Rich, buttery, and delightfully simple! A good pound cake is one of those desserts that can confidently stand alone. Once you try this pound cake recipe, you’ll never need any other!
Want a gluten free pound cake recipe that is full of flavor and has a tender crumb? This is it! Adding cream cheese for richness and a touch of lemon juice for tenderness is the trick to the best gluten-free pound cake.
A great pound cake is hard to beat, but a bad pound cake…well, to me, that’s easy to pass on.
Many gluten free pound cake recipes (and classic pound cake recipes) end up dry and bland, which is why I went on a mission to create the best gluten free pound cake!
This recipe is silky-smooth, rich, and moist—thanks to cream cheese whipped into the batter! Since it doesn’t need frosting or any toppings, it’s great for cutting into thick slices and taking to a party or picnic.
Top this pound cake with fresh berries and cream, or serve it alone as a sophisticatedly simple dessert.
It might just become one of your new favorite desserts!
If you love desserts with strawberries and cream you also might like this gluten-free trifle or this gluten-free angel food cake.
Why You’ll Love this Gluten-Free Pound Cake Recipe
- Buttery and moist
- Rich flavor
- Soft & smooth crumb
- Not dry
- Comes together quickly
Ingredient You’ll Need
The biggest trick to this gluten-free pound cake recipe is to use softened cream cheese to stabilize the crumb. It makes for the perfect texture and cake rise!
Here are a few more notes on the key ingredients. If you have any additional questions feel free to leave me a comment below!
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: This gluten-free cake turns out best when you use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Look for a gluten free all purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum so the cake has the structure it needs. This is my favorite brand for this recipe.
- Cream cheese: Cream cheese adds stability and richness to create moist crumbs. Make sure it’s softened for best results!
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice adds a nice tang to the cake batter and helps to activate the baking powder, resulting in a lighter cake.
- Baking Powder: I use a good amount in this recipe for the perfect rise.
How to Make Gluten Free Pound Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 8 ½ by 4 ½-inch loaf pan and lightly coat the pan with flour. Tap out any excess flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar, lemon juice, large eggs and room temperature cream cheese. Mix on medium speed for about 1-2 minute until well combined.
- With the stand mixer or electric mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the melted, unsalted butter. Continue to mix on low and add the dry ingredients a little at a time until fully incorporated and you have creamed butter. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again until the batter is totally smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325F and continue baking for 35-40 minutes. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then run a knife down the sides of the pan and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Let the cake cool for 2 hours before slicing. Enjoy!
Storage/Freezing Instructions
- To store: Store your cake by covering the pan in plastic wrap, or by placing leftovers in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to two days.
- To freeze: Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap, then store in the freezer for up to a week.
Gluten-Free Pound Cake Variations
- Add 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract for almond pound cake.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract and the zest of 2 lemons for lemon pound cake.
Glaze Ideas
- Simple glaze: 1 cup of powdered sugar + 1 tablespoon milk whisked together until smooth then poured over the cooled cake.
- Lemon glaze: 1 cup of powdered sugar + 1 tablespoon lemon juice whisked together until smooth then poured over the cooled cake.
For more gluten-free cake recipes, try this gluten-free lemon cake, these gluten-free cupcakes or this gluten-free pineapple upside down cake.
FAQs
Lemon juice helps activate the baking powder in this recipe, to create a lighter and more tender crumb.
Pound cake is more dense and rich than regular cake, and doesn’t require any frosting. Most pound cakes are served plain, glazed, or topped with fresh fruit.
Bundt cakes can be any cake made in a bundt pan, while a pound cake is a more rich, dense type of cake made in a loaf pan.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Lightly flour the pan for easy removal of the pound cake once it is baked!
- Don’t forget to let the cream cheese soften to room temperature before adding it to the cake. This will make for a silky-smooth, stable pound cake recipe.
- Pound cake can easily be eaten plain, but you can also top yours with whipped cream, berries, or even ice cream, if you’d like. You could also make a simple glaze with powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, or almond extract.
More Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you try this pound cake, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake
Video
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ⅓ cup gluten-free 1:1 baking flour 200 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Other:
- 1 ¼ cups white sugar 250 grams
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature, 113 grams
- ½ cup butter melted, 113 grams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 8 ½ by 4 ½-inch loaf pan and lightly coat the pan with flour. Tap out any excess flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar, lemon juice, pure vanilla extract, eggs and cream cheese. Mix on medium speed for about 1-2 minute until well combined.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the melted butter. Continue to mix on low and add the dry ingredients a little at a time until fully incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again until the batter is totally smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F, then reduce the oven temperature to 325F and continue baking for 35-40 minutes. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then run a knife down the sides of the pan and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Let the cake cool for 2 hours before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Add 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract for almond pound cake.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract and the zest of 2 lemons for lemon pound cake.
- Simple glaze: 1 cup of powdered sugar + 1 tablespoon milk whisked together until smooth then poured over the cooled cake.
- Lemon glaze: 1 cup of powdered sugar + 1 tablespoon lemon juice whisked together until smooth then poured over the cooled cake.
What about using Limoncello instead of lemon juice? I have been doing it for years and everyone loves my lemon pound cake?
I think that would work great! Let me know if you try it 🙂
This was soooo good. Scrumptuous. I tried a different recipe and it turned out awful, it was like a brick. Then I found your recipe and it was glorious. I added a lot of extra lemon b/c I love lemon. Thank you for your great pound cake recipe. This is definitely a keeper!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Extra lemon juice sounds delicious 🙂
First try and it was moist, fluffy and flavorful. Such an easy recipe. My wife and family loved it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Love the pound cake turned out tender and moisit
I’m so glad it turned out for you!
Hello I was wondering if you could use dairy free butter and dairy free cream cheese in this recipe thanks so much.
Yes! The consistency won’t be totally the same – but you can use Kite Hill cream cheese and Earth Balance buttery sticks to make this dairy-free.
This recipe turned out well. There is a missing piece to cooking though. The first 15 minute bake time is missing. Then the temp is reduced from what??? to 325?
I am not a fan of lemon. Is it essential to the pound cake recipe or can I omit it?
You can’t taste the lemon at all! It’s just 1 teaspoon and is used to tenderize the crumb.
In your comments above the recipe you specify BRM 1:1 flour and in the recipe itself you specify KAF Measure for Measure. Is one preferable to another or would either one work just fine? I have both on hand but am wondering if it makes a difference to use one over the other.
Whoops! I meant to link to the KAF Measure for Measure in the post. That is my preferred flour – Bob’s will work great though too. Thanks for catching that!