This strawberry lemon cake is bursting with fresh, summery flavors while being ultra moist and absolutely delicious! With bright citrus lemon cake is layered and topped with juicy strawberry frosting this cake is ideal for summer gatherings, brunches, or as a wholesome treat any time of the year! It’s made without grains, gluten, refined sugars, or dairy!

Gluten-free lemon cake with strawberry frosting

You’ll have to forgive me for these photos as I didn’t have time to spend on the food photography side of things with wanting to get this post up in time to celebrate! Every year, when Thomas has his cancer remission scans, I make him a celebratory cake. The last two years it’s been this Snickers cheesecake, but this year he wanted This strawberry lemon cake that I used to make all the time.

Let’s not focus on my attempt to be cute and add fun, homemade decorations.. definitely not my best work LOL Instead, let’s focus on the GOODS. It’s fluffy, moist, bursting with flavor, and the easy strawberry frosting is to die for – all while being gluten, dairy, grain, and refined sugar-free! It’s seriously SO tasty & perfect for summer. And I always take it the compliment to heart a little extra when it gets Thomas and his friends stamp of approval!

Why You’ll Love This Strawberry lemon Cake

Naturally flavored with fresh, fragrant lemon juice and zest
Packed with real strawberries—no artificial flavoring
Gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and paleo-approved
Perfect texture: moist, tender, and fluffy with the perfect crumb.
Easy to make – this is almost a one bowl recipe. All you need is a whisk and two bowls to make the cake. It is so super simple!

Recipe video – how to make strawberry lemon cake

How to Make This Gluten-Free Lemon Cake

Full recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!

Ingredients

For the Cake:

Almond flour – the only 1:1 substitute would be cashew flour or Tiger Nut Flour which is a great nut-free option!
Eggs – two large eggs will add nice structure and help with the moist spongy texture.
Coconut oil (or avocado oil)
Honey or maple syrup
Zest & juice from 1-2 lemons
Baking staples – Vanilla extract, sea salt, baking soda

For the Frosting

Feel free to use your favorite strawberry frosting (cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting would be delicious!) Here is what you’ll need to make my easy, paleo-friendly, dairy-free buttercream-like frosting recipe:

Canned coconut cream – be sure to get coconut CREAM, not just canned coconut milk.
Avocado oil shortening – I love using this brand because the ingredients are great and it’s made with avocado oil rather than palm oil. However, palm oil shortening will also work.
Honey or maple syrup
Tapioca flour – we use just 1 tbsp in the frosting to help thicken it up a bit!
Freeze-dried strawberries – I purchase mine at Trader Joes because I find them to be cheapest, but you can get them at most grocery stores or on Amazon!
Vanilla extract

Step by step process

Step 1: Preheat & Prep

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two 6×3-inch round cake pans with parchment paper or lightly grease with coconut oil. You can also make this cake in a standard square cake pan without layering, if you’d like! If you don’t have two round pans, you can just bake the first layer, let it cool, remove from the pan, and then bake the second layer.

Step 2: Mix the Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients first, then fold in the dry. Be careful not to over-mix. Then divide the batter amongst the pans.

Step 3: Bake

Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top of the cake is golden.

Step 6: Cool and Frost

The homemade “buttercream” frosting comes together very easily using a stand mixer, however you can also do this with a hand mixer (although it’ll take a bit longer). You’ll simply beat everything together until light and fluffy. Once the cakes are cooled, you’ll place the bottom layer onto a serving plate, top with some frosting, then place the second layer over top. Then use the remaining frosting to frost the top/outside. Enjoy!

Healthy, gluten-free dairy-free lemon cake with strawberry frosting.

Tips for baking the best gluten-free lemon cake

Use fresh, not freeze-dried strawberries to prevent excess moisture in the frosting.
Do not over-mix the batter. Once the flour is combined then the batter is ready. You can use a whisk and mix by hand if you are concerned about over-mixing.
Let the cakes cool completely before removing from the pan and frosting, If the cakes are too warm, they make break when removing from the pans and melt the frosting right off!
Use room temperature ingredients. Since this is a simple dump and mix (almost one bowl) method, there is minimal mixing steps involved so it is important to have all ingredients at the same temperature (not cold!) in order to help them blend evenly together.

faq’s

Why is my cake not fluffy? If your cake turns out dense, you may have over-mixed the batter or your raising agents are not active. Make sure to use fresh baking powder and baking soda!
Can I make this cake ahead of time? Yes! Bake the cake a day ahead and store (unfrosted) in the fridge. Frost just before serving. Although, this cake is best super fresh!
Is this lemon strawberry cake keto-friendly? It’s paleo, but not keto as-is due to the honey/maple syrup. You could try substituting a keto-friendly sweetener like monk fruit or erythritol, but results may vary.
Can I freeze this cake? Absolutely! Wrap slices tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temp before serving.
Can I make this cake in a single-layer square pan? Yes! Absolutely. Just simply pour the cake into the greased pan & bake at the same time, just take a look at it around 25 minutes! A toothpick inserted should come out clean and it should be golden.

More Paleo Summer Desserts to Try

If you try this recipe and love, it’d mean the world to me if you left a star rating & review below and tag me in your creations on Instagram @danishealthyeats!