Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Cake

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A gorgeously gluten-free Lemon Blueberry Cake with ultra lemony layered cake sponges bursting with fresh blueberries and filled with a fresh blueberry compote. Covered with an irresistibly zesty sour cream lemon buttercream.

This Gluten-Free Lemon Cake with fresh blueberries is an incredibly easy but impressive cake suitable for any occasion and any season.

If you are looking for a great gluten-free blueberry cake then really there is no better flavour pairing than with lemon. The cake itself is incredibly tender and moist with a fresh burst of citrus and studded through with juicy fresh blueberries.

Guaranteed this show stopper of a cake will be requested again and again. It always goes down an absolute storm whenever it is served.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Incredible bright lemony flavour.
• Packed with blueberries which are baked into the sponge with the sponge layers and sandwiched together with a fresh and rich blueberry compote.
• An easy gluten-free lemon cake made with plain gluten-free flour and ground almonds.
• Soft and fluffy sponge with a great structure that holds beautifully with the compote and buttercream.
• Easy to make buttercream with a zesty tangy flavour thanks for fresh lemon zest and sour cream.
• No xanthan gum.
• It’s an absolute crowd pleaser that everyone will be raving about.

Which gluten-free flours to use

Gluten-free flour

You can use your favourite gluten-free flour mix in this recipe. Either a store bought blend or a preferred homemade blend.

This recipe was tested using Doves Gluten-Free Plain Flour which doesn’t contain xanthan gum. However if your flour does contain xanthan gum the cake recipe will still work beautifully.

READ MORE >>> Why I don’t bake with xanthan gum

Ground almonds

Although not technically a flour this recipe uses ground almonds alongside the gluten-free flour to add extra protein to the cake which gives it a perfect moistness, tender crumb and good structure.

Watch the video to see how to make it

Why xanthan gum is not needed

Xanthan gum is used in gluten-free baking to help bind the ingredients and give elasticity to replicate the unique elastic bonds of gluten.

This Gluten-Free Lemon Cake instead makes use of the high starch content in the gluten-free flour blend to stop the cake from falling apart. In the Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour blend it uses tapioca starch and potato starch but your preferred blend might also use sweet rice flour or arrowroot which work well too.

The recipe is also rich in eggs which help with binding and ground almonds which is high in protein. Plus the addition of sour cream gives it a lovely tender crumb.

Gluten-Free Lemon Cake ingredients

• Lemons. To make a really great gluten-free lemon cake you need to be using the zest for a bright zingy flavour. Because we are focused on the zest then use organic unwaxed lemons. Substitution >>> Lemon Powder can be used instead and can be a lifesaver if you’ve run out of lemons or don’t want to waste the juice
• Caster sugar. Ultra refined sugar to give lightness to the bake.
• Butter. Unsalted so we can control the salt content. Use at room temperature.
• Eggs. Choose organic medium sized eggs with an ultra orange yolk for a lovely rich flavour. I recommend Burford Browns.
• Vanilla extract. A better extract will give a better flavour. I use Nielsen Massey.
• Gluten-free flour. This recipe was tested with Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour but you could use any brand.
• Ground almonds. You can grind them yourself but I prefer shop bought as the flavour is more neutral.
• Baking powder. This tenderises the cake and helps it rise during the bake. Check to make sure your brand is gluten-free.
• Salt. Kosher salt gives a lovely gentle flavour. If you use table salt only use ½ teaspoon.
• Sour cream. Gives the cake moisture and a tender crumb.
• Blueberries. You can use fresh or frozen.

How to make the cake

1. Beat butter and sugar with lemon zest.
2. Add eggs then vanilla extract.
3. Whisk flour with the ground almonds, baking powder, salt.
4. Mix the flour into the cake batter until completely mixed in then add in the sour cream .
5. Coat the blueberries with a couple of teaspoons of flour then stir into the cake batter.
6. Divide the batter into 2 8 inch round cake tins and bake for 30 minutes.

