The Best Lemon Cake Drizzle Recipe
Welcome to my microwave series where I turn classic desserts into delicious, super quick and easy recipes.
From brownies, cakes, tray bakes and more, that you would never have imagined were made in the microwave! Perfect for when you’re short on time or just craving something sweet.
Not to mention with the cost of living crisis at an all time high. Turning your oven on can be quite pricey so these recipes are the perfect alternative for a quick dessert made at a fraction of the time.
First recipe of the series
And to start this series off, I’m going to share with you how to make this lemon cake drizzle recipe. I think I might just blow you away with how incredible this recipe is. This lemon cake sponge might be the softest, fluffiest cake I have EVER made and it was made in the microwave!!!
Oh.. and it’s made in LESS THAN 10mins!
If you're ever craving cake or debating whether or not to spend nearly £4/$4 on a SLICE of cake, just know you can make one yourself in less than 10 mins for a fraction of the cost and you get a WHOLE cake.
If you’d prefer to make this cake bigger - like a loaf cake - simply double this recipe and use a heatproof, glass/ceramic dish to bake it in.

This microwave cake sponge is also dairy and gluten free. If you'd prefer not to make it dairy and gluten free then check out my substitutes list so you can make this suitable for all dietary requirements.
In this recipe for microwave lemon cake. I will be going through how to make this lemon cake recipe moist and answering your FAQs. Such as ‘how to microwave a cake’ ‘what should I bake this cake in’ ‘how long does microwave cake last’ and so much more.
A really great thing about this lemon cake gluten free recipe is how versatile it is. Which is what makes this recipe for microwave cake best. For example, you can make this into a classic vanilla sprinkle cake, or a strawberry cake using strawberry purée infused/marbled into the icing!

I’ll also be sharing some more flavor variations and mix in’s below. And would highly recommend you check that part of this post out!
This gluten free microwave sponge requires less than an hour to come together from start to finish!
If you’re looking for more 10 minute cake recipes to add to your baking list check out my Quick 3 Ingredient Gluten Free Dairy Free Truffles and Vegan Apple Crisp Recipe
Run To
- Lemon cake ingredients
- Instructions
- Substitutions - Lemon cake gluten free dairy free
- Variations - Microwave cake baking
- Equipment
- Storage
- Top tip
- Baking Free From 101
- The lemon cake drizzle recipe
- Trending Posts
- The Best Vegan Creme Brûlée Brownies
- The Best Quick and Easy Orange Vegan Creme Brûlée Recipe
- Best Recipe For Chocolate Tart And It's Vegan
- The Best Cinnamon Rolls
Lemon cake ingredients
- Gluten Free flour - This can either be gluten free plain or self-raising flour. If you don’t want to make this gluten free - look at my substitutes list below.
- Dairy Free Butter – This can be in spread or block form.
- Caster sugar – I like to use caster sugar in my cakes which is just very refined sugar. So if you can’t find caster sugar I’d recommend using refined or normal granulated sugar.
- Lemon juice - for flavor
- See recipe card for quantities.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Begin by lining your heat proof dish with greaseproof/parchment paper.
- Mix together the flour, rising agents, sugar and butter until smooth.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4. Add the lemon juice and pour the batter into your dish the bake in the microwave for 6mins, making sure to stop after 3 every minute to prevent the cake from over flowing.

Remove from the microwave and allow it to cool for 20 mins. As it cools make the drizzle for lemon cake by combining to the 2 ingredients and mix until smooth.

Pour the lemon cake drizzle icing onto the cooled cake, slice and enjoy!
Substitutions - Lemon cake gluten free dairy free
If you’d prefer not to make this lemon cake Starbucks recipe specific to a dietary requirement or two. Simply substitute the ingredients that correlate to your needs to make this lemon cake like Starbucks suitable for your diet.
- Gluten free - If you’d prefer not to make this lemon cake gluten free simply substitute the gluten-free flour for normal plain flour.
- Dairy free - If you’d prefer not to make this lemon cake with icing dairy free simply substitute the dairy free butter for ordinary butter, specifically block butter
Even if you don’t follow a specific diet (eg. gluten free). You may have friends or family that could use this.

Variations - Microwave cake baking
Simple ways you can change this recipe to better suit your dinner guests:
Classic vanilla sprinkle cake
You can make this by removing the lemon juice and substituting it for a teaspoon of vanilla extract and decorate it with plain icing and rainbow sprinkles.
Don’t won’t this recipe?
Looking for a good super quick brownies recipe - check out these brownies - they’re made in 5 minutes!
Let me know in the comments if you try these variations or if you came up with your own!
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retains heat for longer. Which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
For this recipe you’ll need a heat proof glass/ceramic dish. This is the one I use [link] and I use it all the time. Which I line with greaseproof/parchment paper so you can easily remove it from the dish.

Storage
Storing and freezing - lemon cake recipe gluten free
How long does a gluten free cake last?
This will stay good at room temperature for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 2 months if stored in an airtight container.
Top tip
Although this gluten free microwave cake recipe is super simple to make, here are just a few expert tips I'd recommend:
To fill your baking dish too much/high as this cake does rise! And may overflow out of your dish if filled to the top
Make sure to stop the microwave every 3 minutes to prevent the cake from overflowing, even if you haven’t filled your baking dish to the top it may still overflow, if left to bake in the microwave.
Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 mins before pouring on the icing, as the icing will melt and dissolve into the cake if poured into a hot cake - pouring icing onto a cooled cake allows it to set and remain thick.
Master the art of baking GF, DF & Vegan
Baking Free From 101
Make sure to tag me @whiskmefree on Instagram and leave a review below if you follow this lemon cake drizzle recipe. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
The lemon cake drizzle recipe

Equipment
- Heat proof dish
Ingredients
- 100 g Dairy free butter
- 100 g Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda
- 100 g Gluten Free flour
- 2 L Eggs
Drizzle
- ½ tablespoon Lemon juice
- 100 g Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Begin by lining your heat proof dish with greaseproof/parchment paper.
- Mix together the flour, rising agents, sugar and butter until smooth.100 g Dairy free butter, 100 g Sugar, ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda, 100 g Gluten Free flour
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.2 L Eggs
- Add the lemon juice and pour the batter into your dish1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- Bake in the microwave for 6 mins, making sure to stop after 3 every minute to prevent the cake from over flowing.
- Remove from the microwave and allow it to cool for 20 mins.
- As it cools make the icing by combining to the 2 ingredients and mix until smooth.½ tablespoon Lemon juice, 100 g Powdered Sugar
- Pour onto the cooled cake, slice and enjoy!
*This blog post may contain affiliate links. Product mentions do not imply endorsement. Please read my disclaimer on my privacy policy page for more information.
© Leena. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.
Fransic verso says
This look so yummy and definitely worth trying. And I love that it has ingredients that I can easily get.
Olga says
It seems like a great recipe. I love baking, and we like lemon flavor. Tomorrow my son is off to school and we will try to make this lemon cake.
Lindsey says
This looks amazing! The pictures make you almost taste it while you read about it! All I need is my cup of coffee! I also appreciate the vanilla cake recipe included. Can't wait to try!
nia says
This looks delicious thank you for sharing! And I love how quick the prep and cook time is. Amazing!
Maureen says
I was JUST looking at the lemon loaf in Starbucks this morning, but noticed it had significantly more calories than the other bakery treats. Your version looks much healthier! What size baking dish did you use?