Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Traybake with Blueberries

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.

This simple Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Traybake has a moist and tender texture, a lovely citrus kick and is stuffed with juicy blueberries. Such a delightful and easy traybake, which relies on a homemade blend of flours and no xanthan gum.

this recipe

If you are missing a Mary Berry Lemon Drizzle Traybake since giving up wheat then allow this gluten-free traybake to become one of your favourite cakes.

🎉Why you’ll love this recipe

• Simple yet satisfying. No fancy decorations or complicated technique. An old fashioned Lemon Cake Traybake is as straightforward as gluten-free baking gets.
• Versatility. Perfect to be enjoyed at home with a cup of tea but this cake is also very transportable so you can take to a party and serve for a crowd. 
• Zesty lemon flavour. Two lemons are used for this recipe. The zest goes in the sponge and the juice is used for the icing.
• Gorgeous fruity blueberries. Adding blueberries to this otherwise classic cake recipe really elevates this cake making it totally irresistible.
• Easy lemon glaze. Simple icing of lemon juice and icing sugar for the drizzle.
• Easy to find homemade blend of gluten-free flours. So you don’t need to rely on particular brand of gluten-free flour.
• No xanthan gum. This favourite cake recipe doesn’t need it, it so moist and soft even without adding it. READ MORE >>> Baking without Xanthan Gum
• Nut free. There are no ground almonds in this cake so it's great for allergies.

🍋More gluten-free lemon desserts to try

• Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle Cake
• Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake
• Lemon and Blueberry Layer Cake
• Lemon Curd Sponge Cake

✨Gluten-free flours required

Instead of using a gluten-free self-raising flour this lemon drizzle traybake recipe requires a blend of 3 carefully chosen single origin gluten-free flours and baking powder which give the perfect texture and don’t rely on an additional xanthan gum. The flours we need are:

• Rice flour.
• Oat flour.
• Tapioca starch.

Rice flour

This is a great flour as you can access it in most supermarkets and it's very economical as gluten-free flours go. It's a light and delicately flavoured flour so allows the lemon flavour to really shine. Don't worry if you are afraid of rice flour's reputation to be a little gritty as if you allow the cake mixture to rest for 20 minutes before pouring into the cake tin then this will help soften the rice grains and avoid the grittiness. 

READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Rice Flour

Oat flour  

This wholegrain flour has a mellow toasty buttery flavour and gives a light fluffy texture to our sponge.

READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Oat Flour.

Substitution: If you can’t have oats then you can substitute with sorghum flour.

Tapioca flour (starch) 

This starchy flour is a light and delicate flour so lightens the cake considerably adding to its fluffy texture. It’s also great binder so the ingredients will hold well with good structure. Plus it also gives our cake a lovely golden colour.

READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Tapioca Flour.

Substitution: You can use arrowroot powder instead of tapioca flour.

📝Ingredients needed

• Lemons. Make sure they are unwaxed and organic otherwise you need to scrub off the wax. The zest is needed to make the sponge cake and the juice is needed for the icing.
• Caster sugar. A fine white sugar which gives lightness. You can substitute for granulated sugar.
• Butter. Unsalted is the best choice here. Make sure it is at room temperature.
• Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell).
• Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nilsen Massey.
• Rice flour. Use white rice flour here, you want a light delicate flavour.
• Oat flour. Make sure it is certified gluten-free.
• Tapioca starch (tapioca flour).
• Baking powder. A leaving agent which causes the cake to rise and become light and fluffy. Do check your baking powder is gluten-free before use.
• Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.
• Blueberries. Fresh or frozen.
• Icing sugar. (powdered sugar).

👩‍🍳Step-by-step instructions

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

1. Beat sugar, lemon zest, and butter in a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Add vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the cake batter and mix well.
6. Stir in the blueberries and let the batter rest for 20 minutes. Then pour into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and transfer the cake to a cooling rack to cool completely.
8. To make the drizzle icing, combine icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

🎓Expert tips for best results

• Softened butter. Do make sure the butter is softened at room temperature so it will combine well with the sugar to create a lovely airy sponge.
• The butter and sugar will take about 2-3 minutes of mixing until combined. Try not to overmix.
• Also make sure you have room temperature eggs. This will help them to combine better in the cake batter.
• There is a higher fat content in this cake so you might see the cake mixture curdling a little when you add the eggs. Don't worry it will come together when you add the flour and it won't affect the finished bake. 
• To help the blueberries stay suspended in the sponge. Remove 1 tablespoon of the flour mix before it is added to the rest of the cake batter and use to toss over the blueberries to coat.
• The cake is fully baked when an inserted toothpick comes out clean from the centre of the cake.
• Ensure the blueberry traybake is completely cool before icing. If the surface is warm the icing may melt or absorb into the cake.
• Sift the icing sugar: Sifting the icing sugar helps remove any lumps and ensures a smooth consistency.
• If the icing is looking too thick to drizzle then add a further small splash of lemon juice. Be careful as it doesn’t take much to alter the consistency.
• If the icing is too runny to pour properly then add a little more icing sugar until it thickens.
• Use the icing immediately as it will start to dry out and harden if left to rest. 

