Vegan and Grain-free Lemon Cake

May 4, 2014 by Leanne Vogel November 2, 2018

This vegan, grain-free and nut-free frosted lemon cake is sweet and buttery with a moist, yet dense texture. The cake batter is filled with fresh lemon and frosted with a lemon glaze that dries to a crusty shell around the cake.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• ¾ cup quinoa flour
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons chickpea flour
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons tapioca starch/flour
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground flax seed
• 1 cup cane sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Wet Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from approximately 2 lemons)
• 5 tablespoons avocado oil or melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup water

Lemon Frosting

• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 8×4 loaf pan with parchment paper draping over both sides. Set aside.
2. Add dry ingredients to a large bowl. Stir with a fork until mixed. Set aside.
3. Add wet ingredients to a medium-sized bowl in the order they are listed. Give it a good stir.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined. Allow to sit for 3 minutes.
5. Then, pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, until top is golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Immediately after taking the cake out of the oven, use the parchment paper flaps on either ends to lift the cake out of the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack, gently sliding the parchment paper out from under the cake. Allow to cool for 60 minutes.
7. Transfer the cake to a pretty plate. Combine frosting ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk and then drizzle over the top of the cake. Allow to harden, about 10 minutes. And serve!

Notes

Cane Sugar vs. Coconut Sugar – I used cane sugar for this recipe for a couple of reasons. First, coconut sugar is fairly dark and would have made this cake a caramel color which I did not want. Second, cane sugar is far less expensive and I knew I would have to test this recipe multiple times and didn’t want to use up coconut sugar.

Powdered Sugar – check out this powdered sugar that is less refined

Nutrition Information Per Serving