This irresistible lemon and honey loaf is a moist, flavour-packed grain free cake that is perfect as a snack or for dessert. Sweetened only with honey, this can be served as is or topped with a browned butter honey frosting. You will LOVE this recipe.
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This weeks new recipe is one of my favourite recipes this year- a zingy, moist, buttery and flavour packed lemon and honey loaf that is just perfect served beside a cup of tea, topped with the browned butter honey frosting for a celebration or simply as breakfast (like I had today). Honestly, if you’re a lemon lover you’ll make this one time and again- and that’s all i could ever wish for in a recipe.
It’s spring time here in Melbourne and with that comes an abundance of lemons almost everywhere. I love that if you don’t have a tree you generally don’t need to travel too far to find a ‘free- take some’ box in the neighbourhood, which makes baking lemon things all the more special. Pondering this, I decided it was time to make a lemon cake, and hence was born this zingy new loaf.
In the past the only lemon loaves i’ve made that were any good absolutely needed white sugar as the sweetener. I’ve tried baking lemon loaves with coconut sugar, brown sugar and various other things- and none of which I plan to ever repeat. Despite this, I knew this version needed to be refined sugar free (no shade on white sugar, but this was a baking itch i needed to scratch) and here was my predicament.
But then, i thought, why not combine 3 flavours that i adore- lemon, honey and butter- and see if we can make it shine?
This simple idea and many, many recipe tests later and this utterly beautiful lemon and honey loaf was born. I am so happy with the result, and cant wait for you to make it!
Ingredient list
- Butter– I love to use Westgold salted grass-fed butter, but you can use unsalted butter too. I have not tried this recipe with a dairy free alternative, but let me know if the comments if you do. Westgold has the most yellow, full flavoured butter here in the market and it’s always my go-to for baking.
- Honey is the only sweetener used in this lemon and honey loaf, and pairs so beautifully with the fresh flavours without overpowering it. This grain free and refined sugar free loaf is still perfectly light and airy whilst using honey, just don’t forget to reduce your oven temperature to 160 C to really let this liquid sweetener shine.
- Lemons– we use both the juice and zest for this loaf, so choose wax-free lemons if you don’t have home grown. I have not tried it, but oranges would be a great substitute.
- Eggs are a really important ingredient in this light loaf, providing structure to the cake and helping it hold together. No substitutions are recommended.
- Almond meal
- Tapioca flour helps to balance out the almond meal and gives some chew to the texture of the cake. You can also use arrowroot starch (tested), and cornflour (though I have not tried this one).
- Coconut flour. We use only a tiny amount of coconut flour in this recipe, but its place is important. Only 2 Tbsp creates a lighter crumb without affecting the bold flavour, and also reduced baking time by 15 minutes.
- Baking powder and salt and basic additions necessary for almost all cakes, and this one is no different. Choose gluten free baking powder if needed.
- Cream cheese or labneh and vanilla are an optional ingredients if you choose to make the browned butter honey frosting. You can make your own labneh by following this recipe here, and the frosting is recommended for turning this loaf into a celebratory cake.
Why I choose Westgold butter for the best lemon and honey loaf
Why I choose Westgold butter for the best lemon and honey loafI have teamed up with WESTGOLD butter to create this recipe, because their New Zealand Grass-fed butter is my all time favourite. Grass-fed cows produce milk (and butter) with the best flavour and adds wonderful fat soluble vitamins. Butter is one of the worlds original superfoods and in my household we eat it as much as we can.
If you have ever visited the West Coast of New Zealand you’ll know its green year round. The lush green grass is available means cows can be given a grass-fed diet for all seasons, and the result speaks for itself. Westgold New Zealand dairy just hits different- its so creamy and flavoursome, and we are the biggest fans at my house. Plus, despite living in Australia my parents are from New Zealand and NZ dairy has always been a must for us. Westgold butter is the perfect addition to this mouth watering lemon and honey loaf.
