This almond flour lemon loaf is a vegan and naturally gluten free lemon loaf that is perfect with tea for breakfast or snack times. This easy oil based cake that comes together in a single bowl. The classic pair of lemon and almond comes together into a cake that is lightly sweet and super flavorful. Buckwheat flour has a unique texture and is kept from being too dense by the almond flour. It’s sweet loaf with a soft, crumbly texture and bright lemon flavor with a nutty base that is perfect for breakfast on the go or an afternoon treat.
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If you’re looking for an easy breakfast idea or easy snack idea, this almond flour lemon loaf is a great recipe to try. It is perfect paired with a cup of tea and with these French tea cakes. It makes a delicious tea time that guests won’t forget.
What You’ll Need For This Almond Flour Lemon Loaf
How To Make An Almond Flour Lemon Loaf
1. Preheat oven to 350° F/175 C. Grease an 8” x 4”/20cm x 10cm loaf pan and line with parchment with over hang in at least one direction for easy removal.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, and apple sauce. Whisk until well emulsified.
3. Add the oat milk and vanilla whisk until incorporated.
4. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk.
5. Add in the buckwheat, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir until smooth. Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes for the moisture to absorb otherwise the loaf will be very gritty.
6. Scrape into prepared pan and level out.
7. Cover the batter with a single layer of sliced almonds.
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown on the edges, set in the center and skewer inserted comes out with a just a few crumbs. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before removing and allow to cool completely.
9. Best the same day, but can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven for best results.
Important Recipe Notes
Oil choice: Any oil will work in this recipe. The best choices are very neutral flavored oils like canola, sunflower, or vegetable. Melted coconut oil will strongly flavor the loaf. But for a more nuanced loaf, use half neutral oil and half pungent olive oil.
Apple sauce: This is both the binding agent and some of the liquid, much as eggs would be. The pectin in apples acts as the binding agent to provide structure. Other common substitutions are not recommended as the sticky nature of buckwheat will result in it being very dense.
Almond flour: Buckwheat is a very sticky grain and absorbs a lot of moisture. Almond flour helps keep these muffins lighter. If needed, almond flour can be replaced with coconut flour, but should not be replaced with any other grain flour (oat, rice, etc) because those will also absorb moisture and weigh down the loaf.
Sliced almonds: For best results, use untoasted almonds as the long bake time will overcook pre-toasted almonds, making them bitter.
Almond Flour Lemon Loaf
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Ingredients
- 2/3 cup/133g granulated sugar
- 1/2 c/120ml neutral oil
- 1/2 c/120ml applesauce
- 3/4 cup/180ml oat milk or almond milk
- 1 tsp/5ml vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp/90ml lemon juice
- 2 tbsp/12g lemon zest
- 2 cup/240g light buckwheat flour
- 1 cup/105g almond flour
- 2 tsp/8g baking powder
- ½ tsp/2g baking soda
- 1/2 tsp/3g salt
- 1/3 cup/40g sliced or slivered almonds
Method
- Preheat oven to 350° F/175 C. Grease an 8” x 4”/20cm x 10cm loaf pan and line with parchment with over hang in at least one direction for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, and apple sauce. Whisk until well emulsified.
- Add the oat milk and vanilla whisk until incorporated.
- Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk.
- Add in the buckwheat, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir until smooth. Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes for the moisture to absorb otherwise the loaf will be very gritty.
- Scrape into prepared pan and level out.
- Cover the batter with a single layer of sliced almonds.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown on the edges, set in the center and skewer inserted comes out with a just a few crumbs. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before removing and allow to cool completely.
- Best the same day, but can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven for best results.
