Gluten-free lemon pound cake (Starbucks copycat)
You know those thick slices of lemon loaf from Starbucks? The ones with a generous layer of sweet white frosting on top? I made a copycat version: a gluten-free lemon pound cake with frosting.
This delicious low FODMAP and gluten-free lemon pound cake has a hint of lemon and a sweet thick frosting made with lemon juice for that perfect sweet and tangy flavor. If you’re a fan of lemon desserts, this is a must-try!
Why you’ll love this cake
- You won’t even notice it’s gluten-free: everyone loves this cake!
- Super easy to make: it’s in the oven in just 20 minutes
- It’s a fresh and cheerful spring cake that instantly brightens your day
- That thick layer of frosting, yessss, that’s reason enough to make it
Ingredients of the gluten-free lemon pound cake (excl. topping)
- Gluten-free flour mix: I use Schär Mix It Universal with great results, but any similar gluten-free blend should work. I recommend avoiding single gluten-free flours like almond or coconut flour. This recipe won’t work with only those flours.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter, which is also FODMAP-friendly. You can also use plant-based margarine if you prefer.
- Lactose-free milk: I use lactose-free cow’s milk, but almond or oat milk also works well.
For the frosting
In addition to the above, you’ll need for the topping:
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice
- 50 grams of extra unsalted butter
How to make the gluten-free lemon pound cake with frosting
Step 1. Mix the butter and sugar until you get a very pale and fluffy mixture.
Step 2. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing briefly in between. Then add the lactose-free milk. Add the gluten-free flour mix, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest, and mix until smooth.
Step 3. Grease your baking tin and line it with parchment paper. Pour in the batter and smooth the top. Bake the cake for 55–60 minutes at 180°C (350°F).
Step 4. Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely.
Step 5. Make the frosting by beating 50 grams (3 1/2 tbsp) of soft butter with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice until fluffy. Gradually add 250 grams (2 cups) of powdered sugar until you have a light, creamy frosting. Spread over the cooled cake with a spatula and chill briefly so the frosting sets.
Storing and freezing the cake
Store the cake in an airtight container or cake box:
- At room temperature: the cake stays fresh for 4–5 days.
- In the freezer: the cake keeps well for up to 6 months. I like to freeze mine in slices. First, freeze the slices for about 3 hours so the frosting hardens, then wrap each slice in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe container. This helps keep the cake from drying out.
Do you love lemon recipes?
Check out some of my other lemony favorites:
- Gluten-free lemon bars
- Gluten-free lemon curd cheesecake
- Gluten-free lemon cheesecake bars
- Lemon mousse with lemon curd
Gluten-free lemon pound cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 min
- Servings: 12 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Delicious gluten-free lemon pound cake with frosting. Just like the Starbucks lemon loaf cake! Low FODMAP and low in lactose. So good!
Ingredients
For the cake
- 225 g (1 cup) softened butter (you can also use lactose-free margarine)
- 225 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) white sugar
- 275 g (2 cups) gluten-free flour
- 16 g (4 tsp) baking powder
- 4 eggs
- 4 tbsp lactose-free milk
- Lemon zest of 1 lemon
- A 25 cm loaf tin (about 10 inches)
For the topping
- 250 g (1 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 50 g (3.5 tbsp) softened butter (you can also replace this with lactose-free butter or margarine)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350F). Grease a loaf tin and line it with baking parchment.
- Mix the butter and sugar until you get a very pale and fluffy mixture.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing briefly in between. Then add the lactose-free milk. Add the gluten-free flour mix, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest, and mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the loaf tin and smooth the top. Bake the cake for 55–60 minutes at 180°C (350°F). Check if the cake is done after about 50 minutes (some oven bake quicker than others). The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.
- Take the cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for a few minutes. Turn out and leave it to cool entirely on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting by beating 50 grams of soft butter with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar until you have a light, creamy frosting. Spread over the cooled cake with a spatula and chill briefly so the frosting sets.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 60 min
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: International
38 Comments
This looks so good! I’d love to make it for Easter. 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
I wonder if I can substitute the butter with coconut oil? I hate ‘butter substitutes’!
I haven’t tested it, but I think that might work!
Hi!
Thank you Thank you THANK YOU!!
My beautiful big sister (11yrs older) turned 50 yesterday and your beautiful and delicious cake made it a spectacular event!!
I made two cakes (I used round tins) and used a quarter of a punnet of blueberries (halved) in each, as well. The other half punnet was scattered over the top.
I spread my own home-made lemon butter (apparently low FODMAP, without me even knowing it!!) between the two layers and topped/decorated the cake by piping on your amazing icing (frosting), scattering whole blueberries and dribbling a homemade strawberry & lemon compote everywhere.
