With summer on the horizon, it’s hard not to feel a wave of nostalgia and all the fun memories that come with it. It’s the perfect time to catch up with Emily Haber about her newly released single, “Nostalgia”, from her upcoming EP of the same name, and pair it with a delicious gluten-free lemon cake recipe. 

Emily Haber has been immersed in music for most of her life. Growing up in a musical family, she was the lead in Laughing Pizza, a children’s band started by her parents that toured nationally for 10 years and was featured on PBS Kids. Signed to Sony Wonder/Epic Records, Emily spent her formative years performing across the country, laying the foundation for her future in music. Despite being born with severe hearing loss, Emily defied the odds by relying on instinct and muscle memory to perform when her hearing aids failed, sometimes mid-performance. At 13, thanks to advancements in technology and the Starkey Foundation, she was finally able to hear her voice clearly, deepening her connection to music. 

Following the tragic loss of her mother to cancer in 2015, Emily began pursuing music as a solo artist. At 19, she moved to Nashville, keeping her past work with Laughing Pizza private while carving a new path for her solo career. A chance meeting with Grammy-winning songwriter Liz Rose became a turning point, leading her to sign with Prescription Songs in 2017. Emily has since written for major artists like Andy Grammer, Joy Oladokun, Anna Clendening, Gryffin, Abby Anderson, Carobae, Miki Ratsula, Devon Gabriella, and Erika Jayne. Her work has also landed placements in film and TV, including CNN, The Sex Lives of College Girls, The L Word, The Hills, Batwoman, and Teen Mom.  

 

 

In 2023, she met her co-producer, Daniel Dávila, and together they crafted her debut solo EP, Nostalgia. This project is deeply rooted in themes of growing up, memories, and self-reflection. For Emily, it explores the tension between grieving what she never had and cherishing what she did. Her music speaks to anyone navigating the evolution from childhood wonder to adulthood. Emily draws inspiration from a wide range of artists, especially iconic singer-songwriters from the 70s era like Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, and Stevie Wonder. Growing up, her musical environment was a blend of these timeless voices and mainstream pop artists such as Britney Spears. You can hear those influences in her latest single, “Nostalgia”, which blends folk-style storytelling with modern pop touches. This track evokes a reflective mood, even channeling some Mazzy Star vibes, taking listeners back to their high school days. Though her music has pop elements, Emily aligns best in the singer-songwriter genre. Every song she writes starts with her and her guitar, her most authentic space, before evolving into collaboration with her co-producer. 

 

 

Looking ahead, Emily is focused on continuing to write both solo and collaboratively, as well as more film and television placements. She also values time with family, cooking, and embracing a new chapter in her life as she’s recently engaged and looking forward to her wedding and starting a family. Nostalgia marks Emily’s first solo release after years behind the scenes in music and in her family’s band, Laughing Pizza. With her beautiful voice and heartfelt songwriting, she’s just getting started. Keep an eye out for the full Nostalgia EP release later in 2025, and be sure to follow Emily and stream her music on all platforms. 

Follow Emily Haber on IG

 

When it comes to food, Emily and her fiancé, who has celiac disease, maintain a gluten-free household. Since making the switch, Emily has come to love the lifestyle and notices a clear difference when she does occasionally eat gluten. Thankfully, it’s been an easy adjustment for them, especially with her fiancé’s Puerto Rican heritage. Many traditional meals that include rice, beans, plantains, and corn tortillas naturally align with a gluten-free diet. For Emily, food and nostalgia are closely connected. Growing up on tour with her family’s band, most meals were quick and convenient, like pre-made sandwiches and healthy snacks. But the memories that stood out for her were the rare home-cooked desserts her mother made, especially birthday cakes. Her mom, ahead of her time, followed a mostly vegetarian and gluten-free lifestyle, which shaped Emily’s early eating habits. She didn’t eat meat until she was a teenager, and her childhood staples included veggie sandwiches and grilled cheese. A gluten-free lemon birthday cake is especially nostalgic for Emily- it captures those rare, special moments of home life away from time on the road. These days, Emily’s diet leans towards clean eating: lots of salads, grilled chicken, rice and beans, arugula, and whole grains. She loves gluten-free granola bars, cheese and crackers, apples, and almonds. And when it comes to desserts, she has a soft spot for pie, especially key lime, custard-based pies, and apple pie. 

Inspired by Emily’s nostalgic connection to lemon cake, I  created a simple gluten-free lemon cake recipe and added fresh lemon, a splash of Madagascar vanilla, and topped it with homemade buttercream frosting infused with lemon zest. A sprinkle of daisy decorations brings a nostalgic, celebratory vibe to this easy-to-make dessert. Perfect for birthdays or just a sweet treat while listening to Emily’s new single, Nostalgia, this cake is a delicious and easy gluten-free option everyone can make and enjoy. Check out the recipe below! 

 

 

Gluten-Free Lemon Cake 

Ingredients for Gluten-Free Cake 

*makes two 8-inch round cake layers

  • 2 ½ cups gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour)
  • 1 ½ cups pure cane sugar
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup whole milk (you can use plant-based milk as an alternative)
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
  • zest of one lemon

Ingredients for Buttercream

*This recipe will frost two 8-inch cake rounds, I doubled it for the four cake rounds

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and parchment paper on the bottom.
  2. Using a standing or handheld mixer, combine the gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add oil, milk, eggs, lemon zest, lemon extract, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
  3. Pour the batter into the two prepared cake pans.
  4. Bake for 35 minutes.
  5. Let the cakes rest for about 5 minutes before flipping them onto a wire cooling rack to completely cool.
  6. To make the buttercream while the cakes cool, use a standing or handheld mixer and whisk the butter on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, heavy cream, and zest and continue to mix for an additional 4 minutes.
  7. Scoop out about half the buttercream and set aside to pipe for the top layer at the end.
  8. Add a couple of drops of yellow food coloring to the remaining buttercream in the stand mixer and continue mixing until the desired shade of yellow is achieved that’s uniform.
  9. Stack each cake layer on a cake stand one at a time, and pipe yellow buttercream on top of each layer. Then stack the next cake layer and repeat the process.
  10. Once all three cake layers are piped and stacked, prepare the white buttercream in a piping bag with the 1M tip and pipe rosettes on the top layer in whatever design you prefer.
  11.  Add lemon slices, lemon zest, and sprinkles on top of the cake. Serve and enjoy!