Lemon Tea Cake

5 from 2 votes

This Lemon Tea Cake is light and fluffy with a zesty tang! Made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest, this easy lemon cake recipe is bright, buttery, citrusy and sweet; the perfect sunny treat for all you lemon lovers! It's perfect for breakfast, lunch, dessert and of course...tea time! If that wasn't enough, this is a gluten free lemon cake recipe that is also egg free, nut free and can easily be vegan! If you love lemon, you'll be making this moist lemon cake again and again!

Prep Time25

Cook Time40

Cool Time30

Total Time1 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: slices

Calories: 306kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 heaping tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1.5 lemons)
3 tablespoons lemon zest (about 5 medium lemons)
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar (for dusting)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 inch cake pan with vegetable oil. Line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly grease the parchment paper as well. Set aside.
Wash and dry the 5 lemons. Zest all 5.
If you want zest for the top of the cake, zest 6 lemons.
Take 1.5 lemons, cut them in half and juice them. Make sure to remove any seeds if they get in the juice.
There should be about 3 tablespoons of juice. If there isn't enough, juice another other lemon.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the 4 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch with 6 tablespoons of water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first. Set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the ½ cup butter or vegan baking stick and the 1 cup granulated sugar until it is soft and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
Slowly beat the cornstarch water mixture, the 2 teaspoons of vanilla, the 3 tablespoons lemon juice and the 3 tablespoons lemon zest into the creamed butter and sugar. It will look very chunky.
Starting and ending with the gluten free flour mixture, with the mixer on low...pour in some flour then some of the ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk then some flour.
Once it is combined, turn off the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl. You don’t want to over mix this. Just make sure everything is fully combined.
Using a spatula, scoop the batter in a greased and parchment lined 9 inch cake pan; smooth the top with a butter knife. It will be super thick and sticky.
Bake the cake in the center rack at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes until the cake is golden on top, springs back at you when carefully touched or when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely in the cake pan. If you try to take it out when it is even a tiny bit warm, the entire thing may fall apart.
Once cool, move to a cooling rack. If it seems to be sticking to the cake pan, use a butter knife or a spatula to loosen the edges.
Once the cake is completely cool, dust with the confectioners’ sugar and extra lemon zest if desired. It must be completely cool otherwise the sugar will melt. Or you can top with fresh fruit, fruit compote, whipped cream, lemon glaze, etc.

Video

Notes

For Vegan: Use a gluten free flour free from dairy, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks instead of butter and a non-dairy milk.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 1 ¾ packed cups of regular flour (294 grams) and ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons of milk.

Storing: Once the cake is cut into, cut the entire cake into slices, wrap each slice in foil. Try to create a teepee with the top of the foil so it isn't touching the confectioners' sugar as much. Pop the slices in a zip top bag and freeze for up to 30 days.

To defrost, take out if the freezer and leave at room temperature until soft; about 2 hours.

Freeze slices even if you're eating them the next day. Storing the cake at room temperature causes the confectioners' sugar get very wet and freezing helps prevent this and also keeps the cake itself soft.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition