This coconut flour lemon cake is a low-carb, grain-free, and dairy-free version of a classic round lemon cake. It is infused with lemony flavour in the forms of acidic and bright lemon juice, and fragrant lemon zest.
How to Make Coconut Flour Lemon Cake
Start making this gluten free coconut flour lemon cake recipe by preheating your oven to 350°F. Next, you can grease an 8-inch, round cake pan with olive oil until it is thoroughly coated. While olive oil has a strong flavour, it is delicious in combination with lemon and works very well here. Later on, olive oil will go into the base of the lemon cake as well, and it helps keep the cake nice and fluffy.
To make unmolding later even easier, place a circle of parchment paper into the bottom of the greased pan.
Because this is a quick-to-make one-bowl batter, it is helpful to gather all your necessary ingredients before starting to mix up the lemon cake.
(not pictured: sweetener)
Mixing the Batter
1. To start making the batter for this lemon cake, simply whisk the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. I like to start by mixing the plant milk and lemon juice to make a sort of dairy-free buttermilk. The add the remaining gluten free ingredients like whole eggs, maple syrup or alternative, vanilla, and olive oil. For the plant milk, you may use whatever you like such as almond milk, soy milk, or cashew milk. However, if you are fine with dairy, you can include dairy milk instead.
2. You won't require a separate bowl for this coconut flour cake recipe as you can whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. These ingredients are coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to weigh the coconut flour or measure correctly by gently spooning the flour into the measuring cup. Select "Metric" in the recipe box below for weight measurement in grams. Never dip the measuring cup into the flour, as this will compress it and you end up with way too much flour and a very dry cake batter.
3. At this point, whisk until the batter doesn't contain any lumps. It might be beneficial to whisk in the dry ingredients a little at a time to prevent the formation of lumps in the first place and create a smoother batter as well.
Baking the Coconut Flour Lemon Cake
4. To bake the gluten free lemon cake, pour the batter into the prepared pan. The batter will be loose enough to spread out in the pan on its own, so you won't have to smooth it out with a spatula.
The lemon cake should only require a total bake time of 25 to 30 minutes. You will know it is done when the edges turn golden brown, the top is opaque rather than shiny, and springs back to the touch when you press it. You can also insert a skewer or toothpick into it to see if wet or dry crumbs come out on it. If the crumbs are wet, you will know that the cake will need more time.
Unmolding the Lemon Cake
Once the gluten free cake is out of the oven, you should let it cool for at least 20 minutes. This will ensure the cake will have enough time to set up a little before you attempt to unmold it. The cake is quite delicate when it comes out of the oven and may break or crack if you attempt to unmold it too soon. You may want to run a spatula around the edges to loosen the cake from the pan before flipping it as well.
When unmolding the cake, I recommend that you place a large plate, wire rack or baking sheet on top of the cake pan before inverting it. Then, if all goes well, gravity should gently allow the cake to slip onto the plate or sheet and you can promptly remove the cake pan. If you used a parchment paper circle and it came out with the cake, gently peel it off the bottom of the lemon cake. Now, place your serving platter on the cake and invert again and remove the other plate or baking sheet. This way the lighter top side of the cake will be on top.
Serving the Coconut Flour Lemon Cake
This lemon coconut flour cake recipe is delicious on its own as the lemon flavour is so robust. However, if you would like to make it a little fancier, you could dust it with some icing sugar or serve it with a little sweetened coconut cream.
Another option would be to add a glaze to the cooled cake. To make a lemon glaze, you can mix powdered sugar with lemon juice until smooth before drizzling over the cake. The glaze will set at room temperature so you can leave it on the counter for some time before you cut the cake into slices. If you include the glaze, other optional garnishes would be some toasted coconut, sprinkles, or candied lemon peel as the glaze would help them adhere to the cake.
Do I Need to Use Fresh Lemons in this Cake?
While you may be inclined to use storebought lemon juice in your homemade baked goods or this cake with lemon because it has a longer shelf life, fresh lemons are irreplaceable in this cake. Their juice has just the right brightness and acidity to lift up the flavour of the cake, whereas storebought lemon juice can have a duller taste.
Moreover, this cake with lemon calls for lemon zest, which is essential for adding the sweet, fruity fragrance of lemon, which is not easy to achieve when you use lemon juice alone. A lot of the lemon flavor in lemon juice deteriorates when heated while baking. Whereas the citrus oils in the lemon peel are more heat stable, providing the cake with a rich lemon flavor even after baking.
If you buy a bag of lemons and have some left over, you can use them in many other dishes. Lemons are perfect for dessert recipes like cakes, cookies, quick breads, lemon curd, and lemon posset. They are also great in savoury dishes including dressings, marinades, fish dishes, pasta, hummus, and much more. It is always wonderful to have fresh lemons on hand when there are so many delicious culinary uses for them.
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RECIPE UPDATE MAY 2022:
To address several commenters whose cake and batter ended up too try, I have done some further side-by-side testing of different coconut flours and realized that certain brands (like the common Bob's Red Mill) seem extra thirsty and liquid absorbing. To adjust for this variance, I have reduced the coconut flour amount to ⅔ cups (from 1 cup) and changed the sweetener to ⅓ cup maple syrup to provide extra liquid (from ½ cup granulated sugar). If this recipe has worked well for you preciously with your coconut flour, you can keep using the original measurements.
