Easy Lemon Yogurt Cake (Gluten-Free)

This favorite lemon yogurt cake is a pound cake with a moist crumb that’s fragrant with citrus lemon zest. It’s so delicious and easy to bake, you’ll be making it over and over! Perfect for breakfast, a light dessert, or an anytime snack! This is gluten-free and can be easily made dairy-free too.

Celebrating Life

2020 has probably been one of the hardest years most of us have ever been through – and because of that, I am now a strong advocate of celebrating small wins and tiny moments, no matter how insignificant they may seem to be.

I believe life should be celebrated, and every extra year we get is a reason to throw a party to be enjoyed in the company of loved ones. In a chat with Aunty Adeline a long time ago in which we spoke of Aunty Catherine’s passing, I came to realize that no single day should be taken for granted; and that every moment we have on earth is precious (both to us and to those who love us).

An Easy Yogurt Cake Recipe

Here’s a simple cake to celebrate those small but happy moments. It’s a delicate French-inspired lemon pound cake with a moist crumb and fragrant with citrus lemon zest, adapted from Beeta’s recipe over at Mon Petit Four.

This recipe is both a big favorite both at home and here on the blog, and literally everyone who has tried it always tells me how much they love it.

Why This Recipe Works

As you can tell from the name of this recipe, yogurt is an essential part of this lemon pound cake – and is the reason why it’s light and smooth and has an almost creamy-like texture. The lemon zest brightens up the cake with it’s citrus flavor and makes this cake sing.

Plus, it’s so darn easy to make, and you probably already have all the ingredients in your kitchen! If you want to make this recipe completely dairy-free, that’s totally possible as well (check out my recipe notes below for ingredient substitutions).

Ingredients Needed + Notes/Substitutions:

• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: To make this gluten-free lemon pound cake, I prefer using a gluten-free all-purpose flour that is made up of lighter flours and starches (such as rice flour and corn starch/tapioca starch) as it will result in a lighter texture. I do NOT recommend using blends that have heavier flours such as garbanzo bean flours as this will result in a denser and heavier texture.
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Sugar: If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend using Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener (which is a 1:1 sugar replacement and has zero glycemic index).
• Lemon Zest: If you don’t have fresh lemons on hand, feel free to use fresh orange zest or grapefruit zest instead.
• Eggs
• Greek Yogurt: If you are lactose-intolerant, you can swap out the Greek yogurt for coconut yogurt or other non-dairy yogurt. Just make sure not to include the whey to prevent the batter from being to wet.
• Vanilla Extract
• Butter: If you are lactose-intolerant, feel free to substitute the butter for equal quantities of refined coconut oil (I prefer refined coconut oil for its neutral taste, as compared to extra virgin coconut oil which has a very strong coconut taste).

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Preheat and Line

Pre-heat oven to 350F (175C). Grease and line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the Batter

In a large bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest together, then use your fingers to rub the sugar and zest until sugar is moist and fragrant. Add eggs in and whisk until pale and frothy, and then add the yogurt and vanilla vanilla extract and mix well. Sift in gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt and then whisk well until combined, and finally, fold in the melted butter into the batter with a spatula until the batter is glossy.

3. Bake

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

4. Cool and Slice

Allow the lemon pound cake to cool completely before removing from pan and slicing.

Expert Tips/Tricks:

Change the Shape: I used a 9×5 inch loaf pan for this lemon pound cake recipe, but you can use a 6-inch round cake pan instead.

Make Muffins: You can use the same batter to make lemon muffins. Simply divide the batter evenly between the cavities of a standard muffin tin, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Recipe FAQs:

Other Cake Recipes You’ll Love:

• Blood Orange Yogurt Cake (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Lemon Cornmeal Cake (Gluten-Free)
• Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Bread (Dairy-Free)
• Chocolate Coconut Cake (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Gluten-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Desserts to Enjoy:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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