Brighten up your day with this one bowl, grain free Almond Lemon Loaf with Poppy Seeds and an optional lemony drizzle! Made with a blend of almond and coconut flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, this gluten free lemon cake is a treat you can feel good about eating!

Originally posted January 11, 2016 – Updated pictures post and recipe April 13, 2016.

Fact: Nothing smells better than a freshly zested lemon. Nothing.

I guess the only thing better than fresh lemon is maybe fresh lemony baked goods. Just try to be in a bad mood when you’ve got a lemon loaf ready to pull out of the oven. It’s not easy!

I don’t know about you, but with all of the uncertainty going on in the world right now (putting it lightly) it’s times like these that small comforts become big comforts.

Speaking of comforts…

Life tip: have a slice of this lemon cake with a cup of coffee it’s suddenly a breakfast. #Logic

How to Make this Almond Lemon Loaf

I wanted to make a grain free version of this Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Bread by Beard & Bonnet. I love this recipe and I’ve made it countless times but I also wanted to put my own twist on it. It’s already gluten free, but I wanted to figure out how to switch up the flours for a grain free alternative and reduce the sugars as much as I could get away with.

All together this recipe is super easy to whip up. Simply whisk together the dry ingredients and then stir in the wet ingredients.

This is a one bowl, mix and dump recipe making it an easy treat that you can throw together and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes and then you’re all set.

Is baking powder paleo?

Technically no. Baking powder usually contains corn starch which makes it not technically paleo friendly. Fortunately, it’s really easy to make your own baking powder at home by mixing together a small amount of arrowroot starch, baking soda and cream of tartar. I include the amounts needed in the recipe below if you’re interested in making it.

That being said – if you’re not bothered about following a strict paleo diet this recipe only needs two teaspoons so it’s not much at all.

Note about the Lemon glaze

The glaze pictured here is not paleo. It’s a simple powdered sugar glaze. I personally love a lemon glaze with my baked goods so I didn’t want to skip on it here though it’s completely optional and up to you if you want to add it.

I wanted to avoid buying any additional, pricey ingredients like coconut butter just to make it Paleo for the sake of it. If you would like to keep this Paleo and you’ve got the ingredients on hand I’d recommend using a glaze like this one from Living Healthy with Chocolate, or just leaving out the glaze altogether and slather on a bit of butter instead.

You can also make your own powdered coconut sugar by blending regular coconut sugar in a high speed blender for about 30 seconds until it turns to powder. If you do go the coconut sugar route keep in mind that your glaze will look more like the one in these Carrot Apple & Flaxseed Muffins.

I hope you enjoy this lemon loaf as much as we have!

Do you have a favorite quick bread/dessert that you can’t get enough of? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Almond Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

Yield: 10 slices Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour

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Brighten up your day with this one bowl, grain free Almond Lemon Loaf with Poppy Seeds and an optional lemony drizzle! Made with a blend and almond and coconut flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup this gluten free lemon cake is a treat you can feel good about eating!

Ingredients

Loaf

• 1 3/4 cup almond flour, (180 grams)
• 1/4 cup coconut flour, (28 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted & cooled (105 grams)
• 1/4 cup honey, (85 grams)
• 1/2 cup almond milk + 2 tablespoons, (150 ml)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Glaze (optional)

• 1 cup powdered sugar, , sifted to get rid of any clumps
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

For the Loaf

1. Move an oven rack to the bottom third of the oven. Preheat you oven 350°F/180°C. Line or grease a loaf tin and set aside for later.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds until combined.
3. Stir in the eggs until combined. Mix in the oil, honey, almond milk, lemon juice, and zest and mix well until no lumps remain and thick batter forms.
4. Pour the batter into the lined/grease loaf tin. Place on the lower rack of your preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

For the Glaze

1. In a small bowl whisk together the sugar and lemon juice until completely combined and no lumps remain. If the glaze is too thick, add more lemon juice one teaspoon at a time to thin it out to your preferred consistency.
2. When the loaf is cool enough to handle, carefully remove it from the pan and place it on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath to catch the glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the top.

Notes

• You can make your own paleo friendly powdered sugar by blending coconut sugar in a high powdered blender (I used Blendtec) and process until you get a soft powdery sugar. If you do make your own powdered coconut sugar your glaze will look more like the glaze in these Carrot & Apple Flaxseed muffins. 
• Make your own paleo baking powder by mixing: 1/2 teaspoon baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot starch + 1 teaspoon cream of tartar  
• If you're interested in an an egg free lemon cake you might prefer these Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 10

Serving Size:

slice Calories: 321Saturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 159mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 3gSugar: 19gProtein: 6g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Desserts Cuisine: Gluten Free

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