• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy

Wife Mama Foodie

Making Healthy Taste Good

Dessert, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar Free

March 21, 2017

Lemon Layer Cake with Fresh Berries

Moist and delicious gluten-free lemon cake is layered with coconut whipped cream and fresh berries. The perfect dessert to welcome spring!

Lemon Layer Cake with Fresh Berries | Free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugar
Spring is my favorite time of year, aside from fall. I love the in-between seasons when the weather’s more mild and I get to bring out my clothes that have been in storage for the last several months. It’s almost like having a new wardrobe. Isn’t it nice to find clothes you forgot you had? 😉 

Having a cold on top of allergies for the last several days hasn’t been fun, but the sun shining and the birds chirping somehow makes it a bit more bearable. The sickness started from my hubby who must’ve picked something up from work. He passed it to me and it has making its way through the family. Of course my hubby is totally better now, as I sit around with my tissues, sneezing every five minutes. It’s so not fair. On top of that he keeps reminding me that this is how he felt a few days ago…”yep, that’s exactly how I felt,” and “see, I wasn’t exaggerating.” I’m like, of course this is how you felt, you’re the one who brought the sickness into the house and infected the rest of us! 

Lemon Layer Cake with Fresh Berries | Free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugar
Lemon Layer Cake with Fresh Berries | Free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugar
Lemon Layer Cake with Fresh Berries | Free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugar
Through my annoying cold, I mustered up the energy to bake and I knew exactly how I wanted to celebrate—with cake, of course! After all, this beautiful season, where everything’s in bloom and the weather has finally warmed up a bit, deserves to be celebrated! With a hint of lemon and fresh berries, I can’t think of another cake that screams spring like this one does! Enjoy!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Lemon Layer Cake with Fresh Berries


  • Author: Joscelyn Abreu
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 8-inch cake 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Moist and delicious gluten-free lemon cake is layered with coconut whipped cream and mixed berries. The perfect dessert to welcome spring!


Ingredients

Scale

Lemon-Berry Cake – Vegan version here

  • 2 cups gluten-free flour I use Bobs Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
  • 1 cup Super Fine Blanched Almond Flour* (see notes below for substitution)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup softened butter (can use dairy-free)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons oil of choice like vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
  • 1 cup honey or maple syrup (or combo of both)
  • 2/3 cup almond milk or other milk of choice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • zest of 2–3 large lemons, to taste
  • Lemon Whipped Cream (recipe below)
  • 3–4 cups mixed berries (some sliced and halved for in between layers)
  • edible flowers, optional

Lemon Whipped Cream :

  • 16 oz. regular or dairy-free cream cheese or mascarpone
  • 1–2 (14 oz) cans coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight (about 1 3/4 cup firm coconut cream, liquid discarded. Can also use 1 cup regular whipping cream if not dairy-free)
  • 3–5 tablespoons honey or other sweetener of choice (more or less to taste)
  • juice and zest from 1 lemon (more or less to taste)

Instructions

Cake:

  1. This cake makes two 8-inch or three 6-inch cakes. To make a 3 layer 8-inch cake, use 1 1/2 cake recipe.
  2. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease cake pans and line the bottom with a parchment paper circle (cut to fit the bottom.) Set aside.
  3. Combine flours, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add softened butter, eggs, coconut oil and sweetener. Begin beating together with the flour mixture. Slowly mix in the milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the flour is evenly incorporated.
  4. Evenly distribute cake batter into the pans and place on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake for 25-35 minutes OR until cake is golden brown, center is set, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Bake time will vary upon pan and thickness of batter.
  5. Remove from the oven and let cool for a bit, then run a knife along the edge of the cake (if sticking to the pan) and invert cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Whipped Cream:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, begin to beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add sweetener and lemon juice/zest and continue to beat until fluffy. Add cold, hardened coconut cream and beat on high until light and fluffy, a few more minutes. Taste and adjust sweetener or lemon flavoring. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
  2. If using regular whipping cream, beat whipping cream separately until fluffy (about 3-4 minutes) and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.

