This gluten free lemon pound cake is tart, sweet and tipsy with the addition of both fresh-squeezed lemon juice and Italian Limoncello (or lemon juice).
Made with my gfJules Flour, it’s also smooth, light and airy with no grit or funny aftertaste — no one will ever know it’s gluten free!
If you don’t happen to have this delicious liqueur, no worries. Substituting with more lemon juice works just fine.
Either way, this pound cake is a crowd-pleaser you won’t want to miss out on!
Look how gorgeous this authentic pound cake crumb is!
And for another twist on this yummy gluten free cake, bake in a bundt pan as @shoegirlberlin has done below.
She followed the directions as written, and baked for approximately 70 minutes, but recommends that you check your pound cake (with a toothpick) to make sure it’s done before removing, as bundt pans differ in size and material and ovens can bake at different rates. (Thanks for sharing, @Shoegirlberlin!)
How gorgeous is this gluten free lemon pound cake baked as a bundt? YUM!
Using different bundt pans will give your pound cake a unique look; none less appealing than another.
It makes a gorgeous cake on a plate or sliced with a drizzle of glaze and a sprinkle of lemon zest.
Here’s another reader’s twist on this lemony slice of heaven:
And here’s a brand NEW twist on this lemon cake favorite: make this recipe, as written, but use my new 1:1 grain-free Nada Flour in place of gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour and you’ll have a delightful cake made with paleo, grain-free, lectin-free flour instead!
All my taste-testers were blown away at how delicious this cake was, and no one was the wiser that it was even gluten-free, much less grain-free!
You can’t go wrong with this amazing gluten free Lemon Poundcake Recipe. What are you waiting for?
What will YOUR twist be?
Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
This gluten free lemon pound cake recipe is perfectly tart, sweet and tipsy with the addition of both fresh-squeezed lemon juice and Italian Limoncello!
Ingredients
Pound Cake
- 3/4 cup + 1 Tbs. milk, dairy or non-dairy (soy, almond, cashew, hemp, rice, etc.)
- 1 Tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tbs. Limoncello (or 2 Tbs. additional lemon juice)
- 2 1/2 cups (337 grams) gfJules® Gluten Free All Purpose Flour OR (275 grams) Nada Flour*
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup butter or non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbs. lemon zest
- 3 eggs, room temperature (or substitute like aquafaba)
Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice
- 1 Tbs. lemon zest
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F (convection) or 350° F (static).
Oil and flour (with GF cornstarch or gfJules® Flour) one 9×5-inch loaf pan, pullman bread pan OR medium sized (10") bundt pan. Using an 8-9" bundt pan, extra batter will need to be baked in a small loaf pan as well.
Measure and mix together the milk, lemon juice and limoncello and set aside. The milk will begin to curdle while you prepare the rest of the batter.
Whisk together gfJules® Flour or Nada Flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, whip butter and sugar at medium-high speed for 6-8 minutes, until very light and fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon zest, then the eggs, one at a time, and mixing in between each egg addition.
Slowly stir in the whisked dry ingredients, alternating with the milk mixture and stirring until fully integrated.
Pour batter into prepared pan, filling only 2/3 full. If you have extra batter that will not fit into your pan, bake in another small loaf pan or ramekin.
The edges of the cake will become lightly browned as well.
The bake time will depend in part on whether your pan is dark metal, light metal, glass or stoneware, so begin testing at 50 minutes so as not to overcook the cake.
Bake until a toothpick in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs -- approximately 65-75 minutes for a large/deep pan. The edges of the cake will become lightly browned as well. If also baking a small loaf pan, bake only about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the loaf springs back to a light touch.
Remove baked cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Go around the inside of the pan with a butter knife to help release the cake, then gently turn the cake out onto your palm then back to the wire rack once removed from the pan. When completely cooled, glaze following the directions below.
Lemon Glaze
Notes
*1 cup Nada Flour weighs 110 grams, so 2 1/2 cups Nada Flour = 275 grams
Pin for later!
Any chance this can be made into cupcakes? Since it’s only my husband and I, I usually make all my cakes into cupcakes and freeze them then take out two at a time. This recipe sounds like a winner so I’d love to try it. Sandy
Yes Sandy – this would make lovely cupcakes! Start checking them after about 20 minutes so you don’t overcook them. Enjoy!
~jules
When I made it in the bundt as a double batch, I filled a couple cupcakes as well to test, since this was my first time with the recipe and I was to serve the cake to guests. They turned out great, though a bit lighter than the whole cake, which was definitely a denser, poundcake texture. Other than that minor difference, both ways are fantastic!
Thanks for sharing what you did for the bundt and the cupcakes – so glad to know they worked well both ways, Kate!
~jules
Hi, looks great but I can’t have c eggs what can I substitute. ….flax eggs or egg replacer powder
Hi Stacie – you can look over my recommendations for vegan substitutes in this article and see if one works well for you. I usually don’t recommend substituting for eggs when recipes call for 3 or more eggs, and pound cakes are pretty typically egg-heavy, but you could experiment with a blend of a couple egg sub recipes and see if one works well for you. The taste will still be great!
~jules
I have tried just about all the stores in our area for the Smart Balance sticks. No one carries it. I can find it in the spread. Would the spread work in the recipes that call for sticks?
Hi Charlotte, that’s a tough one. I’d say it’s worth a try in a cake before I’d suggest it in cookies. The “spreads” are designed to do just that, and not such a great result in cookies. In a cake it might be just fine. I’m sorry that I haven’t tried it yet – please let me know if you do! I know it will still taste good, but it might not hold the structure as well due to the different kind of oil used. If you can do dairy, you could always use butter.
