A soft and moist gluten free lemon and almond cake made from butter, sugar, eggs, lemon, almond meal, corn flour and baking powder. Dust with a little icing sugar and enjoy with a cup of tea!
If you or someone in your life follows a gluten free diet, you'll know how hard it is to find good gluten free baking sometimes. This recipe for Gluten Free Almond and Lemon Syrup Cake is such a winner. This cake is soft and moist and super flavoursome. It's so good, even gluten-eaters can enjoy it!
The ingredients that hold it all together are the almond meal and the corn flour. If you have a standard gluten free flour in the cupboard, you could use that as a substitute for the corn flour.
For some of my other great gluten free baking, be sure to check out my Gluten Free Upside Down Plum Cake or my Chocolate Almond Meringue Cookies.
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Ingredient notes:
- Lemon: This is the signature flavour of the cake! You could get away with using packaged lemon juice for the syrup, but you really do need the zest in the cake.
- Almond Meal: This gives the syrup cake a lovely dense texture, perfect for absorbing the syrup.
- Corn flour: The corn flour works to bind the cake together. If you're not making this gluten free you could replace this with regular flour.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake. Line a 22 cm round cake tin with baking paper. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and mix to combine.
While mixing on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time. Tip half of the almond meal into the bowl and mix until combined. Add the remaining almond meal, corn flour, and baking powder. Mix on low speed until just combined.
Spread the cake batter into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, make the syrup. Add the lemon juice and icing sugar to a small saucepan. Simmer while stirring for 5-10 minutes until thickened and starting to reduce. Set aside.
Once the cake is cooked and while still in the cake tin, poke holes in the top with a skewer and pour over the lemon syrup until it covers the entire surface. You may have to tilt the cake tin to get even coverage. Leave the cake in the tin to absorb the syrup and cool completely.
Carefully remove the cake from the tin and place on a cake plate. Sprinkle over icing sugar, cut into slices and serve with Greek yoghurt on the side.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes, you can make the lemon syrup ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate it if you're making it several days in advance. Just give it a quick stir before using it.
If your lemon syrup is too runny, simply add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up. Add it in small amounts, stirring between each addition, until you reach the desired consistency. If it's too thick, add a little more lemon juice, 1 teaspoon at a time.
While the cake itself can be frozen (without the syrup), freezing the cake with the syrup on top is not recommended. The glaze could harden or become soggy when thawed. Instead, freeze the plain cake and add the lemon syrup after it's thawed and just before serving.
Storage:
The lemon syrup could be made earlier if you want to get ahead.
Once the cake has been drizzled with the lemon glaze, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. If you need to store it for longer, refrigerate it, but the drizzle may harden a bit in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Top tips:
While the cake itself can be frozen (without the drizzle), freezing the cake with the drizzle on top is not recommended. The glaze could harden or become soggy when thawed. Instead, freeze the plain cake and add the lemon drizzle after it's thawed and just before serving.
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*DISCLAIMER*
If you are coeliac, or cooking for someone who is, please ensure you make the necessary substitutions to ensure this recipe meets your dietary requirements. Be sure to check the labels on all your processed food, including sauce bottles, to make sure they are gluten free.
Gluten Free Lemon and Almond Cake
A soft and moist gluten free lemon and almond cake made from butter, sugar, eggs, almond meal, corn flour and baking powder.
Ingredients
- 150g butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar, 220g
- Zest of 4 lemons
- 4 eggs
- 200g almond meal, 2 cups
- ½ cup corn flour, 80g
- 2 tsp baking powder
Syrup
- Juice of 4 lemons (150ml)
- ½ cup icing sugar, 65g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake. Line a 22 cm round cake tin with baking paper.
- Cake: In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and mix to combine.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed. Add half of the almond meal and mix until combined.
- Add the remaining almond meal, corn flour, and baking powder. Mix on low speed until just combined.
- Spread the cake batter into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Syrup: While the cake is baking, make the syrup. Add the lemon juice and icing sugar to a small saucepan. Simmer while stirring for 5-10 minutes until thickened and starting to reduce. Set aside.
- Once the cake is cooked and while still in the cake tin, poke holes in the top with a skewer and pour over the lemon syrup until it covers the entire surface. You may have to tilt the cake tin to get even coverage. Leave the cake in the tin to absorb the syrup and cool completely.
- Carefully remove the cake from the tin and place on a cake plate. Sprinkle over icing sugar, cut into slices and serve with Greek yoghurt on the side.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
* If you are coeliac or cooking for someone who is, please ensure you make the necessary substitutions to ensure these recipes meet your dietary requirements. As always, be sure to check the labels on all your processed food including sauce bottles to make sure they are gluten free.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 365Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 199mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 4gSugar: 28gProtein: 7g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
Jane miller says
Very easy - very tasty- mine sank in the middle possibly because I mixed the mixture too long after adding last egg. Did anyone else have this experience
Jane