A moist and tender gluten-free pound cake recipe that bursts with tiny huckleberries and fresh lemon verbena, all drizzled with a vanilla bean glaze. Whole grain and gum-free, this cake gets its pillowy texture and sturdy crumb from cream cheese and a happy blend of gluten-free flours.
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Note from Alanna: I first shared this cake recipe back in 2014. I adapted it from a favorite non-GF loaf cake and I liked it so much that I doubled the recipe, baked it in a bundt pan, and put it in my cookbook. Don't worry if you don't have the less-common ingredients called for here; the cake is equally good made with blueberries and a little extra lemon zest in place of the verbena.
It seems like fall is finally hitting San Francisco. Nights are chilly enough to cover up with a light comforter (but not enough to close the window or deter the mosquitos that like to sneak in and probe us at odd hours of the night). The stack of heirloom tomatoes at the co-op grows smaller every week (though not enough to stop us from buying them up and eating thick slabs on dark mountain rye bread spread with goat cheese, avocado, and red onion every morning for breakfast.) The chill in the air makes me want to drop everything and run to the oven (though I still eschew heavy spices in favor of lighter, brighter flavorings). Hence, this cake, which is packed with the last vestiges of summer: earthy huckleberries, a scrape of lemon zest, and a handful of flowery lemon verbena leaves.
Were you to take a fat blueberry, squish it up with a wild blackberry, and condense the resulting mash into a fruit the size of a peppercorn, you would have the essence of a huckleberry. Their tiny size belies their big berry flavor. They like to grow under redwoods and tan oaks, a habitat that their woodsy flavor embodies, whispering of damp earth and dew-kissed leaves.
Huckleberries come into season in September and last through November. When we don't have time to forage for them, we sometimes find them for sale at our fabulous co-op, double bagged and dripping with indigo juice.
With strong flavor and a low water content, huckleberries are perfectly suited to baking. They pair equally well with fall spices like ginger and cardamom as they do with bright lemon. I especially like them in this teacake which gets an extra, herbaceous dimension from chopped lemon verbena.
Lemon verbena has been an obsession of mine since I tried it in an ice cream in France when I was in college. The fragrance is incredibly floral, with fresh citrus notes, and the leaves are commonly used to perfume soaps. In the kitchen, I like to capture its unique flavor in creamy desserts and butter-based pastries. In spite of my brown thumb, the small lemon verbena that I planted in our window box has flourished, and I managed to part with some of it in a couple of loaves of this cake.
I adapted the recipe from my favorite berry pound cake and my favorite gluten-free butter cake to make a thick batter that supports the berries. Cream cheese is the magic ingredient that keeps the cake moist, giving it a dense, pound cake-like crumb. The milk proteins work with sweet rice flour to lend a sturdy, smooth texture that no one will ever believe is devoid of gluten. The cake itself is sweet enough to feel like a treat, though you could leave the glaze off for a pastry more appropriate to breakfast than afternoon tea.
Once you develop a taste for lemon verbena, you may begin to spot it growing in backyards. Its leaves are long and slim, like those of a nectarine or peach tree, and they also make a delectable tisane steeped with hot water and a touch of honey. This makes an ideal accompaniment to a slice of this cake.
If you can't find lemon verbena or huckleberries, try this cake with another summer berry or with frozen wild blueberries, and trade the verbena for basil, mint, or lemon balm, or a smaller amount of thyme or lavender.
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this huckleberry tea cake recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Huckleberry Lemon Verbena Tea Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze {Gluten-Free}
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (4 ounces / 115 grams)
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened (85 grams)
- ½ cup organic granulated sugar (3.5 ounces / 100 grams)
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup sweet rice flour (4 ounces / 115 grams)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons GF oat flour (1.5 ounces / 45 grams)
- ¼ cup millet flour (1.25 ounces / 35 grams)
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour (.5 ounces / 15 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup fresh or frozen huckleberries or blueberries, plus ¼ cup for topping the cake (7.75 ounces total / 220 grams)
- 3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh lemon verbena leaves
Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar (2 ounces / 60 grams)
- seeds from ½ a small vanilla bean (or a splash of vanilla extract)
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (enough to make a drizzle-able glaze)
- tiny lemon verbena leaves for garnish, optional
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºLine a loaf pan (I used a 10x5" pan but a 9x5 or 8x4 will work, toon the bottom and sides with parchment paper (or grease with softened butter, dust with flour, and tap out the excess).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl fitted with your arms and a wooden spoon), cream together the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and lemon zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing to combine after each, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture may look broken; this is ok, it will come together in the next step.