If you loved this lemon and honey loaf you might also enjoy
If you loved this lemon and honey loaf you might also enjoy- Paleo lemon curd slice
- Lemon blueberry cheesecake gummies
- Healthy vegan lemon slice
- Paleo chocolate chip cookies
- Honey oat banana muffins
- Paleo vegan chocolate bread
- Peanut butter protein balls
We hope you love this lemon and honey loaf as much as we do! If you make them we would love a review below, as it helps others find this recipe too. If you have any questions we always endeavour to get back to you quickly. Happy baking x
Lemon and honey loaf (grain free)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
- Category: Snacks, desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Australian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This irresistible lemon and honey loaf is a moist, flavour-packed grain free cake that is perfect as a snack or for dessert. Sweetened only with honey, this can be served as is or topped with a browned butter honey frosting. You will LOVE this recipe.
Ingredients
- 260g (3/4 cup) honey
- 125g/ml (1/2 cup) Westgold salted butter
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 87g/ml (1/3 cup) fresh lemon juice
- 3 medium eggs, at room temperature
- 240g (2 cups) almond meal
- 65g (1/2 cup) tapioca flour
- 14g (2 Tbsp) coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder (gluten free, if needed)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- Lemon honey syrup
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp honey
- Browned butter frosting
- 325g (1 + 1/2 225g packs) cream cheese, at room temp
- 125g/ml (1/2 cup) Westgold salted butter
- 105g (1/3 cup) runny or softened honey
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- I recommend using kitchen scales for accuracy in this recipe. If you don’t have scales, I use Australian standard cups, and follow the scoop and scrape method for measuring.
- Preheat oven to 160 C / 320 F. Check your oven if you’re not sure- honey will burn at higher temperatures, so this step is important! Grease and line a standard metal loaf tin (23cm)- ensure you cover all sides with baking paper, as this will prevent the crusts from burning.
- Cube the butter and add to a small saucepan with the lid on. Melt over low heat. If you are using runny honey move to the next step. If your honey is solid/raw, add to the melted butter and whisk until combined. Turn off heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the melted butter to a large mixing bowl along with runny honey. Whisk to combine until uniform, then whisk in lemon zest and juice. Add eggs, and whisk again until even.
- Sift in the remaining ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold together until no lumps remain. Transfer to the prepared baking tray and bake for 60 minutes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Note- if you omit the coconut flour, baking time will increase to 1hour and 15 minutes.
- Make the lemon honey syrup by combining in a bowl. If you are using solid/raw honey, you may need to blend the two, or use heat. Use a skewer to poke small holes into the top of the hot cake, then pour the syrup on top. Run a butter knife around the cakes edge, so the syrup can soak in everywhere. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin for 4+ hours. If you are making the optional frosting, do so now.
Brown butter frosting
- Cut butter into small cubes and place into a light coloured frypan (so you can see when the butter is ready). Melt over medium heat, then reduce to low. Stirring frequently, brown butter for 5-6 minutes. When the butter is ready it will be foamy, fragrant (a nutty aroma is ideal) and browned under the foam. You will notice small brown flecks- this is good! Immediately transfer browned butter to a heat proof dish and refrigerate until solid.
- Once butter has set remove from fridge and place in a medium bowl with remaining ingredients. Use electric beaters to whip until very thick and creamy. Set aside to cake has cooled.
- Remove cooled cake from eth tin and place on a serving tray. Top with frosting and enjoy!
- To store, frosted cake should be stored in an air tight container in the fridge. The unfrosted cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days, and is freezer friendly.
Notes
While i recommend using coconut flour for this recipe, you can omit it- baking time will increase by 15 minutes to a total of 1 hour 15 minutes. Cover with aluminium foil at the 50 minute mark.
Keywords: Lemon loaf, grain free, refined sugar free
Hi jade, could I swap out honey for maple syrup?
Yes, you can. Swap for the measurement in cups though, not weight (as honey weighs more than maple syrup).
Hello and thank you. Could I use cassava flour instead of tapioca flour?
The best substitute is arrowroot or cornstarch. Cassava flour wouldn’t be the best choice.
This recipe is for a Perfect lemon cake! It is perfectly balanced in both texture and taste. And the recommended frosting – using Jade’s Labne recipe (also failsafe) – is amazing. Have made twice and both cakes were fantastic (so not a fluke haha) and my band (hungry men) love it. Thank you so much Jade for sharing this beautiful recipe to utilise organic lemons . Cheers Cazz
★★★★★
Thanks so much for the review Cazz, I’m so happy to hear you loved it. I just love this cake too.