Putting it together:

  1. Place one of the fully cooled cakes onto your cake plate. Top with 1/3 or 1/2 of the whipped cream (depending on how many cake you have) and about 1 cup of sliced berries.
  2. Top with another cake layer and repeat the process.
  3. At the end, top cake with remaining whipped cream and a pile of whole and halved berries. Decorate with edible flowers and a light dusting of powdered sugar (optional).
  4. Serve right away and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
  5. *If you need to substitute almond flour, use the cake in this recipe. Just add the lemon zest from this recipe to keep the lemon flavor.
  6. Cake recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Category: Dessert, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar Free

Did you make this recipe?

tag @wifemamafoodie on Instagram and hashtag it #wifemamafoodie

You May Also Enjoy These Similar Recipes:

Vegan Lemon Cake with Fresh Berries

Vegan Lemon Cake with Fresh Berries | Wife Mama Foodie

Vegan Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Buttercream

Vegan Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Buttercream | Gluten-free variation included!

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with Fresh Berries

This site contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and purchase an item, I may receive a small commission on your purchase. It doesn’t affect the cost of the product at all and gives me the ability to pay for and maintain this blog. I never link to products I wouldn’t use myself. Thank you so much for your support! 

March 25, 2016

Gluten-Free Berry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes

Delicious gluten-free berry filled vanilla cupcakes are filled with a fresh berry & chia seed jam and topped with a fluffy lemon cream frosting.

Berry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Frosting | Free of gluten and refined sugar. Can also be adapted to be dairy free.Easter is only a few days away and instead of Easter egg shaped treats, I decided to make some fresh, spring inspired cupcakes! These are the perfect individual—no cutting or utensils needed—dessert. The fact that you don’t have to grease and flour cake pans and that they take less time baking in the oven has me making them more often. I mentioned before that I used to make party and wedding cakes and cupcakes for a time before getting my degree in graphic design. Cakes are what I’m familiar with and many times a go-to dessert for entertaining.

Creating cakes and frostings that are gluten and refined sugar free (and still delicious) has been challenging to say the least. I’ve made many futile attempts with few successes, but I always share the wins and this is one of them!

Berry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Frosting | Free of gluten and refined sugar. Can also be adapted to be dairy free.
Berry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Frosting | Free of gluten and refined sugar. Can also be adapted to be dairy free.Since spring is now here, I wanted to make these very fresh in flavor. The cupcakes are adapted from my Summer Berry Cake with a bit of lemon zest added. I filled them with a chia jam made from fresh berries and chia seeds. For the frosting I blended together grass-fed butter, cream cheese, thick unfiltered honey, and some fresh lemon juice. It was the perfect fluffy topping and only mildly sweet. I love desserts, but I don’t like them overly sweet.

Berry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Frosting | Free of gluten and refined sugar. Can also be adapted to be dairy free.Chia seeds absorb the juices from the berries and make a thick jam-like consistency. It doesn’t require any cooking or starch, just time to thicken. I cut a small plug of cake out of the center and ate them all filled each with the berry-chia jam—as much as would fit!

Berry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Frosting | Free of gluten and refined sugar. Can also be adapted to be dairy free.Berry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Frosting | Free of gluten and refined sugar. Can also be adapted to be dairy free.Berry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Frosting | Free of gluten and refined sugar. Can also be adapted to be dairy free.Berry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Frosting | Free of gluten and refined sugar. Can also be adapted to be dairy free.I topped these with fresh berries and even drizzled lemon curd on a few. You can dress these however you wish—lemon zest, candied lemon peel or toasted coconut—just keep them in a cool place so the frosting doesn’t melt. I hope you enjoy these sweet treats!

Do you have any special plans for the holiday? Since my husband is a pastor and will be working all throughout the weekend, we’ll attend a few services at our church with him. We’ll have our big Easter dinner on Monday when he’s off. Happy Easter to you and your family, dear friends!

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Berry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream


  • Author: Joscelyn Abreu
  • Total Time: 18 mins
  • Yield: 10-12 cupcakes 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Delicious vanilla cupcakes with a hint of lemon filled with a fresh berry & chia seed jam and topped with a fluffy lemon cream frosting.


