Our easy Gluten Free Eggless Lemon Cake recipe is moist and tender, perfect for those following a healthy vegan diet.
This homemade Gluten Free Lemon Cake swaps traditional whole wheat flour for a combination of almond flour and cornmeal polenta. The vegan dessert achieves its tender texture thanks to the addition of olive oil, fresh lemon juice and almond milk.
Inspired by authentic Italian lemon polenta cake recipes, this simple snacking cake is smothered in sweet lemon syrup moments before serving.
Enjoy a slice with fresh berries or your favourite citrus or vanilla flavoured gelato or vegan ice cream.
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What Is Gluten Free Eggless Lemon Cake?
This delicious Eggless Lemon Cake recipe is a vegan and gluten free rift on classic Italian Amor Polenta Cake, also known as Dolce Varese.
The simple Italian dessert has a beautiful yellow colour, achieved through the use of polenta cornmeal and fresh lemon.
Like all traditional Italian recipes, there are different versions of polenta cake that families have handed down over the years.
Many have adopted the traditional recipe to accomodate food sensitivities or special diets. You can now enjoy the classic flavour of Lemon Polenta Cake by using this vegan, eggless, gluten free recipe.
Gluten free baking is a staple for the celiac community as well as the growing number of people who have adopted gluten free diets by choice.
Enjoy slices of Gluten Free Lemon Cake as a snacking cake drizzled with sweet lemon syrup or served with fresh berries and your favourite vanilla or citrus dairy free ice cream.
Travel to Italy by Baking Vegan Lemon Polenta Cake at Home
I love traveling to Europe!
During my first visit to the continent I traveled for 5 months by train and plane. I had the opportunity to eat my way through Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Greece, Turkey, France, Malta and Italy.
What I love most about traveling to Italy is the opportunity to sample unique dishes in each region and city. The dishes in Tuscany (Florence, Pisa, Volterra, Saturnia, Pitigliano, Sorano, Montalcino, Siena) are unique from what you’d find in Venice, Modena, Milan, Rome and the Amalfi Coast.
Gluten Free Lemon Cake made with polenta is a dessert unique to Varese in Italy’s scenic Lombardy region. It’s a stone’s throw from beautiful Lake Como and Switzerland’s postcard perfect Lugano.
Once back home from an Italian holiday you’ll have a newfound appreciation for the flavours of Lombardy and can impress friends and family by making our Eggless Lemon Cake recipe!
My Family Loves Vegan Lemon Polenta Cake
My family loves baking.
We’ve mastered the art of sourdough bread, pretty pancakes, crunchy cookies and homemade pies.
When I was little my mom would dedicate hours to decorating specialty cakes for our birthdays. She’d visit the local bake shop to purchase cake pans in the shape of our favourite heroes of the moment, from My Little Pony to Cookie Monster.
She’d decorate our birthday cakes each year using specialty piping bags. Famously one year when I was a toddler, she was piping bright red fur onto a chocolate cake shaped like Elmo. Halfway through icing the cake she went to answer the phone and when she returned the icing had moved from the cakes surface to a joyous smear across my giggling face.
My love for eating cake into adulthood has been an honest and enthusiastic evolution. I’ve become a big fan of casual snacking cakes. They’re quick and easy to prepare since they don’t involve several layers and fillings or challenging icing designs.
I baked this easy Vegan Lemon Polenta Cake in the first days of summer when fresh local berries were in season. The citrus-forward flavour makes for a perfect dessert served at garden parties, summer al fresco dinners and special celebrations like Easter and Mother’s Day.
I knew my family would enjoy this recipe because they love polenta recipes like Italian Porridge and Breakfast Polenta Bowls.
My family likes to serve this Gluten Free Polenta Cake often as it’s easy to make, an effortless crowd pleaser. Even those who aren’t vegan or following a gluten free diet enjoy it so much! They are often shocked when we tell them the recipe is vegan and wheat free!
You May Also Enjoy These Gluten Free Recipe…
- Moist Gluten Free Banana Cake
- Jordgubbstårta Gluten Free Swedish Strawberry Meringue Cake
- Vegan Buckwheat Gluten Free Porridge
- Buckwheat Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Gluten Free Chickpea Flour Indian Pancakes
- Vegan Flourless Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Blueberry Mango Crepes with Coconut Flour
- Banana Oat Flour Pancakes
Gluten Free Lemon Cake Recipe Tips
If it’s your first time baking Eggless Lemon Cake at home be sure to review our detailed step-by-step recipe below. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to get you started.
- We suggest using a high quality rubber spatula when scraping cake batter into a springform pan.
- You’ll save yourself time and energy by using a stand mixer to beat the cake batter. You can also use a handheld egg beater or whisk as an alternative.
- If you are going to have leftovers store the cake in the fridge under a cake dome to keep it fresh.
- This recipe uses almond flour as a gluten free alternative to wheat flour. You can also add 1/4 cup of finely chopped almonds if you want the cake to have a crunchier texture.
- This recipe uses Italian polenta cornmeal, do not substitute for cornstarch they are very different ingredients.
- We suggest using a high quality extra virgin olive oil.