If you have a less absorbent coconut flour, you may need to add anywhere from 2-5 more tablespoons of coconut flour. Once you finished stirring up the batter and it is still very thin and runny, stir in 1 more tablespoon of coconut flour at a time until the batter has thickened but is still somewhat pourable.
I personally love A de Coco brand coconut flour - a Mexican brand unfortunately not yet widely available in the US. It seems finer/less gritty to me and has a not as crazy rate of liquid absorbency.
Coconut Flour Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or regular milk
- â…› cup lemon juice
- 4 eggs
- â…“ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or sugar-free alternative or ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- â…” cup coconut flour + 2-5 tablespoon extra flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with olive oil. For easier unmolding, place a parchment paper circle into the bottom of the pan.
- Stir together the almond milk and lemon juice, and set aside to thicken for a few minutes. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and the almond milk + lemon juice mix.
- Then whisk in the coconut flour, baking powder, salt and the lemon zest.
- Whisk until the batter becomes smooth and free of lumps. Depending on your brand of coconut flour, if your batter is still very thin and runny, add more coconut flour 1 tablespoon at a time (anywhere from 2-5 tablespoons) until it is thicker but still somewhat pourable***
- Then transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake the coconut flour lemon cake for about 25 to 30 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before unmolding and slicing it.
Notes
Nutrition
Joy
I made this today! It turned out great and my hubby loved it! I used coconut milk and only had a 9" round cake pan and I didn't invert it.. I did make the lemon glaze to put on it. Yummy! This will stay on my list!
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thanks for the review, Joy! I'm so glad you liked it!
Chris David
Great recipe and really a nice one. Will surely try this
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you so much, Chris! Let us know how it works out for you.
Rebecca
We made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! So moist! I have never said that about any coconut flour dessert. The only downside was I could only taste the maple syrup not the lemon in the cake itself. I have been wanting to go low sugar so I may try a liquid low carb sweetener next time. The glaze really brightened it up and could taste the lemon there. I am saving this recipe, it was a winner!
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Rebecca! I'm glad you loved the taste and texture of this cake. 🙂
Deirdre
Hi just like to add I read it as 2 to 3 cups of coconut flour not 2/3rds.
Couldn't get a batter so just kept adding milk
It's in the oven. We'll the first one lol made enough for 2
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Deirdre, thank you for your comment! It should be a 2/3 cup for the recipe. There is nothing wrong with having two cakes, though. It sounds like you made the batter work. 🙂
Rachael
This recipe is the best I have found although I did tweak it a bit. I added extra lemon juice and instead of syrup I used coconut sugar which gave it an amazing flavour. If your batter seems too thick before you bake it just add a bit of moisture either more milk or lemon juice. I kept it in the fridge after baking and it stayed moist.
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Rachael, those sounds like some delicious changes! I'm glad you enjoyed this cake recipe!
Laura
I gave 3 stars because flavor was good, just the dryness don’t get stars. I weighted flour and expected amount to work for the cake. Unfortunately it was still dry as other mentioned. Flavor was good. Had to eat drinking tea. Unpinned
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
I'm sorry that the texture of the cake was dry for you. Thank you for your feedback!
Allie
This has been the best Dairy Free and Gluten Free cake recipe I have found in the past few years! Even my boyfriend, who is not GF/DF and SWEARS he can usually taste the difference, will request this! That says a lot. I’ve had a lot of fails in the past with trying to find something that we both love (and that I can eat). Thank you for this great find. It has been added to our dessert rotation! We can’t wait to try some more recipes. 🙂
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you for such a lovely comment, Allie! I'm so glad that you and your boyfriend enjoy this recipe. 🙂
Manizh
Did everything according to the recipe, but the batter was too firm, it has been in the oven for 20 minutes but no sign of rising either, I think I will have to put it in the trash!
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Manizh, I'm sorry this cake didn't work out for you. We have found that different brands of coconut flour can make the batter thicker but don't tend to impact the rise during baking very much. The lack of rise could be due to your baking powder. A good way to test the freshness of your baking powder before using it is to add some to some vinegar to see if you get a chemical reaction. Some brands of coconut flour can produce a denser cake as well, so the brand you used could be an issue. Feel free to let us know any details of the baking process so we can help you better, though.
Georgeta Paulino
After mixing all ingredients, it turned into a very dry mixture. Almost looks like sand. Is the amount of liquid correct?
It did not turn like pictured and the texture after bake ( way more than 30 minutes to become gold on top). Texture is too heavy.
Regina | Leelalicious
I am sorry the cake and batter didn't work out as expected. May I ask how you measured the coconut flour? It is very important to never dip the measuring cup into the flour. This compresses the flour and you end up with too much, making the batter and cake dry. This goes for all flours but is especially significant with coconut flour because it is so highly liquid absorbent. The correct way is to gently spoon the flour into the measuring cup until full without pushing down too much. I have edited to the instructions above to hopefully make this more clear. I have also added weight measurements to make it even more accurate.