- Meanwhile, sift together the sweet rice, oat, millet, and tapioca flours with the baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the 1 cup of huckleberries and all of the chopped lemon verbena, and fold gently to combine, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure the batter is homogeneous.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup huckleberries and press them gently into the batter.
- Bake the cake until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, 45-55 minutes in a 10x5" pan (longer for smaller pans). Lift out of the pan and let cool until barely warm, an hour or so.
Make the glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla bean, and enough lemon juice to make a drizzle-able glaze. Whisk well to eradicate lumps. Peel the parchment away from the sides of the cake. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake and let cool completely.
- Serve the cake at room temperature, scattered with tiny lemon verbena leaves, if you like. Extras keep well, airtight at room temperature, for a day or two, or refrigerated for up to a few days (let come to room temperature for best results).
myriam | rhubarb! rhubarb! rhubarb! says
I love that creaminess of lemon verbena that you're talking about, but I've never had a huckleberry. This cake looks and sounds gorgeous, and I love all your ideas for substitutes (dreaming of a lavender, mint and frozen berry cake.) And I love the action shots!
Alanna says
Thank you myriam! I think you'd love huckleberries, especially since you usually have to forage for them. That cake sounds awesome - do it!
jaime : the briny says
i've never had a huckleberry but you've certainly sold me on them. reading the way you write about food and flavor combinations is just as rich as i imagine eating the things to be. this cake is gorgeous and i wish it would greet me in the morning with a cup of that lemon verbena tisane. :)
Alanna says
What a sweet thing to say - thank you!! C'mon over for tisane and cake anytime. I know all the lemon verbena spots in the neighborhood. ;)
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
This is so beautiful! And those photos of you pouring out the berries into the mixer....I'm in awe of them. Gorgeous! Glad you guys are starting to feel like fall finally!
Alanna says
Thank you so much Liz! You and me both!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This cake sounds soooo good! And your photos are stellar. Awesome recipe friend!
Alanna says
Aw, thank you Katrina!
Heather Hands says
Such a beautiful cake.
Alanna says
Thank you Heather!
Nicola Miller says
Lovely- does the millet flour add grittiness or is it imperceptible?
Alanna says
Thanks! No, the texture is perfectly smooth and soft, particularly the day after baking when the grains have soaked in some of the moisture from the cake.
Christine says
This little cake of yours is so, so pretty. I just love the colour of the huckleberries (will need to try to find myself some of those!). I know quite a few poundcake fans who would be delighted to have this on their plates!
Alanna says
Thank you Christine! Trust me, they taste as good as they look. :)
Sophie says
Sadly, I don't think I've ever seen a huckleberry... but I am a fan of lemon verbena, and I'd be pretty happy to be eating breakfast at your place! Photos look delicious.
Alanna says
Aw, thanks Sophie! Frozen wild blueberries are very close, and pretty easy to find. C'mon over anytime!
Valerie Gamine says
For the life of me, I cannot find huckleberries, anywhere (ever!). Maybe they're not on good terms with the frigid mitten state?
This looks fantastic!! Yes. Yes. Yes, to lemon verbena!!
Alanna says
That sucks! They're pretty rare around here, too. Montana is the place to get them in abundance. Are there wild blueberries in your neck of the woods? I feel the same way about sour cherries - want them so bad, and they're nowhere to be found in California. Glad to know another lemon verbena fan! <3
molly yeh says
these photos are breathtaking!!! i've gotta get me some of this cake!!!
Alanna says
Thanks Molly!!!
Boxofspice says
Absolutely gorgeous!