Ingredients

Scale

Cupcakes:

  • 1.5 cups Bobs Red Mill 1 To 1 Baking Flour or other gluten-free flour blend of choice (Spoon flour into cup and level off. Do not pack the flour into the measuring cup)
  • 1.5 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup melted butter or Coconut Oil
  • 1/2 cup Maple Syrup/Honey (I used half of each)
  • 1/2 cup milk (I use almond milk)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • zest of 1 large lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract
  • A mixture of fresh berries to decorate the tops of the cupcakes, optional

Berry Filling:

  • 1 cup mixed fresh berries (or thawed and drained from frozen) Any combo of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds
  • 1–2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, to taste

Lemon Cream Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup grass-fed butter or coconut oil, softened
  • 8 oz. cream cheese (dairy-free can be used) or mascarpone
  • 2–4 tablespoons honey (I recommend and used a thick raw honey like this one) (if you’re not opposed to using sugar, powdered sugar can also be used.)
  • juice of 1 large lemon
  • zest of 1 large lemon, optional

Lemon Curd: (optional drizzle)

  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 2–3 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil

Instructions

Berry Filling:

  1. Mash berries together with chia seeds and maple syrup with a fork or pastry blender until berries are pureed. Set aside for chia seeds to absorb the juices and thicken the filling.

Cupcakes:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place cupcake liners into a 12 count muffin pan.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest together in a large mixing bowl. Slowly blend in melted butter, maple syrup/honey, egg and egg yolk, milk and vanilla. Mix until batter is well blended and smooth. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again.
  3. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full of batter. Makes between 10-12 cupcakes, depending on how much you fill each cup. Place pan into preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until cake tops are domed and tops spring back when gently pressed. Cupcakes will not be brown, but you don’t want to over bake them or they may be dry. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool slightly before removing the cupcakes.

Lemon Cream Frosting:

  1. Take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before ready to use. Place into a large mixing bowl and beat until fluffy (If you have a whisk attachment, that works well.) Add half the honey, lemon juice/zest and continue to beat after until fluffy. This frosting will be mildly sweet. Taste and mix in more honey if needed. Continue to beat until frosting is light and fluffy. Refrigerate until needed.

Lemon Curd:

  1. Into a small saucepan, whisk together egg, egg yolk, honey, lemon juice, and zest until well combined. Place over medium low heat and stir often until mixture begins to thicken, between 5-7 minutes. Careful to heat it slowly or the eggs can curdle. When it’s finished, it should be thick and coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in butter/coconut oil until blended. If mixture gets chunky bits from the eggs, make sure to strain it through a sieve before using. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.

Putting It Together:

  1. Use a small paring knife to cut a round whole out of the center of the cupcake for the filling. Go ahead. Eat the cake scraps. You know you want to. 😉
  2. Place berry-chia jam into a plastic piping bag or sandwich baggie and cut a small tip or corner of the bag. Place the tip into the cupcake and pipe until it fills to the top. Do the same for the rest of the cupcakes.
  3. You can scoop a dollop of frosting onto each cupcake or pipe the frosting on. I used a large pastry bag and a Wilton 1M tip to pipe swirls onto each cupcake. If you plan on putting berries on top, don’t put too much frosting or it will overflow.
  4. Place a few berries on top or a drizzle of lemon curd (optional.)
  • Cook Time: 18 mins
  • Category: Dessert, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar Free

Did you make this recipe?

tag @wifemamafoodie on Instagram and hashtag it #wifemamafoodie

You may also enjoy these similar recipes:

White Chocolate & Summer Berry Cake

White Chocolate & Summer Berry Cake
Vegan Lemon Raspberry No-Bake Bars

Vegan Lemon Raspberry No-Bake Bars
Healthier Lemon Blackberry Bars

Healthier Blackberry Lemon Bars

Primary Sidebar

Hello! My name is Joscelyn and I love to share recipes that are healthy and delicious. Many of them are also free of dairy, gluten, and refined sugar! Pick out a recipe and let's get cooking! Read More…

Search

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Posts may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and purchase an item, I may receive a small commission on your purchase. It doesn’t affect the cost of the product at all and gives me the ability to pay for and maintain this blog. I never link to products I wouldn’t use myself. Thank you so much for your support!

Copyright © 2023 ·wifemamafoodie.com