Gluten-Free Lemon Loaf Cake with Turmeric Collagen Drizzle

Confession: this gluten-free lemon loaf cake didn’t last 24 hours in my kitchen.

If you’ve taken my wellness personality quiz (and if you haven’t, go do it!) then you know that I’ve often observed through my course clients that people approach health habits very differently.

I’m a Healthy Hedonist (duh), which means that restriction makes me feel anxious. I’m not an all or nothing kind of gal. Most of the time, I am pretty good at moderation. But the slippery slope of trying to swing both ways is that sometimes I end up sliding too far in one direction. And that is certainly the case whenever I bring baked goods into the house.

Moderation is easier said than done, especially when indulgences involve addictive substances like sugar that can fuel cravings.

I can handle one piece of chocolate a night after dinner without a problem. But if there is a lemon loaf cake sitting on the counter, I am not able to have just one slice. Or just one half. Or if there are multiple, just one whole thing.

Perhaps this is due to my gluten-free scarcity mindset. Maybe it’s the blood sugar rollercoaster. Either way, it’s not a good scene, especially when I’m trying to ease into doing a mini vice detox with you in a few days!

Since one of my tenets of healthy hedonism is to set yourself up for success at home so you can find more flexibility out in the world, that means I don’t bake very often. When I am eating sugar, I find my sweet fixes in other ways, like dark chocolate. Or I go out to a favorite bakery where I will have to spend $5 on a cookie, and therefore only purchase one.

But here’s the other thing: I love creating healthy gluten-free treats for you. Solution? When testing gluten-free lemon loaf cake recipes, I force the other half of my loaf upon my neighbor.

Force, you say? Who wouldn’t want the gift of a fresh, delicious baked good?

Well, a neighbor who has just told you that she is not eating carbs or sugar at the moment, and you insist that she accept the “gift” anyway. Sorry Christine!

You see, friends. Self-control can sometimes be selfish.

Luckily for us both though (because don’t you worry, I ate the other half by myself in one sitting), this lemon loaf cake is far less sinful than what I usually walk away with at my local bakery. It’s sweetened naturally with a modest amount of maple syrup and coconut sugar. It’s topped with a little anti-inflammatory turmeric coconut butter glaze. As you know, I love golden milk turmeric oatmeal, so I sneak it into all my breakfast baked goods these days. And for a cake, it’s fairly high in protein thanks to the plentiful eggs, almond meal, and collagen powder, which boosts both the batter and the drizzle.

As I mentioned earlier this summer, I’ve been on a mission post-SIBO to get as much Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen as possible into my meals. Not only do my nails and hair feel stronger when I’m getting a regular dose, but it’s helping to rebuild my gut lining behind the scenes.

So in this case, I don’t feel so bad about having my lemon loaf cake, and making my neighbor eat half of it too.

Read on for the delicious, easy recipe for this gluten-free lemon cake. And if you lack both the will to moderate your portions and a neighbor to take some of them off your hands, rest assured that this loaf also freezes well!

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

Gluten-Free Lemon Loaf Cake with Turmeric Collagen Drizzle

5 from 2 votes

print recipe

This lemon loaf cake recipe is made gluten-free with a mixture of AP gluten-free flour (I used Cup4Cup) and almond meal. The turmeric icing is adapted from the Sweet Laurel Cookbook from the donut chapter, with the addition of collagen for extra protein. You can omit if you’re vegetarian. One thing to note is that the collagen will make the batter extra giggly and dense – don’t sweat it. I promise it will turn out fluffy!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 1 loaf

Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

For the loaf:

• 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour plus more for dusting
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup amber maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 lemon zest finely grated, juice squeezed (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate

For the glaze:

• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest for garnish

Instructions

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or line with two piece of parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, baking powder, xanthan gum and poppy seeds. Whisk with a fork until well mixed.
• In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in two additions, mixing until just combined. Stir in the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let the bread cool completely in the pan, then transfer it to a rack.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: in a small saucepan over low heat, combine the coconut butter, lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, turmeric, water and Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate. Whisk until smooth and silky.
• Drizzle the lemon loaf cake with the turmeric-lemon glaze and allow to set. Cut into slices and enjoy.

If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!

This gluten-free lemon loaf cake recipe is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Great Lakes Gelatin. All opinions are my own (obviously). Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site (and my gut healing) possible!