Alanna says
Thank you!
Tina @ Just Putzing Around the Kitchen says
Your photos are gorgeous (per usual)! And that cake looks insane - I need to up my herbs-in-baked-things game big time. So jealous Sarah gets/got to (can't remember when this is happening) cook with you!
Alanna says
Thanks Tina! I'm so excited to hang out and cook with Sarah, too! Can't you fly out and join us??
Tina @ Just Putzing Around the Kitchen says
I wish! Maybe some day ;)
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen says
Trust me - I've been trying to lure her out for a bake/cook session for awhile now. So busy with all her lawyering...
I also love the use of lemon verbena in this cake. I haven't come across huckleberries at the Monterey Market, but I'm now going to have to keep my eyes open for some.
dana says
stunning stunning stunning! Pinned!
P.S. If I moved to Oregon, would you come visit me? kthanksbye
Alanna says
How bout we both move to Oregon and open up an ice cream shop?
June Baby says
Oh man that looks like one awesome tea cake! Love the huckleberry jewels in there, so pretty :)
Alanna says
Thank you June Baby!!
cynthia says
Your action shots always FLOOR me, Alanna. This is so, so beautiful! I love the flavors, especially -- we don't get many huckleberries over here (or else I'm looking in the wrong places) but I once had huckleberry ice cream out in ... Jackson Hole, maybe? and was totally smitten. I can only imagine how delicious this is. Happy Friday!!
Alanna says
You are so sweet, Cynthia! I was trying to copy your egg cracking photo, which floored me! I think huckles only grow West of the Rockies or something like that.. but you East Coasters have wild blueberries, so you win. :) Huckleberry ice cream is so good! I had some in Washington many years ago.
Sini | My Blue and White Kitchen says
What a gorgeous cake! Love those huckleberries; I've never actually eaten them but I believe they're very closely related to bilberries, our European blueberries. I love the pics in this post: so light and inviting. Happy weekend, Alanna!
Alanna says
Aw, thank you Sini! Actually, these may technically be bilberries - I remember reading that that's what grows in California, though everyone calls them huckles. Happy weekend to you, too!
Julia@Vikalinka says
Every time I want to skip the "process photos" I think of you and how much I love "seeing you cook". These photos are simply magical. I couldn't get any decent photos today though...such a dark and dreary day outside that I had to switch on the lights in my kitchen by 3 pm. Beautiful cake, Alanna, as usual!
Alanna says
You are too kind, Julia. I get lazy and want to skip the process shots all the time, too. I'm sorry it's so dark out your way. We have the opposite problem here - almost too warm to turn on the oven.
Alanna says
Aw, thanks!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
What a gorgeous cake! I've never tried huckleberries and now I'm coveting your stash… love these flavors!
Alanna says
Thanks lady!! I wish I had some left to share. :(
Aysegul Sanford says
What a beautiful cake. Those flavors sound so delicious.
Stunning photography as well. YUM!
:)
Alanna says
Thank you!! :)
Isadora says
I used to live in Montana and one of my favorite things to do was to pick huckleberries! It was so much fun hunting for them and there really isn't much that compares to the taste! This cake is so beautiful, Alanna :)
Alanna says
Yes! I was there one summer and it was the first time I experienced huckles. It was all huckles, all the time. Heaven. Thanks for the kind note!
Dolphia Nandi-Arnstein says
Your pictures are so beautiful! You're one inspiration Alanna.
Alanna says
Aw thank you Dolphia <3
Beata Drobna says
Hi Alanna,
I have to say that I love your recipes,but I have a big problem with them, every single time my cakes end up uncooked.....What kind of oven are you using....because I can't understand why it do not work with me. I am really upset. Do you think it might be a French flour?
Alanna says
Hi Beata, Thank you for your note, and I'm really sorry to hear of this problem. My first thought is whether your oven is properly calibrated? Mine runs cold, so I have a thermometer in there to let me know what the real temperature is. You could try turning the heat up. But you should ALWAYS use the visual cues, and not the baking time, to determine doneness, in any recipe. Also, how are you measuring your flours? Are you spooning them into cups, using weights, or dipping and sweeping? I dip and sweep, and I also weigh, so either of those methods should work. Those are my two best guesses! My oven is just a normal gas still oven, and again I use an external thermometer to verify the temperature. I am curious to know what flours you're using and whether they are affecting the baking...
