Gluten, dairy and FLOUR free lemon and poppyseed cake

You ever make something and you’re not sure if it’s plain crazy or absolute genius? Well, say hello to my brand new gluten, dairy and FLOUR free lemon and poppyseed cake!

This cake is like nothing you’ve ever had before! Super moist and zingy – it almost more resembles the texture of a brownie, but with all the delightful flavours of a lemon drizzle cake.

Currently being in isolation, I’ve been raiding the cupboards for ingredients and I know a lot of other people have been struggling to get hold of basics.

(Side note, check out my places to buy gluten free food online post if this is you!)

I wanted to create a cake which was gluten free (obvs), but also dairy free (I was running low on butter!) and uses less eggs than a normal cake, as stocks were low.

Can you guess what my TWO secret ingredients are!? 

The secret ingredients in this cake…

Ok, secret ingredient number one is a bit more obvious: MASHED POTATO. 

That’s right, I’ve seen many a lemon drizzle cake recipe made with mashed potato before, so I was confident that this would help to replace the ‘stodge’ of the gluten free flour.

I combined this with some ground almonds (pretty standard in a drizzle cake) – but you could use gluten free flour or even polenta if you don’t have these.

When it came to the second ingredient, I needed to find a way to cut down on the eggs and remove the dairy in this lemon and poppyseed cake.

I replaced the butter with oil, as this always produces a lovely cake texture – and then I thought, eggs and oil…. what does that make…?

Enter secret ingredient number two…….MAYONNAISE!

I’m sorry, mayonnaise cake?

I know, I’ve basically made a cake with potato and mayonnaise and you’re probably questioning my sanity right now.

BUT, think about it – oil and eggs in cake is pretty standard. Oil and eggs make mayonnaise. Replace 2 eggs with mayo, and you only need 2 eggs in the recipe instead of four, which means omelette for lunch…

If you can get your head around the fact this cake is basically half of your dinner, you’ll be completely blown away by it, I PROMISE!

I actually blind tested this on my household and they loved it! They had no idea what the extra ingredients were and given how fussy some of them can be, I count that as an absolute winner!

You’re just going to have to trust me on this one – I haven’t completely lost it!

My lemon and poppyseed cake

Ok, so this is a bit like a gluten free lemon drizzle cake, combined with the texture of a brownie, with a zesty drizzle and zingy lemon icing.

I love the addition of poppyseeds in this cake but if you don’t have – or like – them then don’t worry, you can just leave them out!

They’re more an aesthetically-pleasing look to this lemon and poppyseed cake, but they can easily be removed.

I love the extra sprinkling of them on top of the icing though as I think it’s the perfect finish to this pretty traybake cake.

My gluten & dairy free lemon and poppyseed cake recipe

So raid the cupboards and get baking – it’s time to make my gluten, dairy and flour free lemon and poppyseed cake! The perfect injection of sunshine during lockdown!

I baked this recipe in a 24cm square baking tray, though you could opt for a similar-sized round one if that’s all you have.

In the 24cm square tin this makes 16 little squares, which will keep nicely in a sealed container for several days!

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Yield: 16 squares

Gluten and dairy free lemon and poppyseed cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

This lemon and poppyseed cake is easy to make, and is gluten, dairy and FLOUR free with two secret store-cupboard ingredients. I bet you'll NEVER guess them! This recipe makes 16 squares in a 24cm square tin.

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Ingredients

• 250g mashed potato (see notes)
• 100ml vegetable oil
• 200g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 6 tbsp mayonnaise
• 150g ground almonds (see notes)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Zest of 3 lemons (OR 2 tsp lemon extract)
• 1 tbsp poppyseeds

For the drizzle:

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp caster sugar

For the icing:

• 200g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp lemon juice (or water + 1 tsp lemon extract)
• 2 tsp poppyseeds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180'C (160'C Fan/Gas 4) and grease and line a 24cm square baking tin.
2. Add the sugar, oil, eggs, mayonnaise and lemon zest (or extract if using) to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until combined.
3. Next add the ground almonds, mashed potato and baking powder. Beat again until it forms a thick, wet batter. Add the poppyseeds and fold through.
4. Pour the mixture into the baking tin (it will be wetter than normal cake batter) and place in the centre of the oven. Cook for 40-45 minutes until risen, golden on top, and it springs back when pressed lightly.
5. Remove from the oven and place on a baking rack. Make the drizzle by dissolving the sugar in the lemon juice over a low heat. Once dissolved, prick the warm cake all over with a cocktail stick and then pour the drizzle over evenly.
6. Let the cake cool completely. Make the icing by mixing the icing sugar and lemon juice together until smooth. Pour evenly over the cake, sprinkle with the extra poppyseeds and leave to set before cutting into squares.

Notes

• When making this you want to make sure your mash has no lumps - it might be best to chuck it in a food processor before adding to the cake. Make sure it's cold too!
• No ground almonds? This would work well with polenta or gluten free flour if you need to substitute.
• This cake is more like a brownie in consistency and it's important to let it cool completely before cutting up. Once baked this will keep for 3-5 days in a sealed container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 square
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 280Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 203mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 2gSugar: 28gProtein: 3g

Need some more gluten free baking inspiration?

If you want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog, why not give some of these a try? They’re perfect to satisfy any cake cravings!

• Gluten free chocolate orange mini egg cookies
• The BEST gluten free millionaire’s shortbread recipe
• Gluten free Jammy Dodgers recipe

If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram. 

And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!

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