This is the easiest vegan lemon cake you’ll ever make! This one-bowl recipe whips up in minutes and bakes in just 30 minutes. Perfect for a last minute meeting or a special event!
The satisfying lemon flavor is happily carried inside a soft cake crumb and melts on the tongue. This recipe is so simple that you won’t believe how delicious the result is.
If you’re expanding your healthy baking repertoire, give this a try Vegan strawberry cake or these Vanilla cupcakes without milk.
This vegan lemon cake has a soft and fluffy texture and an intense fresh taste! The cake is moist while the frosting is smooth and creamy. This homemade vegan cake recipe is great for spring, Easter, Mother’s Day, and summer!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- One step vegan Toemon Pie: Whip it in one mixing bowl. The preparation time with this cake is minimal.
- Cost benefit: This cake uses regular store bought ingredients that don’t cost the earth.
- Over time: This cake will stay fresh for days. Store it in the fridge.
- base to play with: Add additional tasty ingredients to this basic recipe. Try it with fresh blueberries, poppy seeds or toasted coconut.
- Fresh taste: The lemon flavor is bright, fresh and full of flavor.
- Gluten free: Make this gluten free cake with gluten free flour.
- VERSATILE: This cake is great for so many different occasions! Bake it for Easter, Mother’s Day, birthdays, summer and family parties.
Ingredients and substitutes
Check out the ingredients for this vegan lemon cake recipe. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom.
Sugar: Plain old white sugar is perfect in this recipe. You want it to be lump free. Give it a light whisk before adding it to the batter if it has lumps.
All purpose flour: Sifted flour is best for a light, smooth cake batter. Use your favorite gluten-free brand if you want a gluten-free cake. All other ingredients are already gluten-free.
Baking soda powder: Use fresh baking soda for a well risen cake. This is a crucial ingredient since the cake batter is egg-free.
Plant-based milk: Switch to any of your favorites. Oat, soy, coconut, almond or rice milk
Vegetable oil: Avocado, canola and mild olive oil are delicious in this case.
Vanilla extract: Use a quality extract if possible. Swap it for lemon extract (also good quality) if you prefer.
Lemon juice and zest: Fresh lemon juice is the first prize. You can also make this cake with orange juice and zest (also fresh) or grapefruit juice and zest (completely different experience). Use half lemon and half lime juice for a fun flavor combination.
Vegan coating: Use vanilla or lemon, depending on your taste preference. Lemon coating provides a more intense citrus experience. The vanilla slightly balances the citrus and is lighter on the palate. Store-bought vegan frosting is all you’ll need. Go ahead and make a homemade batch if you’d like.
taste and texture
This moist vegan lemon cake is the perfect combination of citrusy goodness with a touch of sweetness. It is not loaded with sugar and is therefore wonderfully balanced. The vegetable oil in the recipe gives a lovely velvety crumb.
The soft and airy cake crumb will melt in your mouth. A cushion pen of coating follows every bite. This is really the most delicious yet simple cake.
How to Make
Level 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray.
level2
In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar and baking soda. Mix together.
Step 3
Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the coating. Mix until combined.
Step 4
Pour the batter into the two greased molds.
Step 5
Bake for 30 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean.
Step 6
Remove the vegan lemon cake from the oven. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes. Then take the cakes out of the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 7
After cooling completely, add frosting. Freeze one cake and then place the second cake on top. Frost up!
Tips and tricks from experts
Use ingredients at room temperature: Use oil at room temperature. Cold vegetable oil will not mix easily with the other ingredients. Plus, you want your batter to be silky and light.
Grease the molds well: There is nothing worse than a cake that sticks to the sides of the pan. Apply plenty of non-stick spray to the sides.
Replace the bin: Use this recipe in a Bundt pan for a different shape and look. Make sure to oil and flour the mold well. If baking a full amount of batter in a single pan, extend the baking time as needed.
Cool the cake: Chill this vegan lemon cake before freezing and/or storing. This will prevent the cake from sweating and becoming sticky.
Do not overmix the batter: Your cake will likely be dry if you overmix it. The reason for this is that the gluten will develop excessively and make the baked cake stretchy and dry rather than soft and light.
Keep the cake in an upside-down container: Place the cake on the lid of the container. After that, pop the container on top of the cake. This way, you won’t have to reach into a deep container to pull out the cake.
How to file and store
Serve this vegan lemon cake as part of a tea party or as a birthday cake. Top it off with sprinkles, edible flowers and glitter. So beautiful! It’s also great for a spring party at Easter time.
This vegan lemon cake is a lovely afternoon tea cake that is quick to put together. Box it up and take it as a gift or serve it to the kids with ice cream and a squeeze of lemon. what a treat
To store this vegan lemon cake recipe, refrigerate it first. completely. Once it has reached room temperature and ice is frozen, put it in an airtight container. Use a tin or plastic container tall enough not to touch the top of the cake.
This vegan lemon cake will keep for about 5 days. It will freeze for 2 to 3 months.
Common questions
Use an egg substitute such as mashed banana or a combination of baking powder and apple cider vinegar. Another good option is a chia egg. To make a chia egg, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Once the mixture has turned to jelly, your “egg” is ready.
Vegan cakes, like this vegan lemon cake, do not contain ingredients derived from animal products. Instead, they use all plant-derived ingredients. The main ingredients to replace are eggs, butter, honey and milk. Easy alternatives include chia eggs, vegan butter, maple syrup, and plant-based milk.
No, the flour in this recipe makes it a wheat based recipe. You can replace the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour to make a gluten-free vegan lemon cake.
Yes you can. Use cupcake liners to prevent sticking. Bake for just 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Yes, this is a freezer friendly cake.
You can, although the flavor from fresh lemon juice is best.
Equipment needed
hand mixer: This manual mixer is convenient, easy to clean and stable. This recipe can be mixed by hand or with an electric mixer.
Pyrex 3 glass mixing bowls: These are the best mixing bowls for cake baking.
Pyrex glass measuring cups: These glass measuring cups are great for baking and cooking.
whisk: Whip together or mix together the cake batter.
8 inch cake pans: These are my favorite affordable cake pans. They are easy to clean and bake well.
You might like it too
If you make this recipe for a vegan lemon cake, I would really appreciate a review! You can find more great recipes from me Facebook page.
Vegan lemon cake
This vegan lemon cake has a soft and fluffy texture and an intense fresh taste! The cake is moist while the frosting is smooth and creamy. This homemade vegan cake recipe is great for spring, Easter, Mother’s Day, and summer!
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray.
-
In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar and baking soda. Mix together.
-
Add all the other ingredients, except the coating. Mix together.
-
Pour the batter into the two greased molds.
-
Bake for 30 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean.
-
Remove from the oven. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes. Then take the cakes out of the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
-
After cooling completely, add frosting. Freeze one cake and then place the second cake on top. Frost up!
(Please see the post above for tutorial photos and other helpful information for this recipe)
Remarks
- Be sure to use 8-inch cake pans, not 9-inch pans.
- Generously spray the cake pans with Teflon spray.
- Mix the cake batter until there are no lumps of flour left.
- If necessary, replace all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour 1 to 1.
- Do not bake for too long.
- After the inserted toothpick comes out clean, take the cakes out of the oven.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before adding the frosting.
- Feel free to use any flavor of frosting.
- Keep the cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
diet
Calories: 428KKL | Carbohydrates: 68G | protein: 4G | Fat: 16G | Saturated fat: 3G | fiber: 1G
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