This gluten free lemon poppy seed cake is the ultimate Spring dessert. With fresh blackberries and a simple lemon blackberry buttercream, this gluten free cake is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
My gluten free lemon cake is one of the most popular recipes on the blog, and I love lemon desserts so much I thought it was time for a fun variation!
This gluten free lemon poppy seed cake is moist, tender and finished off with a simple blackberry buttercream. It can be made both nut free and dairy free and safe for Celiacs (like me)!
I don’t usually recommend using gluten free four in traditional cakes, so it’s often best to find a recipe that is naturally gluten free and made specifically with gluten free flour.
You can easily mix things up by leaving out the poppy seeds and blackberries and having a traditional lemon cake, or swap the blackberries for blueberries for a twist! If you love this recipe, try my gluten free strawberry cake next!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- So moist
- Sweet & tangy
- One bowl!
- Easy to make
- Small batch but can easily be scaled!
Key Ingredients
Flour. For this gluten free cake we will use a mix of gluten free all purpose baking flour and almond flour. I love using a blend because the all purpose provides structure and a traditional cake texture, whereas the almond flour helps make the cake a bit fluffier and adds moisture because of the fat content.
Sugar. I used (and recommend) regular white granulated sugar. It obviously sweetens the cake but also provides a traditional texture that you won’t get from a liquid sweetener.
Eggs. You need two large eggs for this recipe which will help the cake rise and provide a fluffy and moist texture.
Oil. I used refined avocado oil, but any neutral tasting oil such as vegetable will work just fine! If you’re in a pinch you can use melted butter, but that will give a bit of a denser texture.
Milk. I used almond milk because that’s what I usually have on hand, but either dairy or non-dairy works well!
Lemon. You will need a mix of lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract to really round out all of the flavors. If you don’t have lemon extract, you can sub for more lemon zest!
I don’t recommend adding more lemon juice since that will throw off the wet/dry ingredient proportions, so add more zest if you want a stronger flavor.
How to make lemon poppy seed cake
Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Toss the 1/2 cup of blackberries for the cake with the flour and set aside.
Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract and vanilla extract on low speed until combined.
Beat in the GF all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make sure to spoon and level the flours.
Mix on low speed just until everything is well combined. Fold in the poppy seeds followed by the blackberries.
Transfer to your prepared pan and bake for 32-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Mine is usually perfect around 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then carefully flip onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Blackberry buttercream
Meanwhile, add the softened butter to a bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and cream for about 2-3 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar and mix until well combined.
Add the fresh blackberries and blackberry jam to a blender and blend until combined. Add the blackberry mixture, vanilla and lemon zest to the butter/sugar bowl and beat until well combined and fluffy.
Taste and adjust as desired. If it’s too thick, thin it out with a bit of milk and if it’s too thin, add in more powdered sugar.
When the cake is completely cool, top with the frosting and swirl with additional blackberry jam if desired and enjoy!
If you aren’t into the blackberry frosting, you can try my orange buttercream instead!
How to keep it moist
Gluten free cakes get a reputation of being dry and bland, but I promise this gluten free lemon poppy seed cake is the total opposite.
We get a ton of moisture from the eggs, oil, milk and even almond flour because of the high fat content.
Once this cake is prepared and frosted, it will keep for about 3-5 days. I suggest storing it on a plate covered with foil to keep it feeling fresh.
Flour tip: On the note of keeping it moist, it’s so important to measure the flour properly- especially the gluten free all purpose. You want to spoon and level into your dry measuring cups, don’t scoop from the bag or you will end up with a lot more flour than you really need.
How to freeze gluten free cake
You can easily prep this cake ahead of time! Once it has baked, allow it to cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer until you’re ready to frost and serve.
Once it has been frosted, I don’t recommend freezing, so save the frosting and decorating for after it has thawed! You can keep it in the fridge for up to 2-3 months.
Make a layer cake or cupcakes
This cake make one 8×8 inch square cake, though it’s very easy to adapt. You can bake it into about 12 cupcakes, start with a bake time of 18-20 minutes and adjust as needed.
You can also double the recipe and bake in 9 inch round pans for about 30-40 minutes and have enough to feed a crowd!
More lemon desserts you’ll love
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Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Blackberry Cake
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅓ cup oil
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups gluten free all purpose baking flour I used Bob's Red Mill 1:1
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
- ½ cup blackberries + 2 teaspoons flour optional
Blackberry Frosting
- ½ cup butter softened/room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup fresh blackberries
- 2-3 tablespoons blackberry jam
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- Toss the 1/2 cup of blackberries for the cake with the flour and set aside.
- Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract and vanilla extract on low speed until combined.
- Beat in the GF all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make sure to spoon and level the flours.
- Mix on low speed just until everything is well combined.
- Fold in the poppy seeds followed by the blackberries.
- Transfer to your prepared pan and bake for 32-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Mine is usually perfect around 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then carefully flip onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Meanwhile, add the softened butter to a bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and cream for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix until well combined.
- Add the fresh blackberries and blackberry jam to a blender and blend until combined.
- Add the blackberry mixture, vanilla and lemon zest to the butter/sugar bowl and beat until well combined and fluffy.
- Taste and adjust as desired. If it's too thick, thin it out with a bit of milk and if it's too thin, add in more powdered sugar.
- When the cake is completely cool, top with the frosting and swirl with additional blackberry jam if desired and enjoy!
Nancy says
Can you sub out the almond flour for gf all purpose flour? I have to be nut free. Thanks!
Claire Cary says
You can sub for half the amount of all purpose flour, so omit the almond flour and use 2 total cups of GF all purpose baking flour.
RH says
Made this cake last night with no changes. It turned out amazing and was absolutely delicious. My entire family loved it. Tasted like springtime. I never told them it was GF and no one asked :-).
Claire Cary says
Amazing, makes me so happy to hear!