How to drizzle the lemon icing

Place the sponge on a wire rack or parchment to catch the excess icing. Here are my favourite techniques to apply the icing to the top of the cake:

• Spoon drizzling: Dip a spoon into the prepared icing and hold it above the baked cake. Allow the icing to slowly drizzle off the spoon in a zigzag pattern.
• Fork drizzling: Alternatively, you can use a fork to drizzle the icing. Dip the tines of a fork into the icing and then hold it above the cake. Move the fork back and forth quickly to create a thin, drizzled effect.
• Piping bag drizzling: If you have a small piping bag or a plastic sandwich bag, you can fill it with the icing and snip a small hole in one corner. Squeeze the bag gently to create a controlled drizzle of icing over the lemon sponge.

How long does the icing take to set?

To ensure the icing is completely set before cutting and serving then leave for at least an hour.

❓FAQ

❤️More gluten-free easy traybakes you’ll love! 

• Vanilla Sprinkle Traybake
• Caramel Cake with Caramel Icing
• Sticky Date Cake with Black Treacle Icing
• Apple Cheddar Thyme Cake
• Red Velvet Cake Traybake
• Sticky Gingerbread Cake
• Plum and Almond Cake
• Courgette Cake Traybake
• Golden Beetroot Carrot Cake

HAVE YOU TRIED THIS EASY GLUTEN-FREE LEMON DRIZZLE TRAYBAKE WITH BLUEBERRIES? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers.

Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Traybake with Blueberries

Georgina Hartley

This simple Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Traybake has a moist and tender texture, a lovely citrus kick and is stuffed with juicy blueberries.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Cake

Cuisine British

Servings 12 people

Calories 468 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Cake tin 32 x 22cm / 12.5” x 8.5 x 3”

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 lemons
• ▢ 360 g caster sugar
• ▢ 270 g unsalted butter
• ▢ 6 eggs - medium, see notes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 110 g rice flour
• ▢ 110 g oat flour
• ▢ 100 g tapioca flour
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 300 g blueberries - fresh or frozen
• ▢ 125 g icing sugar - powdered sugar

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan assisted oven/gas mark 4 / 350°F.
• Line and grease a deep rectangular cake tin.
• In a large mixing bowl beat the sugar and butter along with the zest of the two lemons (save the juice for the icing) for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Use an electric hand beater or stand mixer.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions, followed by the vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.
• Place the blueberries in a bowl and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of the flour mix to coat.
• Add the flour mix to the rest of the cake batter and mix well to combine.
• Stir in the flour coated blueberries then allow the cake mixture to rest for 20 minutes for the flours to settle.
• Pour the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing.
• To make the drizzle icing pour the icing sugar into a bowl. Gradually stir in 1½ tablespoons of the lemon juice with a whisk or a fork until the mixture thickens to a smooth pourable consistency.
• To drizzle the icing over the cake, fill a small piping bag or a plastic sandwich bag with the icing and snip a small hole in one corner. Squeeze the bag gently to create a controlled drizzle of icing over the top of the cake.

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions

• The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 60g with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount.
• Oat flour. You can swap for sorghum flour.
• Tapioca flour. You can swap for arrowroot powder.
• Flour alternative. You swap out all the flours in this recipe for the same amount of my Gluten-Free Homemade Flour Mix.

Expert tips

Even more tips are included in the post above.

• Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature including the eggs.
• There is a higher fat content in this cake so you might see the cake mixture curdling a little when you add the eggs. Don't worry it will come together when you add the flour and it won't affect the finished bake.
• Place the cooling rack with the cake over greaseproof paper to catch the excess icing.

How to store

The finished lemon drizzle traybake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. It’s at its best up to 3 days after baking before it starts to stale.

How to freeze

You can freeze the whole cake or the individual lemon drizzle slices. Double wrap in plastic wrap and aluminium foil to ensure no spoilage. You can freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. The whole cake will take about 6-8 hours, the individual slices about an hour.

US customary measurements

These US measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups 

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.

The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 468kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 5gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 134mgPotassium: 174mgFiber: 2gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 699IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg

Have you tried this recipe?Head to the comment section and let me know what you think!