Gluten Free Lemon Cake with Hibiscus Rose Buttercream
It’s citrus season in California and there is no better time to make a gluten-free lemon cake. It’s bright and zesty and tastes as golden as our beautiful California sunshine. I add a touch of turmeric to make the batter an even deeper golden color, but that’s optional. For those who prefer to cook with weight instead of cups - click the button below to toggle to metric.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 extra large eggs
- zest from one lemon about 1 tablespoon
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric optional - but it adds a beautiful color
- 1/2 cup whole milk or non dairy milk of your choice
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
For the Hibiscus Rose Buttercream
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 hibiscus tea bags
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened
- 3 cups of powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon of rose water optional – but it makes it taste so delicious
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a standard 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment so it overlaps the sides.
- Beat the butter with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and eggs and beat again until light and evenly mixed. Beat in the lemon zest.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and ground turmeric to the bowl and beat for about 3 seconds to combine the dry ingredients. Add the milk, lemon juice, sour cream and extracts and beat until the batter is smooth.
- Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully lift the loaf out of the pan using the parchment as a handle and set on a rack to finish cooling completely.
- Make the buttercream. Heat the heavy cream in a small bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds. Drop the tea bags into the hot cream and let it steep for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cream will begin to take on the most beautiful pink hue. The longer you let the tea steep in the cream, the darker it will become.
- When the cream is as pink as you’d like, remove the tea bags and discard them. Beat the butter until light and fluffy in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, cream and vanilla and beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Taste and if it needs additional salt, add a pinch.
- To decorate this cake, I used two different piping tips; #9 French tip and #849 closed star tip. Snip the corner off of two piping bags and insert the tips securely in bag into the hole. Evenly split the frosting between the two bags. To fill a piping bag, first insert the tip, then fold down the sides and scoop the frosting into the bag. Fold the sides back up and twist the top of the bag to seal, squeezing the frosting down into the bag towards the tip. Use the closed star tips to swirl the frosting around into rosette shapes. This same tip can be used to stamp “hydrangea” shaped flowers to fill space. Use the French tip to create the ridged drops of frosting. We’re not going for perfect here – it’s fun to have a variety of shapes and sizes of frosting flowers and drops! Finish decorating the cake with fresh (organic) edible flowers like roses, chamomile and mint.
Notes
The cake will keep well in at room temperature (in a cool room) for a day or two. You can also freeze the cake (decorated or undecorated) for up to one month. Store any leftover frosting in a tightly sealed ziptop bag in the freezer for up to one month. It tastes amazing on sugar cookies.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 606kcalCarbohydrates: 88gProtein: 5gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 496mgPotassium: 62mgFiber: 2gSugar: 71gVitamin A: 903IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 1mg
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