For the strawberry sauce, I reduced 200gm of fresh frozen, and then defrosted, strawberries (they go soft and leech their own juice out so you don’t need water) with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, then when it was thick I took it off of the heat and whisked a teaspoon of sugar into it.
It was absolutely delicious and looked beautiful… she was blown away- so happy she cried.
And I couldn’t have dont it without your recipe! Thank you so much!
I’m not sure how to post pics here, but if you email me, I will send you some 🙂
I made this cake this morning, what a treat, couldn’t stop at one slice ?
Yay, happy to hear!
I made this today 5/18/19 for a birthday party where several of us have tummy issues. Not only did it taste great but none of us had tummy problems after eating it. Thanks so much for the yummy recipe!
You’re welcome! So happy to hear that 🙂
what gluten free flour are you guys using? thanks
I use the gluten-free flour (mix c or mix it universal) from Schär. This is a mix containing corn flour and rice flour.
Do you think you can make this as cupcakes instead of a loaf cake?
Yes i think that will be possible. You will just have to adapt the baking time a little. Just keep an eye on the cupcakes when they are in the oven.
The printed recipe gives 2 cups sugar and in the web site it reads 1 cup …I’m going to go with 1 cup as I think it makes more sense with the weight. Doing this for my husband’s bday cake – hope it works!!!
Hi Courtney, I also see one cup on the printed version. Aren’t you maybe confusing it with the 2 cups flour that are mentioned on the line below?
I made this 7/26/20 for my daughter’s 13th birthday cake and she loved it. She just got diagnosed this month with fructose malabsorption and I am so happy you shared this delicious recipe. I am so thankful you shared this recipe, I can’t wait to try more.
Hey Courtney,
Can I replace the marg with oil? I try to use as little marg in my baking as possible. Thanks
Hi, I don’t have a 30cm cake tin. Are there any suitable alternatives or would I have to modify the ingredients to match the cake tins I currently have on hand.
Novice baker here, thanks.
You can make it in a slightly larger or smaller tin. But then the baking time might be different, so it is important to keep an eye on the cake whilst it is in the oven.
Thank you Just a question regarding the flour. I have an option for self-raising (aka all purpose) or gluten free flour. I’m in Aus and don’t have the option to purchase the Universal flour from Schär.
This cake is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I haven’t been following the low FODMAP diet gut very long but I’ve definitely been missing dessert and this really hit the spot. I will keep making this recipe because my whole family loved it!
So happy to hear that 🙂
I am getting ready to make this cake. What size pan in inches should I use for either rectangular or square? Thank you!
I was excited about this recipe! My mother in law has IBS so I wanted to make this as a holiday treat! It looks like it’s baked in a loaf pan. When I baked it, overflow and burning in the bottom of my stove. 🙁 If I made it again, I’ll choose a larger pan.
Hi Amy, in the recipe it is mentioned in what size tin I have made the cake: A 30 cm cake tin, about 12 inch (measured in the length, on the top of the tin). It was baked in a rectangular cake tin.
For baking in the US, a 30cm cake tin 12 in across is a round or square pan but it looks like you made it in a rectangular loaf pan. Can you clarify please? TY
Yes you are right, in the Netherlands we call this a cake tin. But in the US this would be a rectangular loaf pan. I will adapt this.
Hi! So excited to try this recipe. Question, can I use olive oil instead of butter? I love swapping olive oil with other oils and butter. Thanks!!
I have not tested this, so I won’t sure if this will work.
Tried it this weekend and it was really good!
It was my first time baking something low fodmap and my expectations were zero, but the taste was great and no different from a “normal” lemon cake. Thanks for sharing ?
Oh by the way I put some leftovers in the freezer. Curious how that works out. Did you ever try it?
Freezing the leftovers works perfectly well!
So happy to hear that 🙂
Hello Karlijn
I just made your lemon cake and icing, it’s my third time, love it! But each time I’ve made it, it collapses in the middle and creates a hollow space in the middle of the loaf, what am I doing wrong? It doesn’t affect the taste, just the appearance. Any help would be appreciated, thank you!
Debbie
Hi Debbie, oh that’s a shame! It is hard to say from a distance what went wrong. Does the cake also seem a bit unbaked in the middle? Because if that is the case, it might be that your oven cooks a bit less quick and that the cake might need a few more minutes in the oven. Inserting a toothpick in the middle of the cake before you take it out of the oven can show whether the cake is cooked in the middle or not. Hope this helps!
Hello,
Instead of the lemon rind in the cake, could I substitute lemon juice for some of the milk to get the lemon taste? If so, approximately how much? Or could I just add some lemon juice for the rind?
Thank you for your help.
You can substitute rind for juice. But the frosting also contains lemon juice, so you could also leave the rind out of the cake and still have a lemon flavor because of the frosting