream together the butter and cream cheese until it's light and fluffy. This is a dense recipe (like a true pound cake, unlike a gluten free lemon cake, which has a much more airy crumb, is meant to be), but you do need some air in the batter.
Try using a very large whisk, turn the bowl on its side, and lean against the counter heavily. Holding the bowl with your nondominant hand, whisk vigorously until the ingredients begin to get lighter in color. Proceed with the recipe.
Does Starbucks have gluten free desserts?
Generally, no. And it's a shame because, although their coffee ☕️ just tastes burnt to me, their pastries, cookies and cakes are simply spot-on.
When you're gluten free, you can't have their best treats, and that's just not right. Between their petite vanilla scones, asiago bagels, chocolate cinnamon pound cake, and vanilla almond biscotti, we're really missing out.
Over the years, they have introduced a few gluten free treats, only to pull them right off the menu. If I'm being generous, I'll admit that they probably just didn't sell well enough. But still.
Now all they seem to have are little egg bites. It's just a heartbreak when the other kids are getting a scone or bagel, and your gluten free kid is getting … an egg bite. At least there's something?
Gluten free lemon pound cake: Ingredients and substitutions
I'm going to discuss some other allergens in this recipe, but I want to say up front that the news isn't good. Here are the details.
Can you make this into a gluten free dairy free lemon pound cake?
You can replace the butter in pound cake with vegan butter (I love Miyoko's Kitchen and Melt brands). But I just don't know how you can effectively replace cream cheese with a nondairy alternative.
I have never tasted a nondairy cream cheese that has tasted anything like cream cheese. Some people love Kite Hill brand. So far, I am not one of those people.
Can you make this into a gluten free egg free lemon pound cake?
Since there is no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe, all the rise comes from eggs. In fact, there are 4 whole eggs in this recipe.
I do not suggest trying to make this recipe with any sort of egg replacer. There are just too many eggs, and they're too important.
I will continue to work on a recipe for vegan gluten free pound cake and vegan gluten free cheesecake. I will work until I can work no more—or I develop a great recipe.
About the cornstarch in this gf lemon pound cake, and how to replace it
If you are using a higher starch blend, like Cup4Cup, just replace all the cornstarch in the recipe with more Cup4Cup.
If you can't have corn, you can easily replace the cornstarch in this recipe with arrowroot or potato starch.
Gluten free iced lemon pound cake recipe, step by step
Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the pound cake
- 1 ¼ cups (175 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (I used Better Batter; please click through for details)
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- ¼ cup (36 g) cornstarch , (or try arrowroot or potato starch)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 4 (200 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the glaze
- 1 ½ cups (173 g) 173 g confectioner’s sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (½ fluid ounce) freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as necessary
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease a loaf pan that is no more than 9-inches by 5-inches, and set it aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, salt and about 3/4 of the lemon zest, and whisk to combine well, working to break up any clumps of lemon zest. Set the bowl aside.
Make the pound cake batter.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), place the butter and cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
- Add the granulated sugar and mix to combine. Add the eggs and lemon juice, mixing well after each addition until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, beating well to combine after each addition. The batter will be smooth and thick, but relatively light.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
Bake the pound cake.
- Place the loaf pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center of the pound cake comes out clean (about 50 minutes).
- If the loaf begins to brown too much, cover it tightly with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Remove the pound cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze & assemble the cake.
- Once the pound cake is nearly cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, place the confectioner’s sugar, salt, and the remaining lemon zest, and whisk to combine and to break up any lumps in the confectioner’s sugar or the lemon zest.
- Add the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, and mix well. Continue to add lemon juice by the teaspoon, stirring in between additions, until the glaze is thickly pourable.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled pound cake, and allow to set at room temperature.
- Slice and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I know I’m jumping the gun by commenting before making this lemon pound cake but I’m so excited to try it! I LOVE the Starbuck’s lemon cake but suffer if I eat it. I’ve ordered the Better Batter gf flour and will make this as soon as it arrives! Thank you ahead of time for a recipe that sounds like it’s going to be the perfect replacement for Starbuck’s version!
