I wanted to make a vegan and gluten-free cake for my mum’s birthday and this was the end result! A lovely, moist, zesty cake that melts in your mouth.
No dry gluten-free flours, just polenta and ground almonds. This recipe is also free from refined sugars and uses oil in place of butter or margerine.

Lemon, Almond & Polenta Cake (Vegan + Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 150 ml mild olive oil
- 150ml agave nectar or maple syrup
- 200 g ground almonds
- 100 g very fine polenta (cornmeal)
- 1 1/2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 120ml (120g) vegan yoghurt (soy or coconut works well)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Zest of 2 lemons
- glaze:
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170C and line an 8x8 inch baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients in and stir until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the baking tray and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
To make the drizzle
- Whilst it's still warm from the oven, poke a few holes in the cake using a skewer or fork. Prepare the drizzle by mixing the maple syrup and lemon juice together and pouring over the cake. Using a pastry brush to spread it evenly over the top of the cake.
- Leave to cool before slicing and enjoy!
I have just made this cake and was very pleased with the result…as was my boyfriend! He is recently gluten free and vegan so I’ve been looking for easy & tasty recipes for us to try. Thank you x
Hi Emma, I am so very glad it was enjoyed! Thank you for letting me know :-)
Looks great. Thanks for sharing.