- We’ve used almond milk in this recipe but you can substitute for cashew milk or soy yogurt if you prefer.
- You can serve the cake naked topped with homemade lemon syrup, decorate the top with a dusting of powdered sugar or garnish with lemon slices and cluster of fresh berries.
What To Serve with Eggless Lemon Cake
We love serving this easy Gluten Free Lemon Cake as a snacking cake.
Bake it in the morning and by lunch it will have cooled so you can pour over the lemon glaze and have it ready to slice and serve as an afternoon snack or dessert after dinner.
We also love serving a thick slice at tea time or during a coffee break. It pairs nicely with a hot pot of floral black tea or dark roast coffee.
In the summer we like to serve a slice with fresh berries or candied citrus peel. If you’re feel decadent offer guests the option of enjoying it with a scoop of ice cream or vegan frozen dessert.
Vegan Gluten Free Lemon Cake Health Benefits
Our Eggless Lemon Cake recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Containing more protein, fibre, vitamin E and calcium that other nuts, almonds may reduce the risk of heart disease, keep your bones healthy, and help your body absorb essential nutrients.
Corn is rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps protect your cells from damage and wards off diseases like cancer and heart disease. Yellow corn is a good source of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which are good for eye health and help prevent the lens damage that leads to cataracts.
A rich source of phytochemicals and vitamin C, lemons help boost your immune system and neutralize free radicals that cause disease and skin aging. Lemons also protect against heart disease and help improve blood flow to the brain.
Olive Oil is ranked as one of the healthiest fats and is a staple in the Mediterranean diet. It contains vitamins E and K and plenty of beneficial fatty acids and antioxidants.
Essential Cake Tools & Equipment
Whether you’re a novice baker or consider yourself a pastry king or queen, it’s important to outfit your kitchen with quality tools and equipment.
We’ve created a list of our favourite baking gadgets on Amazon to help you make this impressive Gluten Free Lemon Cake at home!
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- French Knife
- Round Cake Pans
- Stand Mixer
- Cooling Rack
- Spatula
- Skillet
- Cake Turntable
- Offset Icing Knife
- Cake Dome
Why Is My Eggless Cake Not Fluffy?
Most cakes rely on eggs to create that fluffy, cloud-like texture. The good news is that you can replicate the same spongy texture without the use of eggs. Eggs can be replaced with mashed bananas, applesauce, vinegar with baking soda, yogurt and silken tofu, depending on the recipe.
Because of the absence of eggs in the batter, there is a higher chance that eggless cakes will not turn out spongy and tender. Therefore, make sure you preheat the oven and place the cake as much as possible, in the center of the pan.
How Do You Keep A Gluten Free Cake Moist?
Gluten-free baking can often be dry so it is important to add moisture. This can be achieved by increasing the amount of oil, adding fruit such as applesauce or pumpkin puree or using brown sugar rather than white sugar.
Why Is My Gluten Free Cake Gummy?
If you remove the cake from the oven too soon, it may develop a gummy, mushy texture. It’s important to follow the baking time as outlined on the gluten-free recipe, rather than on cues you might normally use for traditional baking. If it is gummy, it has probably not been baked long enough.
Should Gluten Free Cake Be Refrigerated?
They don’t refrigerate well or last as long as traditional wheat-based baked goods. Store gluten free cake at room temperature or freeze as soon as they are completely cool to extend shelf life.
You May Also Enjoy These Cake Recipes…
- Blueberry Almond Cake
- Maulwurfkuchen German Mole Cake
- Cherry Lovers Black Forest Tiramisu
- Gianduja Lindt Lindor Chocolate Cake
- Caribbean Coconut Rum Banana Bread Bundt Cake
- Moist Baileys Banoffee Cake
- Turmeric Pumpkin Spice Indian Cake
- Tuscan Black Forest Brownie Zuccotto Cake
Eggless Lemon Cake Recipe Video
How To Make Homemade Gluten Free Eggless Lemon Cake
Vegan Gluten Free Polenta Eggless Lemon Cake
Equipment
- springform pan
- Mixing bowls
- measuring cups
- Measureing Spoons
- spatula
- Small Saucepan
- whisk
Ingredients
- 150 g Almond Flour
- 150 g Cornmeal
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 7 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 2 Lemons zest and juice
- 1 cup Almond Milk or Soy Yogurt
- 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a lightly greased 8 inch springform pan.
- In a large mixing bowl add almond flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
- In a small bowl mix together the oil, sugar, lemon zest and almond milk or soy yogurt. Mix to combine. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients then mix to combine.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until the cake nudges away from the side of the pan and a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
- Prepare the syrup as soon as the cake comes out of the oven. Put the powdered sugar into a small saucepan and add 5 tbsp of lemon juice. Heat, whisking to beat out any lumps then pour into a small measuring glass to cool.
- Prick the surface of the cake all over then slowly pour the lemon syrup all over. Leave the cake soaking in the syrup, to cool, and before unclipping your pan. Run a knife around the edges to help remove the cake from the sticky pan. Serve the cake into slices plain or with fresh berries.
Nutrition
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