This gluten-free lemon loaf is bursting with lemon flavour, perfectly moist with a delicate crumb, and drizzled with a delicious lemon icing. A perfect everyday dessert! And as always, no one will be able to tell it's gluten free!
This gluten-free lemon loaf is easy to love! It's moist without being dense, with a tender, open crumb, and has just the right amount of fresh lemon flavour. To finish, it's drizzled with a delicious lemon icing that hardens on drying to create that perfect bite.
Freshly grated lemon zest and fresh lemon juice give the loaf its bright, lemon flavour. Separating the eggs, and beating the egg whites separately, help give the loaf a wonderful texture, that no one will guess is gluten free.
Whether for an afternoon pick-me-up, breakfast, or dessert, it's a perfect everyday treat. If you like lemon, you'll love this lemon loaf!
Ingredients
- gluten-free flour, all-purpose blend
- almond flour
- granulated sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- greek yogurt
- eggs, separated
- vegetable oil
- lemons, zest and juice
- milk
- vanilla extract
Glaze:
- powdered sugar
- lemon juice
- milk
See recipe card for quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Gluten-free all-purpose flour blend: Use a blend that contains xanthan gum, so the loaf has enough structure and stability. Make sure your blend doesn’t contain any ingredients with strong flavours, such as bean flour. Refer to baking with gluten-free flour for more information.
Almond flour: Improves the overall texture of the loaf, and also adds a richness in flavour.
Greek yogurt: I use low-fat greek yogurt. Gluten free bakes generally require more moisture than wheat-based alternatives. The yogurt provides additional moisture, added structure, and depth of flavour.
Lemons: Freshly grated lemon zest and fresh squeezed lemon juice are what gives the loaf its delicious lemon flavour. Don't swap for pre-bottled lemon juice. Depending on the size of your lemons, you'll need approximately 3 lemons.
Eggs: I find that gluten-free quick breads can sometimes be dense and gummy. To help give the loaf its moist, tender, open crumb, I beat the egg whites separately and gently fold them into the batter. This helps to leaven the loaf and give it added structure that gluten-free quick breads require.
Baking Powder: Using just baking powder and not baking soda gives the loaf a finer texture, and keeps more of the tang from the greek yogurt that baking soda would otherwise neutralize.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Zest and juice the lemons, you'll need 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice in total.
- In large bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, granulated sugar, almond flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
- Separate the eggs, setting aside the egg yolks. Place the egg whites in a clean bowl, and using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the egg whites until firm peaks (the whites are holding their shape, but not too stiff, the tip of the peak curls over itself when the beater is lifted).
- In another bowl, whisk together the greek yogurt, egg yolks, vegetable oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla.
- Add the yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Add a third of the egg whites to the mixture and stir until combined. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. If the loaf starts to brown too quickly while baking, loosely cover with aluminum foil. Let cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze loaf:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk. Place the cooled loaf on a wire rack. Evenly pour the glaze over the loaf. Let the glaze set before slicing.
Top Tips for Perfect Gluten-Free Lemon Loaf
- Line your loaf pan with parchment: Grease your loaf pan and then line with parchment paper. Leave an inch or two of overhang (along the long side of the loaf pan) to use as handles to lift the loaf out of the pan after baking.
- Use fresh lemons: Freshly grated lemon zest and fresh squeezed lemon juice are what gives the loaf its delicious lemon flavour. Don't skip the lemon zest, and don't swap fresh squeezed lemon juice for the bottled stuff. Depending on the size of your lemons, you'll need approximately 3 lemons.
- Soft vs. firm vs. stiff peaks? Soft peaks barley hold their shape, firm peaks hold their shape well, but the tip of the peak will curl when the beater is lifted, whereas stiff peaks will stand straight up when the beater is lifted. Over-whipped egg whites will look dull and grainy. For this recipe, you're looking for firm peaks.
- Prevent over browning: If your loaf isn't finished baking, but is starting to brown too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil to prevent over browning.
Storage
The loaf is best served the day it is made, but will keep 2 – 3 days in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Freeze: You can also freeze any leftovers, but the texture of the glaze will change slightly. You can glaze the loaf after it's been frozen and thawed to avoid this. Store well wrapped in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw at room temperature.
Recipe Card
Gluten-Free Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
- 1½ cups gluten-free flour, all-purpose blend (note)
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, approximately 3 lemons
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 2 eggs, separated
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- ¼ cup milk
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Zest and juice the lemons, you'll need 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice in total.
- In large bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, granulated sugar, almond flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
- Separate the eggs, setting aside the egg yolks. Place the egg whites in a clean bowl, and using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the egg whites until firm peaks (the whites are holding their shape, but not too stiff, the tip of the peak curls over itself when the beater is lifted).
- In another bowl, whisk together the greek yogurt, egg yolks, vegetable oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla.
- Add the yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Add a third of the egg whites to the mixture and stir until combined. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. If the loaf starts to brown too quickly while baking, loosely cover with aluminum foil. Let cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To glaze loaf: Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk. Place the cooled loaf on a wire rack. Evenly pour the glaze over the loaf. Let the glaze set before slicing.
Notes
- Line your loaf pan with parchment: Grease your loaf pan and then line with parchment paper. Leave an inch or two of overhang (along the long side of the loaf pan) to use as handles to lift the loaf out of the pan after baking.
- Use fresh lemons: Freshly grated lemon zest and fresh squeezed lemon juice are what gives the loaf its delicious lemon flavour. Don't skip the lemon zest, and don't swap fresh squeezed lemon juice for the bottled stuff. Depending on the size of your lemons, you'll need approximately 3 lemons.
- Soft vs. firm vs. stiff peaks? Soft peaks barley hold their shape, firm peaks hold their shape well, but the tip of the peak will curl when the beater is lifted, whereas stiff peaks will stand straight up when the beater is lifted. Over-whipped egg whites will look dull and grainy. For this recipe, you're looking for firm peaks.
- Prevent over browning: If your loaf isn't finished baking, but is starting to brown too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil to prevent over browning.
- The loaf is best served the day it is made, but will keep 2 – 3 days in an air-tight container at room temperature.
- Freeze: You can also freeze any leftovers, but the texture of the glaze will change slightly. You can glaze the loaf after it's been frozen and thawed to avoid this. Store well wrapped in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutritional information shown is an estimate only.
See full disclaimer here.
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