Vegan Lemon Cake Recipe: How to Make a Vegan Lemon Cake
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Mar 30, 2022 • 3 min read
This zesty vegan lemon cake makes for a delicious afternoon snack with tea.
Learn From the Best
What Is a Vegan Lemon Cake?
A vegan lemon cake is a lemon-flavored pound cake made with plant-based ingredients. To make a dairy-free, egg-free lemon cake, simply use your favorite nondairy milk and oil or vegan butter instead of dairy butter. One popular way to make a vegan lemon cake is in a loaf pan, served with a lemon drizzle made from powdered sugar and lemon juice.
4 Tips for Making a Vegan Lemon Cake
The best vegan lemon cakes have a mouth-puckering lemon flavor, balanced with sweetness. Get the most flavor into your cake by using a combination of fresh lemon juice, lemon extract, and lemon zest. If it’s your first time making vegan lemon cake, use these tips to guide your baking process:
- 1. Mix just until combined. Vegan lemon cake is already on the denser side, but overmixing it can cause it to become tough and rubbery. To avoid this, mix your wet and dry ingredients until they are just combined. Leaving lumps in the batter is perfectly fine for this cake.
- 2. Decide which cake pan is right for you. A loaf pan is typical, but you can use a cupcake tin to make individual cakes. Remember that the baking time will be shorter for vegan lemon cupcakes.
- 3. Make a gluten-free version. You can make a gluten-free vegan lemon cake by substituting your favorite gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour. Almond and lemon flavors are complementary, so almond flour is an optimal substitute.
- 4. Add berries. Berries complement the tangy taste of a lemon cake. Serve the cake with fresh berries like raspberries or blueberries, or add them directly into the batter. To prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of the cake, toss them with flour before adding.
How to Store a Vegan Lemon Cake
Store your vegan lemon cake at room temperature in an airtight container on the counter for up to five days. Wrapped in plastic wrap or sealed in a freezer bag, a vegan lemon cake will keep in the freezer for up to three months. To serve, defrost vegan lemon cake in the refrigerator, then bring it to room temperature on the counter.
Easy Vegan Lemon Cake Recipe
makes
1 8½-inch loaf cakeprep time
15 mintotal time
1 hrcook time
45 minIngredients
For the cake:
For the lemon drizzle:
Note: The total time does not include up to 30 minutes of inactive time.
Make the cake:
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
Grease an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan with vegan butter or nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving at least 1 inch of overhang.
- 3
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cardamom.
- 4
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the lemon juice, lemon zest, nondairy milk, canola oil, vanilla extract, and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Alternatively, place the ingredients in a medium bowl and combine using a handheld mixer.
- 5
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- 6
Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
- 7
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5–10 minutes.
- 8
Use the parchment paper overhang to remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack, for about 20 minutes.
Make the lemon drizzle:
- 1
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.
- 2
Drizzle the lemon drizzle over the cooled cake. Slice to serve.
Become a better baker with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Joanne Chang, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Chef Thomas Keller, Mashama Bailey, and more.