No more suffering, Phyllis! I’m really glad you ordered the flour blend. You won’t regret it.
do you know of a good gluten free flour that is also RICE flour free. allergic to both gluten and rice. sad to say most commercial GF flours use rice flour as their main ingredient.
I’m afraid not, Deb. There is no all purpose gluten free flour blend that will work in my recipes other than one that is based on rice flour. You would probably do better with a blog that specializes in grain free, Paleo recipes.
Try Cassava flour. It’s the latest greatest gluten free flour.
Cassava flour is a great gluten free flour, but only in recipes that are developed for it specifically, like our cassava flour tortillas. If you try to use it as an all purpose gluten free flour in recipes like this that weren’t developed specifically for it, it will not work at all.
I made this on Sunday. My loaf pan is very small so I also made 3 cupcakes with what was left of the batter. I put both in the oven and baked the cupcakes for 23 minutes and put the cake back on for 27 minutes. Then the power went out. I left it in the oven waiting for the power to come back on. Two and a half hours later the power was back. I took the cake out of the oven, which was still at 120 degrees, it hadn’t sunk, turned the oven back on and put the cake back in while it was preheating. After all that the cake turned out. It is edible, probably could of baked it a little longer, but can’t wait to try this without all the baking issues. This is definitely a keeper.
Those are some serious baking issues, Barb! That’s so frustrating that your power went out.
I just baked this today and it turned out fantastic. I’m a beginner baker, and my brother is gluten and nut free, this was the first thing I’ve baked that wasn’t from a mix or box. The glaze came together beautifully (I think I added a little more lemon juice than recommended) and the cake looks golden and delicious. I can’t wait to taste it. Thank you for this recipe! It’s definitely going in my collection.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I hope venturing out of the box like this makes you feel more confident, so you’ll do it more!
Hi! I literally just pulled them out of the oven and they are gorgeous! Thanks! I am bringing one to a friend tomorrow. Would you recommend I glaze and refrigerate or leave outside covered? It is very hot in my kitchen today so just wondering what you think would be best! Thank you!
Hi, Charlie,
I would recommend you cool completely, wrap very tightly, and leave at room temperature until tomorrow. If it’s very, very hot in your kitchen, even overnight, then you can refrigerate it, but the refrigerator is drying so I would avoid that if you can. Tomorrow, unwrap, glaze and let set before serving.
Hi, has anyone tried in a muffin pan instead ? For my kids they like eating muffins instead of a slice of bread. What did the cooking times look like?
Thanks
This recipe would not work as muffins, Sarah. It’s a pound cake, not a quick bread. I do have a recipe for lemon cupcakes (just use the search function). That may suit your needs better.
Do you think I could add blueberries to this and make a lemon blueberry pound cake?
I definitely would not do that, Becca. Blueberries add a ton of moisture during baking. I have a lemon blueberry cake that you’d like. Just use the search function.
Made your lemon pound cake today. It is delicious. Made it exactly by the recipe! Turned out perfect!
That’s great to hear, Aura!!
Nicole?? Hi is is possible to add milk to the glaze because ours is not working.
You can always add more liquid to make a simple glaze like this (milk, water, lemon juice), but you want to be sure to add it a literal drop at a time, and mix it in thoroughly, since a glaze will become too thin and drippy quite quickly. Thickening a glaze with more sugar is much harder to calibrate properly. I think I’m going to have to film a video of me making one of these confectioners’ sugar glazes, since so many of you seem to be struggling with them!
Hi Nicole. I believe the cake should be made with GF Self-raising flour otherwise the cake will not rise, hence Kristan’s problem with it being dense & flat. Am I right or am I wrong? Lorraine.
The recipe is correct as written, Lorraine. Pound cake is leavened only with eggs. I, and many others, have made it as written successfully many, many times.