All About This Vegan Gluten-free Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Thyme
Poppy seeds and lemon are a classic flavour combination, sure to please most cake eaters. I added fresh thyme from my greenhouse, to highlight the lemon notes. Thyme presents earthy, minty and slightly lemony characteristics so it’s a great addition to this cake. The cake crumb is surprisingly soft with a crumbly, moist sponge like texture. The gluten-free flour blend creates a flawless crumb that’s impossible to tell it’s vegan or gluten-free. It’s a 1-bowl (and a jug) cake that’s vegan, gluten-free, and it’s absolutely delightful. It’s a fantastic choice for an easy afternoon tea cake as it’s a single layer 8 inch round cake that measures around 1.5 inches in height. This recipe will become a staple in your household, especially if you have fussy gluten-free eaters.
This cake uses a combination of white rice flour, almond flour, and potato starch as it’s gluten-free flour blend. Our egg replacer is xanthan gum which is a great egg replacer for gluten-free baking. It works as a binding agent and also helps create a spongy cake texture, which is hard in gluten-free vegan baking. A combination of coconut yoghurt, vegetable oil, and soy milk add the perfect amount of moisture to this cake, making one that will easily keep for 3 days without drying out.
This is only a single layered 8 inch cake. I use a standard 8 inch cake tin for this recipe. The brand I alway buy (and cherish) is USA Bakeware. I LOVE their cake tins. They are high quality, light coloured and last forever. This cake will present a slightly domed top and is very easy to decorate. I use a simple glaze recipe that is flavoured with vanilla, lemon essence, lemon rind and Thyme.
Vegan Gluten-free Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Thyme Breakdown
Skill: | Easy |
| Method: | Mixing in one bowl |
| Size: | Single layer 8 inch cake, 1.5 inches heigh |
| Serving: | 12 casual servings |
| Pairing: | Vanilla ice-cream, sour cream or yoghurt |
| Sweetness: | Moderate |
| Profile: | Vegan, gluten-free, soft cake crumb |
| Storage: | Stored in an airtight container in the fridge three to four days |
| Bakers Tip: | You can also make this without thyme |
Tips For Making This Vegan Gluten-free Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Make sure your oven is heated to the correct temperature before baking, use an oven thermometer
- Use vanilla bean seeds or high quality paste for the best flavour
- Don’t over bake this cake, the skewer will still present some sticky crumbs when poked throw the centre
- Bake on the middle rack of your oven
- Add a heatproof bowl of water to the bottom of your oven whilst baking, to help circulate the air and create an evenly baked cake
Ingredient Substitutions
- swap potato starch with tapioca flour
- swap almond flour with almond meal or pumpkin seeds ground into a meal for a nut free version
- swap soy milk with coconut milk for a soy free version
- swap xanthan gum with 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons boiling water)
- swap lemon rind and essence with orange rind and essence for a different citrus flavour
Decorating This Vegan Gluten-free Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- This is a super easy decorating technique that takes minutes
- When making the glaze for the cake, make sure not to make it too runny otherwise it will run off your cake
- This cake is moist enough to eat without glaze or other decorations if you’re after a healthier version
Watch my video to see how easy it is to make this cake
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Vegan Gluten-free Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Thyme
- Total Time: 68
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
An easy vegan gluten-free lemon poppy seed cake with thyme.
Ingredients
Cake
- 175 g (1 cup) white rice flour
- 100 g (1 cup) blanched almond flour
- 60 g (1/2 cup) potato starch
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 170 g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) plain vegan coconut yogurt
- 90 ml (1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons) vegetable oil
- 330 ml (1 1/3 cups) plant milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- Zest from one unwaxed lemon
Glaze
- 125 g (1 cup) icing or confectioners sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons plain soy milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- Zest from one unwaxed lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh Thyme leaves
- Small lemon wedges to decorate
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat your convection oven to 170°C (340°F). Lightly grease and line one 8 inch round cake cake tin with baking paper and grease again.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the rice flour, almond flour, potato starch, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Whisk to combine. Add sugar and stir through. Make a well in the middle of your dry ingredients.
- Place the coconut yoghurt, oil, plant milk, vanilla, lemon extract and zest in a large jug and stir until completely smooth.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry and gently whisk to combine.
- Pour the batter into your cake tin and tap on your bench with force to release any large air bubbles.
- Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 45 – 48 minutes (BUT check your cake’s progress at the 40 minute mark), until a skewer inserted into the center comes out almost clean of cake batter and the top bounces back when gently pressed.
- Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes before flipping onto a cake rack to allow your cake to completely cool. Once your cake has cooled, move onto making the glaze.
Glaze
- Mix the icing sugar, soy milk, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon rind together in a small bowl until it becomes a smooth, thick icing. Pour evenly over the top of your cooled cake. Sprinkle thyme leaves over the top and some small lemon wedges. Serve.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 48
- Category: Dessert
- Method: 1 bowl mixing
- Cuisine: Dessert
Keywords: Gluten-free, vegan, poppy seed, lemon, thyme
