This quick lemon loaf cake requires just 8 pantry staples and comes together in just 30 minutes!
This recipe for lemon loaf cake is the perfect summer dessert and a total crowd pleaser.
If you’d prefer not to make this gluten free I have a section below of what ingredients you can substitute it with. Making it suitable for all dietary requirements.

In this post I’ll also be going through your FAQ’s like, “how long will lemon drizzle cake keep fresh”, “can you make lemon loaf cake without lemon zest ”, “can you make lemon loaf cake without butter” and so much more.
If you’re looking for more desserts to add to your baking list check out my Easy Carrot Cake and Simple Classic Vegan Layered Vanilla Cake
Expert Baking Tips for making this quick lemon drizzle loaf cake
Although this lemon drizzle cake gluten free recipe is super easy, here are just a few expert tips i'd recommend:
- Make sure your vegan /dairy free butter is at room temperature before creaming it into the sugars.
- If however, you’ve forgotten to take your dairy free block butter out from the fridge you can melt it instead and use it in the cake batter that way instead.
- Weigh 3 eggs with their shells and using this weight make all the other ingredients the same amount. [e.g. eggs weighed 300g then flour, sugar, butter would be 300g]
Master the art of baking GF, DF & Vegan
Baking Free From 101
Lemon loaf cake dairy free
Recipe for lemon pound cake - Ingredients

Here's everything I used to make this lemon loaf cake moist
- Gluten Free Plain Flour – this is paired with xanthan gum to give more stability to the cake to prevent it from crumbling.
- Dairy Free Butter – This can either be melted or room temperature to be creamed into the sugars. Either way it’ll result in a fluffy sponge.
- Lemon Juice – This won't be added into the batter but will be soaked into the cake instead once it’s been baked to create a stronger lemon flavour.
- Caster sugar – I like to use caster sugar in my cakes which is just a very refined sugar. So if you can’t find caster sugar I’d recommend using very refined granulated sugar.
Non dairy free and gluten free alternative.

If you didn't want to make this lemon loaf cake dairy free and gluten free simply substitute the dairy free butter for regular block butter or margarine and the gluten free flour for normal plain flour and remove the xanthan gum as there's no need to add this to non-gluten free bakes.
How to make lemon loaf cake
Lemon loaf cake recipe easy - Step by step instructions
- Cream your butter and sugar together until fully incorporated with a spatula/spoon. Then whisk in your eggs one at at time.
- Add in your flour and Xanthan Gum and whisk in gently and fold in your poppy seeds and pour into your loaf tin. Bake for 30 mins. The sponge should be golden in colour and springy to the touch.
- Once the cake has baked, allow it to cool down for 15 mins before pricking it with a knife/skewer all over the top of the cake, and then pouring the Lemon juice on top.

- Then tip the cake out of its tin onto a plate upside down. Pour over the juice of another lemon over the cake without pricking it.
- Finally drizzle with your lemon icing which is a mixture of your icing sugar and a teaspoon or 2 of lemon juice. Slice and Enjoy!
FAQ’s
Lemon loaf cake 2 eggs ?
If you’d prefer to make a smaller batch lemon cake with 2 eggs, make sure to weigh those eggs with their shells and make sure the rest of the ingredients [butter, flour and sugar] weigh the same.
Can lemon loaf cake made with oil ?
Yes, if you’d prefer to use oil instead of dairy free butter that works fine, just make sure its flavorless oil like vegetable/sunflower or rapeseed oil instead of olive, or avocado oil. The quantity will be the same as what you would have used if using butter.
Can I make lemon drizzle cake without zest ?
Yes, this quick lemon loaf cake doesn't require you add zest, but you must make sure you add lemon juice to the baked cake to incorporate the lemon flavor.
How long will lemon drizzle cake stay fresh ?
Lemon cake will still fresh at room temperature in a sealed container for 3 days, and up to 5 days in the fridge.
Do you have a lemon drizzle cake video I can follow?
Yes! It’s on my YouTube here and on my TikTok for a quick step by step tutorial.

Storing and freezing
Can lemon drizzle cake be frozen ?
Yes, however, I’d recommend freezing this cake prior to adding the drizzle and adding the lemon juice. Also make sure your cake is completely covered in a sealed container and it can last for up to 3months.
Make sure to tag me@whiskmefree on Instagram and leave a review below if you followed this lemon drizzle cake and icing. 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!
Quick lemon loaf cake

Equipment
- loaf tin
Ingredients
- 165 g Plant based/ dairy free butter (refer to notes)
- 165 g Caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
- 165 g Gluten Free self raising flour
- 2 tablespoon Poppy seeds
- 165 g Eggs (3 eggs)
- 2 Lemons (1 for the top & bottom)
- 20 g Icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°c and grease and flour your cake tin. Set aside while you make the batter.
- Cream your butter and sugar together until fully incorporated with a spatula/spoon.165 g Caster sugar, 165 g Plant based/ dairy free butter
- Then whisk in your eggs one at at time.165 g Eggs
- Add in your flour and Xanthan Gum and whisk in gently.1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum, 165 g Gluten Free self raising flour
- Fold in your poppy seeds and pour into your loaf tin. Bake for 30 mins. The sponge should be golden in colour and springy to the touch.2 tablespoon Poppy seeds
- Once the cake has baked, allow it to cool down for 15 mins before pricking it with a knife/skewer all over the top of the cake, and then pouring the Lemon juice on top.2 Lemons
- Then tip the cake out of its tin onto a plate upside down. Pour over the juice of another lemon over the cake without pricking it.2 Lemons
- Finally drizzle with your lemon icing which is a mixture of your icing sugar and a teaspoon or 2 of lemon juice. Slice and Enjoy!20 g Icing sugar, 2 Lemons
Notes
- Weigh 3 eggs with their shells and using this weight make all the other ingredients the same amount. [e.g. eggs weighed 165g then flour, sugar, butter would be 165g]
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