Tips for a successful cake

• Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before using so they mix together more evenly. Cold ingredients can contribute to a dense cake.
• To achieve sponges with a lovely height and a fluffy texture you need to beat your butter and sugar for a good 5 minutes. The texture and colour will change and become light, pale and very creamy. A stand mixer or a hand held mixer is fine.
• To avoid your batter curdling when you add the eggs, make sure your eggs are at room temperature and also that you add them one at a time so they are mixed in well before the next egg is added.
• To coat the blueberries, I often just swirl the blueberries around in the empty flour bowl which gathers up the excess rather than use extra flour. Coating the blueberries in a bit of flour helps prevent them sinking in the cake.
• Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes in the mixing bowl before baking. This allows the flours in your flour blend to fully absorb the liquid ingredients. This is particularly important if your blend includes rice flour.
• For even sponge layers place your first cake tin on a set of digital scales and weigh out the cake batter as you pour it into the cake tin. Remove the filled cake tin and place the second cake tin onto the scales (don’t re-set to zero). Fill the second cake tin with the same weight of cake batter. Adjust the amount in each tin so they weigh equally. Then smooth the cake batter evenly to the edges of the tins.
• Bake your sponges on the same oven rack in the centre of a pre-heated oven.
• Try not to open the oven door before the 30 minutes baking time is up or air will get into the oven and cause your cake to fall.
• Also try not to overbake your cake which might lead to dry sponges. Test the doneness of the sponges by inserting a metal skewer or cocktail stick. It should come out of the sponge clean with no wet crumbs.

Equipment you need

Digital Weighing Scales

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Food Mixer

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Silicone Spatula

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8in Cake Tin

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Cooling Rack

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Fresh Blueberry Compote

This compote is incredibly quick and easy and can be made whilst you are waiting for your cake sponge layers to cool.

Compote ingredients

• Blueberries. You can use fresh or frozen.
• Caster sugar. You need a little bit of sweetness but can swap for honey or maple syrup.
• Lemon juice. Use the lemon from the one you zested for the cake.
• Cornflour (cornstarch). This is used to thicken the compote. You could use arrowroot instead or even 2 teaspoons ground chia seeds.

How to make the compote

1. Cook the blueberries with sugar until they have softened.
2. Mix the cornflour with the lemon juice until dissolved add in then heat until thickened.
3. Place in the fridge to chill. It will thicken a little more as it sets and will be ready when your cake sponge layers are cooled.

Tips for a great compote

• You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If you are using fresh then add a small splash of water to the pan when heating the blueberries so they don’t burn. Not necessary with frozen.
• Mash some of the blueberries after you have added the cornflour but leave some whole so you have a compote with great texture.
• The finished compote should be thick but should drop off a spoon easily.

Lemon Sour Cream Buttercream

This recipe gives a good amount of the buttercream so don’t be shy when covering your cake. There is nothing worse than not having enough buttercream to finish your cake.

Buttercream ingredients

• Butter. Unsalted and at room temperature.
• Icing sugar (powdered sugar). You need a little more icing sugar than butter to give the buttercream a stability.
• Sour cream. For a gorgeous tangy flavour.
• Lemon zest. This recipe uses the zest of 3 large lemons. If your lemons are smaller the zest of 1 more lemon.
• Vanilla extract. For a rich flavour.
• Salt. It’s essential in rounding out the flavours. Kosher salt gives a gentler flavour. If using table salt reduce to ¼ teaspoon.

How to make the buttercream

1. Beat the butter and icing sugar for a few minutes together until light and fluffy.
2. Add the sour cream, lemon zest, vanilla and salt and beat in until very smooth and creamy.

Tips for a great buttercream

• Make sure the butter is at room temperature. Slightly soft when touched – not melty and not hard.
• Sift your icing sugar for more even mixing.
• Place a tea towel over the bowl, draping around your mixer when you initially begin beating the icing sugar and butter to avoid a sugar cloudstorm. Begin beating very slowly and speed the mixer up as the icing sugar gets mixed in.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl down every so often. You will be beating the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes. This will create the smoothest fluffiest and most cloudlike buttercream.
• Make the buttercream just before assembling the cake. This is a very soft buttercream and you don’t want it out of the fridge for too long or it will de-stabilise.
• If your kitchen is very warm then your buttercream may become too runny. In this instance add more icing sugar to stabilise it a bit more.

How to assemble the whole cake

1. Wait for the cake and the compote to completely cool before you begin assembling.
2. Place one of the cake sponges on a cake board.
3. Pipe the buttercream around the edge of the surface of the sponge to create a ‘dam’ then fill the dam with the blueberry compote.
4. Place the second sponge carefully on top then cover the sides and top of the cake with the buttercream.
5. Scatter extra blueberries over the top and a dusting of icing sugar.

As soon as you have decorated the cake then store in the fridge for at least 1 hour. It will firm up the buttercream making it much easier to cut. Or if you have room stash in the freezer for 15 minutes which is a great option if you are lacking in time.

Decorating tools you'll need

13in Offset Spatula

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Cake Turntable

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White Cake Boards

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1A Piping Tip

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Recyclable Piping Bags

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More gluten-free cakes you will love!

• Lemon Caramel Cake
• Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle
• Lemon Curd Cake
• Lemon Ginger Cake
• Whole Lemon Thyme Cake
• Apple Blueberry Maple Cake
• Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Leftover Porridge Cake with Blueberries
• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I urge you to give this Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Cake a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.