This gluten free Limoncello Bundt Cake is the first recipe my son ever made all by himself. It was so addictively delicious that we made it over and over again for months. The cake will remind you of pound cake, although not quite as dense. It is a tender, moist cake with plenty of tart lemon flavor. The Limoncello Glaze makes the presentation delightful while adding extra lemony flavor and sugary texture to the topping.
What kind of Limoncello?
When it comes to Limoncello, I would buy the brand with the least amount of artificial ingredients, or none at all, if possible. If the Limoncello looks unnaturally yellow in the bottle, you can bet that it won't taste natural either. Usually, a good Limoncello is made with only four ingredients: a grain alcohol like vodka, lemon rind, water and sugar. Therefore, if you don't want to buy a full bottle, you can substitute the Limoncello in the cake batter with a 50-50 mix of good quality vodka and freshly squeezed lemon juice. This won't have the sweetness of Limoncello, but it will provide the right flavor for this gluten free Limoncello Bundt Cake. For the glaze, simply replace the Limoncello with freshly squeezed lemon juice. No need for any vodka in the glaze.
Other Substitutions
Given all of my family's food sensitivities, we have had to make substitutions over the years and this has been one of the more forgiving recipes. It can also be made dairy free by substituting the sour cream with dairy free plain yogurt. If nuts are okay for you, I would suggest using Kite Hill brand Greek Style plain yogurt. So Delicious and Ripple also make great tree nut free plain, unsweetened yogurts that will work well for this recipe. Butter can be substituted with vegetable oil as well. These substitutions will make minor changes to the texture and flavor of the cake, but it will still turn out wonderfully.
The factors that will have the biggest impact on this recipe will be the type of gluten free flour blend you use and making sure that you don't over bake the cake (more on this below). I suggest using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour for the best results. I have tried other flours and they just don't work as well with this recipe unfortunately. If you do try another flour and it works out well, please write in the comment section below!
Making the Batter
This is a very easy batter to pull together and quite forgiving too. Simply mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl. And mix the wet ingredients together in another bowl. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. You can use a hand mixer or stir by hand with a spatula. Just be sure the ingredients are all combined well and it is ready to go into the greased bundt pan.
Baking the Limoncello Bundt Cake
To keep this cake a bit lighter than a pound cake, I use both baking powder and baking soda. The baking powder's lifting power is enhanced by a simple trick. Begin by baking at a higher heat (425 degrees) for the first 10 minutes to quickly activate the baking powder. Then the temperature is reduced to 350 degrees to complete the baking time. Don't open the door to the oven, just turn the temp down and let the oven do its thing. Opening the door will let the hot air escape and the temperature drop quickly, which could deflate the cake. The photos below you can see what the batter looks like prior to baking. Then what my cake looks like after the first 10 minutes of baking inside the oven. The final pics are after it is removed from the oven.
When is it done Baking?
Determining whether or not gluten free baked goods are ready to be removed from the oven is the most difficult part of the process. Waiting for a "dry toothpick test" is pretty much a guarantee that the result will be over-baked, crumbly, an odd spongy texture, or some combination of those. If you really over-bake gluten free cakes or cookies, you might even get a strange burnt chemical-like flavor. I have had all of these results from mistakes I have made while perfecting recipes over the years. So don't get discouraged! Stick with it and the deliciousness will come.
What is the best way to tell if the cake is done? Here's what I do... in the last 10 minutes of baking, I watch it like a hawk. When the batter is no longer shiny and wet on top, I gently press a finger on the center of the cake. If it feels like there is mush, jiggle or just plain wet batter underneath the surface, I keep baking. As soon as that "mushy" feeling turns soft with a little resistance, it is done. I take it out of the oven right away and let it cool.
Limoncello Glaze
Don't skip the glaze! It is literally, the icing on top! You will love what it adds to this cake. It is super easy to make too. Just combine the ingredients in a little bowl. You can substitute Limoncello with freshly squeezed lemon juice if you prefer. When the cake has cooled, invert it on a serving plate and drizzle the Limoncello Glaze on top.
More Gluten Free Cakes & Cupcakes
- Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Frosting
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Caramel Cake
- Irish Coffee Cupcakes, Praline Cream Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Frosting
- Not So "Vanilla" Cupcakes
- Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Limoncello Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Batter:
- 2 cups gluten-free flour with xanthan gum - Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour suggested
- 1 tablespoon baking powder -
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt -
- 1 cup sour cream - you can sub dairy-free plain yogurt
- 2 large eggs -
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick butter, room temp - you can sub ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup Limoncello - or sub 2 tablespoon each vodka & fresh lemon juice
- 2 lemons, zest & juice - divided
For the Limoncello Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons Limoncello - you can sub fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice - taken from the lemons in the batter
- 1-2 pinches fresh lemon zest - for garnish taken from the lemons in the batter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. NOTE that you will turn the heat down to 350 degrees after the first 10 minutes. Generously grease a bundt pan.
- Zest and juice both lemons. Set aside a pinch or two of the zest and 2 tablespoons of the juice for the glaze and garnish. The remainder of both will be used in the batter.
- In a small bowl, mix gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the softened butter and sugar with a hand mixer.
- Add the following one at a time, mixing between each to incorporate well: eggs, sour cream, lemon juice, and limoncello. Finally stir in the lemon zest just until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and combine well.
- Pour the batter into a well greased bundt pan and smooth out the top with the back of your spatula.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn the heat to 350 and allow to continue baking for another 15-20 minutes. The top should be browned slightly and the center shouldn't jiggle at all. Watch it like a hawk in the last 5-10 minutes of baking for doneness. Don't let it over bake or wait for a dry toothpick test, it will be over baked if you wait that long.
For the Glaze:
- Mix the limoncello and the 2 tablespoons of reserved fresh lemon juice together in a small bowl. Gradually pour this mixture into a bowl with the powdered sugar. Stir as you add a little more of the limoncello mixture at a time until you get to the desired taste and consistency you like. If it gets too thin add a little more powdered sugar.
- If you like a wetter cake, pour half of the glaze on the cake while it is still warm in the pan. When your cake has cooled completely, invert it onto a large plate and drizzle the glaze on top (or pour the remaining half of the glaze on top). Sprinkle with a pinch or two of fresh lemon zest and serve.
Nutrition
Comments
No Comments