Gluten Free Lemon and Poppyseed Cake

Lemon and poppyseed cake is such a classic combination with good reason - the slightly nutty poppyseeds are the perfect complement to tart lemon juice. You'll use both lemon zest and lemon juice in this beautifully simple gluten free lemon poppyseed cake that is moist and tender with a plushy crumb. A touch of sugar, oat flour, milk, and eggs rounds out the ingredients list.

Add a dollop of homemade lemon curd or honey lemon curd or an easy lemon glaze to add even more lemon flavor to each slide. Let's get to it!

Lemon and Poppyseed Cake Ingredients

Curious about what you'll need for this gluten free lemon poppyseed cake? I've included some ingredient notes below. Check the recipe card for the full amounts!

• Oat flour - Naturally gluten free oat flour is the only flour needed for this cake. Pick up a bag or make your own oat flour.
• Baking powder
• Salt - I always use fine sea salt in my recipes
• Poppy seeds - You can add more or less to taste if you like
• Vegetable oil - Or use melted coconut oil
• Lemon - You will use both the lemon's juice and zest in this cake
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs - Always use large eggs
• Milk - I used whole milk for this cake to add a bit more richness and fat, which helps the cake to last longer
• Vanilla - Pure vanilla extract gives the best flavor

GF Lemon Poppyseed Cake Tips and Variation Ideas

Want to make this the best gluten free lemon and poppyseed cake ever? I've got you covered with some tips plus a few variation suggestions to try:

• Rest the batter: All gluten free batter benefits from a rest so that the flour or flours can hydrate. I've built in the perfect amount of hydration time by having the batter rest in the pan while the oven preheats.
• Try other citrus: Instead of lemon, add lime zest or juice to this cake!
• Bring ingredients to room temperature: If possible bring the milk and eggs to room temperature for a bit before adding them to the batter. This will help them to incorporate into the batter, making for a smoother texture.
• Add more or less poppyseeds: You can up the amount of poppyseeds in this cake if you like a lot of crunch, or use less if that's your preferece.
• Oat flour subsitute: Try 2 cups of your favorite gluten free 1:1 all-purpose flour, or 2 cups of sorghum flour for the oat flour.
• Make it dairy-free: Swap a plant-based milk for the whole milk.
• Make it refined sugar-free: Subsitute honey or maple syrup for the sugar in this recipe.

How to Serve Gluten Free Lemon and Poppyseed Cake

Snack on plain slices, add a glaze, or try:

• Powdered sugar - The simplest topping for this lemon poppyseed cake is a drift of powdered sugar sifted over its top.
• Whipped cream - This cake needs just a little homemade whipped cream as the perfect accompaniment!
• Ice cream - A scoop of vanilla or strawberry ice cream would be lovely!
• Fresh fruit - Blueberries or sliced strawberries would be a perfect finish to this lemon and poppyseed cake.
• Lemon glaze - Make a simple lemon glaze of ¼ cup fresh lemon juice whisked with ¼ cup sifted powdered sugar and drizzle it over the top of the cake.

How to Store Lemon Poppyseed Cake

You have several options for how to store gluten free lemon and poppyseed cake to make it last as long as possible! Here's how to do it:

• Counter - Store your lemon poppyseed cake wrapped in plastic or foil on the counter for up to 3 days for easy nibbling.
• Fridge - The cake keeps well in the refrigerator - cover or wrap it in foil or plastic and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - Wrap the cake or slices of cake in plastic wrap, then foil, and place them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake completely in the fridge before serving it.