Luscious Lemon Cake
Our view is that when life gives you lemons, you make lemon cake! It’s no secret that the long pandemic stretch has been a lemon. Yet at the same time, we can’t help but be grateful for an unexpected silver lining. We had more time with family, more time to experiment in the kitchen, and more time to appreciate what matters most.
Also, we can’t think of a better way to welcome better days ahead than by serving lemon cake.
We share with Allergic Living readers our lemon olive oil cake, topped with a lemon-vanilla icing. It’s free from the top seven allergens (it does use wheat flour).
The cake pairs the tartness of lemon with a hint of coconut and a tempting glaze. Plus, it’s easy to prepare. You’ll find it is understatedly sweet, and offering an air of sophistication. Even if you don’t have any food allergies, you’ll be angling for seconds of this lovely cake.
Our two kids have about 20 food allergies combined. These include many of the Top 9, plus sneaky ones, like garlic and flaxseed. My husband Adam has a great mantra about their allergies: “Just because we can’t have the ingredient, doesn’t mean we can’t have the meal.”
We wound up developing so many allergy-friendly recipes, that this led us to launch a food blog in 2020 called From Scratch with Love Cooking. It’s been amazing to have the chance to inspire others with our recipes, and to share a few with the readers of Allergic Living’s website.
Lastly on our lemon cake, it pairs beautifully with a crisp Prosecco, when there’s a celebration. Cheers to that!
Photo: Tina DaSilva
Makes: 1 cake, 8-10 slices
Free of: Free of most top allergens (does contain wheat)
See the rest of our allergy-friendly and gluten-free dessert recipes here.
Ingredients for Lemon Cake
Cake
- 1 1/2 cup of coconut milk (see Recipe Tips)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 tsp salt
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Recipe Tips
We used So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk.
Coconut is technically a fruit. While most allergists do not consider it a tree nut, for a nut allergy, check with your allergist.
Instructions for Lemon Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with olive oil and use parchment paper to line the bottom. Have 3 medium-sized mixing bowls on hand.
- In your first mixing bowl, combine coconut milk and lemon juice, by whisking together for 1-2 minutes. Let that rest, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- In the second bowl, combine sugar and vanilla with EVOO, whisking for 1-2 minutes, until it becomes creamy. Let it rest.
- In the third bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt, whisking together for 1 minute.
- Re-stir coconut milk mixture (Bowl 1), then whisk it into oil and sugar mixture (Bowl 2), ensuring it’s well-combined. Then gradually stir in the dry ingredients (Bowl 3).
- With a hand mixer on medium speed (or stand mixer), mix all ingredients together until a smooth batter forms, about 2-3 minutes.
- Pour into cake pan and bake for 25 minutes. When done, the cake will have an even golden-brown color. A toothpick in the center will come out clean if it’s done.
- For icing, while the cake is baking, place sugar in a bowl and whisk in lemon juice and vanilla. Keep stirring until icing forms, about 2 minutes. Let the cake fully cool before icing it.
Sign up for Allergic Living's free newsletter for more great allergy-friendly and gluten-free recipes, plus the latest food allergy research and news.