Farah
Best gluten and dairy free cake I’ve made so far! It turned out perfect and tastes amazing! It is a very delicate Cake and falls apart easily (my cake got stuck
in the cake pan and broke apart despite oiling it) but a quick cover up with dairy free whipping cream and fresh fruit and you would never know! Thank you for the recipe. I will definitely be baking this cake again:)
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you for the lovely comment, Farah! It is amazing how you can piece a cake back together with a little cream or icing. I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake! 🙂
Yissel
I loved!!! I made 2 times, first wasn’t worth right , second time was perfect!!!
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you for such a lovely comment, Yissel! I'm very glad the recipe worked out for you.
Catie
This cake was dense and tasted horrible
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
I'm so sorry this cake didn't work out for you. Let us know if you have any questions regarding the process of making it.
Ma. Jesusa Tolosa
Can i use loaf pan instead of round one? What will be the baking time if i will be using loaf pan?
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
A loaf pan should work although the baking time may be longer since a loaf pan has a shorter width and will give the cake more depth. I recommend that you once you reach the baking time listed in this recipe, that you check it at 10-minute intervals to determine whether it is done.
A.
I was excited about this cake, but it did not rise to appear as the photo does. Nor did the batter move without needing to be smoothed. In the end, the cake was rather dense and flat. I suspect that the cake either needed more liquid or more leavening agent.
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you for your comment and I'm sorry it didn't work out for you! Coconut flour can be finicky to bake with since it absorbs liquid so effectively. As a result, even measuring slightly off can cause the batter to have a different consistency. To measure coconut flour, make sure you scoop the flour into your measuring cup rather than dipping the measuring cup into the bag of flour as this will prevent it from compacting.
Rema
I had exactly the same issue, my batter was not at all pouring consistency and I followed the exact measurements. My batter was like fudge.
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Rema, thank you for your comment! I'm sorry that the recipe didn't work out for you. Since coconut flour is so absorptive, it could be that even the slightest mismeasurement would have yielded a very thick batter. Rather than dipping the measuring cup in the flour, it is better to scoop it into the cup as dipping the measuring cup in the flour may cause it to compact, resulting in more flour going into the batter than necessary. Alternatively, it could be that the batter sat for too long or the brand of coconut flour you used. May I ask what coconut flour brand you used?
Laura
Isn’t 1 cup of coconut flour too much for this recipe? I used the exact same measurements for all the ingredients and my batter turned out to be almost solid and not liquid.
Regina | Leelalicious
I am sorry to hear the batter didn't turn out as expected for you. But 1 cup coconut flour is correct. I just rebaked the recipe to make sure there wasn't an accidental typo. Could it be you forgot or mis-measured one of the liquid ingredients? Or did you maybe compact the coconut flour too much while measuring. It is best to gently spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Never dip the measuring cup into the flour. I will make sure to clarify this in the recipe instructions. And I will also add the amounts in metric grams. These are more accurate with less room for error.
Having said all that, sometimes the problem is with the brand of coconut flour. Some types simply don't work as well for baking and somehow react differently. Have you baked with this brand of coconut flour before? Did it work in other recipes?
Cams
Wow! That was the best cake I have ever baked, hands down. I can't believe how easy it was. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Cams, thank you so much for the positive comment! 🙂
Amanda J Lewis
Hey all! I just wanted to put in my solution to the dry batter! I did exactly what she said with spoon filling the cup of coconut flour and even used less coconut flour and a wet sugar replacement. It ended up being a crumble. To fix this all I had to do is add a half cup of mayo, I used avocado mayo as I am paleo. It worked great! Its in the oven and I am very excited! Thanks!
MARAM NONE SAG
What's the measurement of olive oil? it just says 1/3. I'm assuming cups right?
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Maram, thank you for your question! It should definitely be a 1/3 cup. I have updated it in the recipe. 🙂
Déborah
Just by curiosity, because I want to pass this recipe to a friend but she dont use plant milk, she can replace by other type of milk??
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Deborah, absolutely! Dairy milk will work perfectly well here.
Veronica A. Blanco
The recipe was a disaster, I left the cake almost 1 hr and 20 minutes and NEVER turn into a true cake, the batter was sticky and gluey. If I could give a 0 star I will. Don't bother with the recipe, if you are in a diet don't eat cake or just cheat a day with a real cake
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
I'm sorry this recipe didn't work out for you, Veronica! Let us know if there is anything you think needs to be clarified in the recipe so we can pinpoint the issue.
Johanne
Can the eggs be replaced to make it plant based?
Regina | Leelalicious
I have not tried replacing eggs in this specific recipe but here is my experience from other coconut flour recipes. I am thinking that aquafaba (the whipped chickpea liquid) might work best for making a light and fluffy egg free coconut flour cake. In general with coconut flour I find that flax egg works better for cookie or brownie recipes. Cake and muffins can be too dense. Or if you try it I would suggest to soak the flax meal in the liquid from the cake ingredients (no extra water).