A perfectly moist and lemony Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake with Vanilla Glaze topped with almonds and fresh blueberries. Does life get much sweeter???
It’s Brielle from Breezy Bakes again! Hope you all are enjoying your summer. Bring on the heat!
So, I made a pound cake (or so I thought) and it was disgusting.
Don’t worry. That is not the recipe I am sharing.
After that hideous kitchen mishap, and since I have never actually made a pound cake before, I decided that it might be beneficial to follow a recipe from another blogger. I chose well…very well.
Funny thing is, I had no idea that Natalie from Life Made Simple is a contributor here on Capturing Joy! You guys, she has some amazing recipes. I’ve made her Thick and Chewy Better Than the Boxed Brownies before and they are divine. I turned them gluten free, and you would never know. Seriously delicious.
So when I REALLY wanted pound cake, and my own kitchen experiment really didn’t work out, I knew right where to go. Natalie’s Lemon Pound Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze was calling my name!
Just reading the description of a moist, tender pound cake soaked in a simple lemon syrup got my taste buds all crazy excited. You know that excitement that just gets you all salivating and drooling from the corners of your mouth??? Yeah, that was where I was headed until my manners (and my swallowing reflex) kicked in.
This Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake with Vanilla Glaze is everything pound cake-y that you have been missing in your gluten free life. I know I say this all the time about a lot of my gluten free baked goods, but you really CAN’T TELL that this is gluten free…AT ALL!
I promise I am not lying. Even my ever so skeptical husband that I love so dearly (GRRR! Really I want to drop kick him sometimes with his “constructive criticism”) asked if it was gluten free.
Uhhh??? Yeah, like all of the sudden after a YEAR AND A HALF of baking gluten free I would actually buy regular flour and make a regular pound cake just because. YES, babe. This cake is gluten free. Thank you very much.
No really, thank you VERY much. I don’t think he realizes how much of a compliment his aloofness was. Made my day.
This pound cake has such a wonderful vanilla and lemony aroma coming right out of the oven. It smells so good that it’s beyond taunting waiting for the 20 minutes it takes to cool in the pan and then ANOTHER 45 minutes to an hour to completely cool.
Trust me, you need to find a reason to leave the house. Otherwise, the temptation of digging in is just too unbearable.
This cake is dense without being heavy, if that makes any sense. It’s tight in texture, like a pound cake should be, but light and soft when you cut in for a bite. It’s extremely tender without being the least bit chewy.
I actually used a combination of Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour and coconut flour on purpose to avoid a chewy texture. Coconut flour makes baked goods so soft and I knew that if I used all gluten free flour (especially with xanthan gum already added) that my pound cake would be anything but light and tender. So the mixture of using a flour with xanthan gum and a flour without made the perfect xanthan gum to flour ratio for the texture I wanted.
On top of the cake being already delicious, you get to soak it in a slightly sweet and tangy lemon simple syrup. Just poke a bunch of holes in the top of your cake, preferably with something frustrating in mind, so you make sure to make LOTS of little holes with all your aggression. Then you just glaze, glaze, glaze away. Seriously, the more syrup, the better.
Let that syrup just soak into the cake for a good hour and each slice will be INFUSED with lemony flavor from top to bottom. Lip puckering G-O-O-D!!!
But don’t get all lazy on me and stop there. Most the work is done, but we’re not through. You didn’t get this far just to quit on me.
It’s on to the vanilla glaze. This literally takes 2 minutes. Stir together some milk, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt and you’ve got a smooth vanilla glaze to drizzle on top. Just let that glaze drip down the sides of the cake. Ain’t nobody gonna care! Make all the mess you want because your finger and mouth are going to clean it up when you’re all done, and that’s nothing to complain about.
And then, just for kicks and giggles, throw some fresh blueberries and sliced almonds on top. Another pop of flavor and some added texture to your sweet little pound cake.
That’s it. You’re done! Now let’s see how long this cake lasts…
…which reminds me. If you want it to last even longer, it freezes magnificently. Pre-slice it and wrap the slices individually in plastic wrap. You can freeze the pieces for a sweet tooth fix for up to three months. Easy peasy LEMON squeezy!
If you enjoyed this recipe, head on over to Breezy Bakes for more gluten free recipes.
Coconut White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Cookies, Chocolate Hazelnut Strawberry Ice Cream, and Better Than Box Mix Brownies
- 1 1/3 cup gluten free all-purpose flour I used Cup 4 Cup*
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 sticks 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 5 eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream I used light
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Zest of 3 lemons
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Lemon Syrup:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- Vanilla Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- Toppings:
- Fresh blueberries
- Sliced almonds
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease and flour, using gluten free flour blend, a 9X5 loaf pan and set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add sour cream and beat until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition.
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In a smaller mixing bowl, sift together gluten free all-purpose flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients gradually while mixing on low speed. Beat for an additional 45 seconds, making sure to scrape down the sides as needed.
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Mix batter well with spatula to make sure the bottom ingredients have been incorporated throughout. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan.
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Bake at 325 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until top is golden brown in color and top springs back at the touch of a finger. Toothpick inserted into center should come out clean. Remove pan and cool on cooking rack for 20 minutes.
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While cake is cooling, begin making simple syrup. Combine lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Gently simmer for 2 minutes and remove from heat.
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Once cake has cooled for 20 minutes, remove from pan. Poke numerous holes using a fork, toothpick, or cake tester. Brush syrup over the top of the cake and all around the sides. Allow to finish cooling.
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While cake is continuing to cool, make vanilla glaze. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Mix together until a smooth glaze forms. Add more milk if needed to thin. Spoon on top of the cooled cake and allow to drip down the sides. Top with slivered almonds and blueberries if desired.
