Anna Louise A gluten-free cake that tastes like a compromise is not worth making. This one does not taste like a compromise. It tastes like a genuinely excellent lemon drizzle cake — light, zingy, packed with fresh lemon flavour, with that characteristic crunchy drizzle crust on top — that happens to be completely free from gluten.
Mary Berry’s approach to gluten-free baking is the same as her approach to everything — straightforward, reliable, and focused on producing something that is genuinely delicious rather than merely adequate.
This gluten-free lemon drizzle cake uses a good quality gluten-free self-raising flour blend as a direct swap for standard flour, with the addition of a little xanthan gum if it is not already included in your flour blend, and the result is a cake that most people would not identify as gluten-free unless they were told.
The Key to Good Gluten-Free Baking
Use a good quality gluten-free flour blend. Not all gluten-free flours are equal. A good blend — Doves Farm Freee self-raising flour is my go-to, and it is widely available in UK supermarkets — contains a mixture of rice flour, potato starch, and other components that together mimic the behaviour of regular flour more closely than any single gluten-free flour can.
Single-ingredient gluten-free flours, such as rice flour or almond flour alone, give a noticeably different and often inferior result in a standard sponge cake.
Check for xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is what replaces the binding and structural role of gluten in a gluten-free cake. Many good quality gluten-free self-raising flour blends already include it — check the packet. If yours does not, add ¼ teaspoon per 100g of flour. Without it, the cake can be crumbly and prone to falling apart.
Do not overbake. Gluten-free cakes can dry out slightly faster than standard ones because the alternative starches hold moisture differently. Check a few minutes earlier than the recipe states and pull the cake out as soon as the skewer comes out clean.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
For the Gluten Free Lemon Sponge
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g caster sugar
- 275g good quality gluten-free self-raising flour (such as Doves Farm Freee)
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum (only if not already included in your flour blend — check the packet)
- 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 4 tbsp whole milk
- Finely grated zest of 2 large unwaxed lemons
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Lemon Drizzle
- Juice of 2 large lemons (about 6 tbsp)
- 175g granulated sugar
How to Make Mary Berry Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake — Step by Step
Step 1 — Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease a 30x23cm traybake tin and line with baking parchment, leaving overhang at the sides.
Step 2 — Prepare the Drizzle First
Mix the lemon juice and granulated sugar together in a small jug. Set aside — you need this ready immediately the cake comes out of the oven.
Step 3 — Make the Batter
Place the softened butter, caster sugar, gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (if using), gluten-free baking powder, eggs, milk, lemon zest, and vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand whisk for two to three minutes until smooth, pale, and well combined. Scrape down the sides once during beating.
The batter may look very slightly different in texture from a standard sponge batter — gluten-free flour blends often produce a slightly more paste-like consistency. This is completely normal and not a cause for concern.
Step 4 — Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly to the corners. Level the top carefully.
Bake on the middle shelf for 30 to 35 minutes — check at 30 minutes. The cake is done when it is golden brown, risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Because gluten-free cakes can dry out quickly if overbaked, pull it out as soon as the skewer is clean — do not give it an extra five minutes just in case.
Step 5 — Apply the Drizzle Immediately
The moment the cake comes out of the oven — do not wait, do not let it cool — use a skewer to poke 20 to 30 holes all over the surface of the warm cake. Pour the lemon and granulated sugar drizzle evenly over the entire surface.
The warm cake absorbs the drizzle immediately. The granulated sugar crystallises on the surface as the cake cools, forming the characteristic crunchy, slightly sparkly crust. Leave in the tin to cool completely — at least one hour — before cutting.
Step 6 — Cut and Serve
Lift from the tin using the parchment overhang. Place on a board and cut into squares or rectangles with a sharp knife. The crunchy drizzle crust is as good as in the standard version — possibly better, because making it for someone who cannot eat gluten and seeing their reaction is one of the most satisfying things baking can produce.
