Sweet and tangy gluten free lemon drizzle loaf cake! Although I’ve posted quite a few of my favourite gluten free and low FODMAP recipes on here now, a reader asked if I had one for a lemon drizzle loaf and I realised it was M.I.A. Wanting to fix this issue asap I gladly went on a research mission and endless notes and three loaves later, here’s my gluten free and FODMAP friendly take on the classic bake that brings all the sunshine.
So simple to make, a zesty lemon cake is one of my favourites. It feels luxurious and fancy while being understated and familiar at the same time. A recipe to have up your sleeve for all sorts of occasions.
I like a mix of both gluten free plain flour and ground almonds for the perfect balance between structure and texture. Ground almonds also help to make and keep the cake moist, with Greek yogurt adding extra an extra tang and bit of moisture for the gluten free flour too. This cake is packed with lemons – the zest of 3 in the batter, the juice of 1 and a half in the drizzle AND more juice in the icing. You could also add in 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds to the batter if you like.
Gluten free lemon drizzle loaf recipe notes:
- 24g of ground almonds are low FODMAP so 50g split between 10 slices is well under the limit if you’re following the diet
- You can also make this gluten free lemon drizzle cake without almonds if you like, simply use all gluten free plain flour
- I used Martha Collison’s recipe for the candied lemon peel on top and it worked a treat – know that you can skip the icing altogether and stick with just the drizzle
- You could sub in dairy free butter and dairy free yogurt for this recipe and I think it would still work really well
- Looking for more low FODMAP and gluten free loaf cake recipes? Try my banana bread or grapefruit and poppy seed loaf
Ingredients
225g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
zest of 3 lemons
4 medium eggs
175g gluten free plain flour (I use FREEE)
50g ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional, just helps to make gluten free cakes less crumbly)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
90g Greek yogurt, lactose free if needed
For the drizzle:
75g caster sugar
75ml lemon juice (from about 1 and a half of the lemons, depending on size)
For the icing:
150g icing sugar
remaining lemon juice, plus water if needed
Method
Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
Beat together the butter, caster sugar and the finely grated zest of 3 lemons until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined before adding the next. Sift over the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, xanthan gum (if using) and sea salt and fold in, followed by the yogurt. If your mix looks like it might curdle you can add in a few spoonfuls of the flour before adding the next egg (I often do!).
Spoon the batter into your prepared tin and even out the top. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until golden on top, springy to the touch and an inserted skewer comes out dry.
Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack while you make the drizzle. To make the sugar syrup: over a low heat, mix together the caster sugar and lemon juice and cook gently until the sugar has dissolved. Allow the sugar syrup to cool slightly in the pan.
When both the cake and syrup have cooled slightly but are still a little warm, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Slowly drizzle over the syrup, waiting for the cake to absorb it in stages. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for another 10 minutes or so, before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and slowly add lemon juice, stirring all the time until you reach the consistency you want. Drizzle over the cake when cool, pushing to the edges and allow to set for 20 minutes before slicing.
This cake will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze wrapped well.
I love seeing what you’ve created – so if you make this recipe (or any other from this site) please take a photograph and tag me @shecanteatwhat or with #shecanteatwhat and #fodmapfriendlykitchen on social