I hope this helps!
~jules
This is my favorite pound cake recipe! I have made it for family dinners and they absolutely rave about how delicious it is!
Oh I’m so glad to hear that, Ali!!!
~jules
After trying your Lime Banana Bread recipe last week, I have no doubts this pound cake is off the charts. Can’t wait to try it!
I know you’ll love this one too, Celeste! Are you going to turn it into donuts again?! I’d love to see that! LOL!!! Donuts make EVERYTHING better!
~jules
<3 OMG baking with alcohol! YES!
A little for the recipe, a little for the baker. A little for the recipe, a little for the baker …. 🙂
~jules
This is NOT what I needed to see right before bed. 😉 It looks beautiful!
Haha – I know the feeling, Raia. Try having leftovers calling your name at midnight!!!!
~jules
I made this cake for Easter. It was a big hit! I had never made a pound cake before. Wasn’t sure it was done in the middle and the outside was very dark at only 50 minutes. Waited 5 more minutes to take it out. It came out perfect.
Served it without telling anyone it was gluten free. Nobody noticed, LOL
Allison I’m so happy to hear it! This is a delicious recipe and I’m glad you trusted your instinct on the baking times – sounds like you did a great job. Congratulations & Happy Easter!!!
~jules
Hi Jules, I was wondering if there was a substitute for limoncillo.
Thank you!
Hi Marie,
No worries. As noted in the ingredients, if you don’t have limoncello, just use 1 Tbs. additional lemon juice + 1 Tbs. water. Enjoy!
~jules
I’m making a train cake for my son’s birthday and it calls for a pound cake recipe. Obviously, I don’t want to use alcohol or lemon in the cake what could I do instead?
Hi Leisha,
I’ve actually used my regular white or chocolate birthday cake recipe in molds without a problem. You could also use my S’mores Cake recipe or my Holiday Rum Cake recipe (which makes a great pound cake) but sub apple juice for the rum. Have fun!
~jules
Can this be turned into a vanilla pound cake and how would you suggest changing the sugar to stevia and honey and or stevia and xylitol as I’m trying to cut down on sugar. can’t use much xylitol because of diarrhea in friends who have eaten other of my sweet foods.
Hi Karlene, you could take out the lemon zest and in exchange for the lemon juice called for, simply use your milk of choice. You might want to substitute 1/2 of one tablespoons of milk for pure vanilla extract, to really amp up that vanilla flavor, or you could add some crushed vanilla bean/paste. In terms of a sugar substitute, you could simply use Baking Stevia in place of the sugar – follow the instructions on that product about how much to use, but typically it’s the same amount as the sugar called for.
Happy baking!
~jules
The lemon pound cake is awesome! It is so moist, lemony and tastes anything but “gluten free”. Everything by Jules has come out great! You will not be disappointed. Can’t wait to try the next recipe. Happy baking. Linda Kennedy
This is a delicious cake, Thank you.
So glad to hear it, DES!!!
~jules
Hi Jules
Looks like another of your delicious recipes. I need to make a cake for my son’s rehearsal dinner. The bride can’t have , gluten, milk or soy- this definitely fits the bill. Can I freeze this cake about a week ahead?
Thank you
Hi Leslie, so glad to hear this recipe will work for your son’s rehearsal dinner! And yes, cool and freeze, wrap well and thaw before the dinner will work wonderfully! Save the glazing for before serving though.
Send pictures! Congratulations!
~jules
Hi Jules,
I forgot to ask – Can I double this recipe and bake it in a traditional pound cake pan, or in a bundt pan? Thanks again for all your work on these lovely recipes!
Leslie
Forgot to ask, can I double this recipe and bake it in a tube pan or a bundt pan ?
Thank you
Ooh, great idea! I haven’t tried it yet, so I’d be guessing on times, but a large tube pan would probably work great! Let me know if you try it!
~jules
great use of limoncello!
I thought so, too, Dina!
~jules
Made this and took it to work, it was GONE before anyone knew it. No one knew it was gluten free! awesome recipe. I need to make it again just so I can have another piece!
Congratulations, Joanne! Sounds like the best possible outcome!
~jules
When do you mix in the milk, lemon juice and limoncello that has been set aside?
Hi Rozzie, you’ll follow step #6: Slowly stir in the whisked dry ingredients, alternating with the milk mixture and stirring until fully integrated. Hope that helps!
~jules
This is soooo delicious! Moist and amazing and the perfect balance of tart/sweet. I skipped the icing because it didn’t need it. It was eaten in less than 24 hours. Guess I need to make more.
Thank you, Jules!!
Awesome to hear, Lisa! So glad it was a hit in your household, too! My son is still trying to argue that it should be treated like a coffee cake so he can have it for breakfast! LOL!
~jules
This sounds so awesome….. but an egg allergy always prevents me making things…… wonder if an egg replacer would work in this….
Hi Michelle, I understand the egg allergy issue. I generally don’t recommend making an egg sub in recipes calling for more than 2 eggs, but this is a dense, flavorful pound cake, so it would probably be good with the right egg substitute. I think I would try a mixture of subs, like recipe #2 and egg-free mayo, as described in my article on egg substitutes here: https://gfjules.com/egg_free_vegan_baking/#.U8MTrLFgFqw. Let me know if you try it, and which you use!
~jules
What a beautiful loaf! I tried a lemon pound cake recently and it turned out terribly. I’ll definitely make yours next time! Your recipes always turn out!