My Top Tips for the Best Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
Use Doves Farm Freee gluten-free self-raising flour. This is the brand I use every time for gluten-free sponge cakes and it gives the most consistent, closest-to-standard result. It already contains xanthan gum so no addition is needed. Other brands vary significantly in quality and behaviour.
Check the xanthan gum situation before you start. Look at the back of your flour packet and find the ingredients. If xanthan gum is listed, you are fine. If it is not, add ¼ teaspoon per 100g of flour — so 0.7 teaspoons for this recipe. Without it, the cake will crumble.
Apply the drizzle the moment the cake comes out. Exactly as with the standard version — the drizzle must go on immediately, to a warm cake, for it to absorb properly and for the granulated sugar to crystallise correctly on the surface.
Use granulated sugar in the drizzle, not caster. The coarser granulated sugar gives the characteristic crunchy drizzle crust. Caster sugar dissolves completely and gives you a gloss rather than a crust. Granulated only.
Do not overbake. Check at 30 minutes and pull the cake out as soon as the skewer is clean. Gluten-free sponges can go from perfectly moist to slightly dry in the space of three or four extra minutes — be attentive in the final stages.
Bring all ingredients to room temperature before starting. This matters for all sponge cakes but is particularly important for gluten-free versions — cold butter or eggs can cause the batter to look slightly curdled, which is more noticeable with gluten-free flour.
Serving Suggestions
Exactly as you would serve the standard version — cut into squares and eaten at room temperature with a cup of tea. Brought to a gathering where someone cannot eat gluten and watching them realise they can eat the same cake as everyone else. As a gift alongside a note about its gluten-free status, which makes it thoughtful rather than just delicious.
How to Store Mary Berry Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Gluten-free cakes can dry out slightly faster than standard ones, so make sure the container is well sealed.
In the freezer: Cut into squares, wrap individually in cling film, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for an hour.
Mary Berry Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease and line a 30x23cm traybake tin.
- Mix lemon juice and granulated sugar together in a jug. Set aside.
- Place butter, caster sugar, flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, eggs, milk, lemon zest, and vanilla into a large bowl. Beat with electric whisk for 2–3 minutes until smooth and pale.
- Pour into prepared tin. Spread evenly to corners. Level the top.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Check at 30 minutes — do not overbake.
- Immediately poke 20–30 holes over the warm cake with a skewer. Pour drizzle evenly over the entire surface. Leave to cool completely in the tin — at least 1 hour.
- Lift from tin. Cut into squares with a sharp knife.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions About Mary Berry Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
Can I use almond flour instead of gluten-free self-raising flour?
Almond flour produces a completely different cake — denser, moister, with a more pronounced nutty flavour and a lower rise. It is delicious but it is not a lemon drizzle cake in the traditional sense. A gluten-free self-raising flour blend gives the closest result to the original.
Does this taste different from the standard lemon drizzle cake?
Honestly, very little. The lemon flavour is identical because the lemon elements are unchanged. The texture is very slightly different — marginally more dense and less open-crumbed — but most people cannot identify it as gluten-free in a blind tasting.
What if my gluten-free flour does not contain xanthan gum?
Add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum per 100g of flour. For this recipe, that is approximately 0.7 teaspoons. Xanthan gum is available in most supermarkets in the free-from aisle. Without it, the cake may be crumbly and difficult to cut cleanly.
Can I make this dairy-free as well?
Yes — use a dairy-free block butter (Flora Plant or similar) instead of regular butter, and a plant-based milk instead of whole milk. The texture and flavour will be very slightly different but the result is still very good, and it makes the cake both gluten-free and dairy-free.
Can I make this as a round cake rather than a traybake?
Yes — pour the batter into a greased and lined deep 23cm round tin and bake at the same temperature for 40 to 45 minutes. Apply the drizzle immediately as it comes out of the oven. It makes a beautiful round cake suitable for a celebration.
Can I use lemon extract instead of fresh lemon juice and zest?
I would strongly advise against it — lemon extract tastes artificial and one-dimensional compared to the bright, complex flavour of fresh lemon. Fresh lemons only — the drizzle and the sponge both depend on the quality of the citrus.
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