Danielle says
I do not have access to Lemon Verbana in this cake and cannot wait to make for my mums birthday tomorrow.
What do you suggest instead?
Ps I have been a massive fan of yours for years.
Love from Australia.
Alanna says
Aw thanks for following along and for the kind words! I think you could just leave the lemon verbena out, or add the zest of 1-2 lemons in its place, or you could use another herb (say basil or mint?) Let me know what you try!
Ariana Figueroa says
Couldn’t find any mochiko flour... would a gluten free all purpose blend (king Arthur brand) be a fair subsitute.. with maybe some extra tapioca starch?
Alanna says
That should work great! Too much tapioca can make things gummy, so maybe try first with just the ap blend?
Ariana Figueroa says
That’s what I’m going to do! Thank you for responding so quickly! Making a wild blueberry lemon thyme tea cake and a ginger cardamom tea cake... I’ll report back. Also, you’re awesome, and I’ve loved your blog for about five years now. Thanks for beautiful detailed and photographed recipes!
Alanna says
Oh wow, those both sound amazing. Save me a piece?!
Corinne says
Made this with huckleberries from the freezer and a few lemons + zest. Unfortunately, in eastern Idaho we have an abundance of huckleberries and a dearth of fresh verbena. Regardless, these were delicious! I used a vegan cream cheese because it was what I had on hand, and I baked them as mini bundts for fun. I was nervous because the batter was very thick, almost like cookie dough, but it worked out wonderfully! I am enjoying these and will come back to the batter as a base for other fruit and herb combos.
Alanna says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I bet the mini bundt cakes were beautiful. Please let me know what else you try with this cake base!
Tea says
I bookmarked this recipe a long time ago, and also froze some lemon verbena when I had the chance a long time ago, and finally made this. It really is something special, a cake speckled with lemon verbena leaves; I enjoyed it quite a bit and would definitely make again. I used half wild blackberries and half wild blueberries. I wish I went by the weight of the berries, instead of volume, I measured less grams than stated - maybe huckleberries are heavier? I didn't want a soggy cake so held back, but next time I'll berry it up some more.
I always feel a bit sad thinking someone might skip on a recipe of yours because they don't eat gluten-free. I don't either, so I just use, as I did here, my favorite whole-grain spelt flour instead of the flours you ask for; I've yet to regret doing that. (If I ever do, then I'll come here and complain because it would of course be your fault that my recipe didn't turn out with my substitutions:))
Thanks again for the recipe.
p.s. as I scrolled through your post, I spotted in one of the pictures 3 eggs, and went 'oh, fudge! I forgot one??'(wouldn't be the first time) and then double checked in the recipe where it says two. So phew. Unless..??
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Tea,
I'm so glad you like this recipe and that it works well with spelt flour (and that my other recipes work well that way too – that's really helpful to know!) Haha to the bit about complaining if the recipe didn't work well with substitutions. Would not be the first time!
Oh and sorry for the confusion re: number of eggs. I took creative liberties with the photo, but the recipe quantities are correct!
Thanks so much for the sweet note and for sharing your modifications. Happy baking to you!
-A
Tina says
Hi Alanna!
I had this link saved as your Cointreau-Glazed Cranberry Clementine Tea Cake and now I cannot find your recipe anywhere. It was my absolute fave! It seems similar to your Lemon Huckleberry cake, can I just use that recipe and substitute? Thank you.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Tina,
Oh I'm so glad you asked - I removed some older gluteny posts from my site for SEO purposes, but I'll email you the original document so you'll always have it. I love that recipe too! Check your inbox shortly :)
-A
Alexandra Ortan says
Hi Alanna,
The Cointreau-Glazed Cranberry Clementine Tea Cake was also my all-time favorite! Could you email me a copy as well? Thank you!!!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Absolutely, coming right up!
