Gluten Free Mini Iced Lemon Loaf is a small batch, gluten free, and naturally sweetened version of the beloved coffeehouse iced lemon loaf! The lemon loaf is made with fresh lemon, almond flour, sweet rice flour, cream cheese, and maple syrup for a soft, dense, and sublimely moist cake.
2 to 3teaspoonslemon juicefrom the other half of the lemon
Instructions
Lemon Loaf
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Grease the mini loaf pan - making sure to get into the corners.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweet white rice flour, tapioca flour/starch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and butter. Using a hand held mixer, beat on medium high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Then add the vanilla extract, maple syrup, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat until combined. Note - I used the zest of an entire medium lemon - which should yield about 3 teaspoons. You can use more or less, depending on how lemony you want the loaf. I do not recommend adding more lemon juice than indicated. Adding more may alter the texture of the loaf. Keep in mind the icing has lemon juice in it as well - you will taste lemon!
Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients. Using a spatula or whisk, mix until the batter is smooth and no dry streaks remain.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Let the batter rest in the pan for 5 minutes. This allows time for the batter to get hydrated. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until the loaf feels springy to the touch, a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan and look golden.
Cool the mini loaf in the pan set on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then carefully invert the loaf to the cooling rack to cool completely. If necessary, use a knife or offset spatula to run along the sides of the loaf to release it from the pan.
Lemon Icing
Once the loaf has cooled, make the icing. In a medium mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Add more lemon juice, if necessary, to reach your desired icing consistency. You want it to be a little thick (like glue) so it doesn't completely run off the loaf. Allow the icing to set for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Alternative Baking Pans - Because this is such a small loaf, I don't recommend any other baking pan. You could try baking in a 6-inch cake pan, however it will no longer be a loaf, it will be significantly thinner, and you will have to watch bake time - a thinner bake may not take as much time.
Maple Syrup Sweetener - I do not recommend swapping the maple syrup with honey. Honey bakes much differently and would require adjustments to other ingredients.