Marianna Kokoreva says
Thank you, Alanna. It's definitely a winner. Though I have questions. In my GF variation I used peel of 2 lemons, AP 1:1 GF instead of millet, no glaze (too much work :) and 3/4 cup brown sugar instead of your 1/2 white, and surely blueberries. I wanted the result to be closer to your non-GF cake, but felt that with w Wheat it'll be too heavy. And I already got used to your lighter combinations.
Problems and qns:
The cake sadly didn't rise very much. I used 9x5 pan. The middle reached 2 and the sides - 1 3/4. Maybe it was my mistake - the mixer was running why I gradually added flour, probably I overmixed it. Will use spoon next time. The texture was not affected though. It's gone after sev. days. Qns - for my education
1. Why with similar content - GF recipe has 2 eggs, while non-gf 3?
2. Why non-gf recipe with whole w heavier flour has 1/2 tsp baking powder, while GF recipe - One and a Half tsp baking powder?
Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Marianna,
Thanks for trying this recipe and for sharing your experience with it - I'm glad it was a hit despite not rising very high! It is a fairly short loaf, as you can see from my photos (I think my pan was 5x10-inches). I'm not sure if overmixing would cause it to rise less, though I'll be interested to know how it goes if you try it again with less mixing!
That's a great question about the eggs. I adapted this GF version several years ago so I don't completely remember why I decreased the eggs, but I do know that the blueberry bundt cake in my book was a 2x version of this recipe and I and my recipe testers really liked the texture of that cake. I'd be curious to know how this one would work with an additional egg; it might rise higher! If you test it out please keep me posted! I was comparing this recipe with the gluteny one and see that I also used a lot less sugar in this version, which may have had something to do with the different number of eggs...
I do know that I increased the baking powder for this GF version to give the cake more lift and volume. Usually GF baked goods need a little extra lift because they don't have the gluten proteins to provide that lift and structure from trapping air. In the original version I used regular all-purpose flour and not whole wheat. I wonder how it would work with whole wheat though! I bet it would help to have a little more baking powder in that case.
Let me know if those answers are helpful or if you have any other questions!
xoxo,
A
Marianna Kokoreva says
Yes, Alanna, this is all helpful. About the size I now understand. I wanted this gf variant to look like your g recipe, which is larger - most probably due to 3 eggs.
I had no idea that gf recipes are "heavy risers". I thought it was Whole w/rye flour that rises with difficulty.
Thanks again.
Marianna Kokoreva says
Probably an unreasonable question - with all the liquid from juice, but I'll ask.
I did sprinkle some lemon juice on top of the baked cake - to replace the glaze and because I love lemon. It would be unwise to add juice of at least one lemon to the dough?
Thank you, Alanna!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Great question! I'm not sure how lemon juice would affect this batter but it would certainly be worth a try. Sometimes the acidity from lemon juice can make GF batters gummy. I'm not totally sure why this is, but I think it has to do with making the sweet rice flour more sticky.
If you wanted to try it, I'd recommend starting with just 2 tablespoons. You might need to add an extra 2 tablespoons of one of the flours if the batter seems too wet.
I love that you're playing with this recipe and making it to your own taste! Please keep me posted on what you try next.
xoxo,
A
Marianna Kokoreva says
Thank you Alanna for your expert tip. I'll do as you suggest. Surely the safest option is to sprinkle juice on top, but it's still different.
Marianna Kokoreva says
I made this one without lemon verbena, with blueberries and two versions - with regular sour cream (to replace cream cheese) and with non dairy cream cheese (Miyoko's).
Both versions were a hit.
The Miyoko one baked faster and crumbled more, but wasn't dry.
I also sprinkled some lemon juice on top, since both me and my friends love lemon and it always just goes bad unused, when I need only lemon peel (which I used here).
Thanks all in all, Alanna, great recipe!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw yay, I'm so glad both versions worked well! Love the idea of sprinkling fresh lemon juice on this cake, I bet it added such nice tangy moisture. Brilliant! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for the sweet note, friend. xoxo