This vegan lemon cake is absolutely perfect for spring and summer! It’s super fluffy, moist, and it has a deep lemon flavor. And it’s so easy to make!
It’s hard to believe that I used to absolutely hate lemon cake. I still don’t like the combination of lemons or oranges with chocolate, but I absolutely LOVE lemon cake!
The “secret ingredient” to make this vegan lemon cake extra moist is vegan soy yogurt.
I recommend using lemon-flavored soy yogurt, but if you can’t get hold of it you could also use plain soy or coconut yogurt.
What You Need For This Vegan Lemon Cake:
- all-purpose flour
- almond flour
- brown sugar
- lemon-flavored soy yogurt (or plain soy or coconut yogurt)
- baking powder
- baking soda
- vegan margarine
- apple cider vinegar
- olive or canola oil
- fresh lemon juice
- lemon zest
- powdered sugar (for the glaze)
As always, you can find the full ingredient list and the recipe instructions in a separate, printable recipe box at the end of this post.
How To Make Vegan Lemon Cake:
The lemon cake recipe is super easy! You just combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir them with a wooden spoon. Easy, peasy!
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
STEP 2: Grease the bundt pan with vegan margarine and lightly dust it with flour. Melt the margarine in a small pot.
STEP 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. Pour the dough into the bundt pan.
STEP 3: Bake for about 40 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if the cake is ready. Leave in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP 4: Meanwhile make the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar, the lemon juice, and the water and stir well. If the frosting seems to runny, just add bit more powdered sugar until you reach the right consistency.
STEP 5: Once the cake has completely cooled, pour the glaze over the cake and sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest. Enjoy!
Vegan Lemon Cake – Recipe Notes:
- I used lemon and lime-flavored soy yogurt for my vegan lemon cake, which worked perfectly. If you can’t get hold of this flavor you could also use plain soy yogurt or coconut yogurt. In this case you could slightly increase the fresh lemon juice and the lemon zest to give the cake a deeper lemon flavor.
- The vegan lemon cake is even better the next day! So don’t eat it all at once. I know that’s always hard with a cake being around, but in this case it’s really worth it.
- To make the lemon cake even moister, I added a little bit of almond flour. I really like the texture and the taste it gives the lemon cake. I’ve experimented a bit with the almond flour and I ended up replacing about 1/5 of the all-purpose flour with the almond flour. However, you could also leave it out and use 100 % all-purpose flour.
- I’ve had some readers use this vegan lemon cake as a base for other cakes for example chocolate cakes, marble cakes, or berry cakes. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but they told me it worked out great.
Vegan Lemon Cake – FAQs:
Can You Freeze Vegan Lemon Cake?
Yes, like most cakes this vegan lemon cake can easily be frozen without the frosting.
You can either freeze the whole cake or individual slices. Just wrap the cake in plastic wrap and then put it into a freezer bag.
To thaw the lemon cake, unwrap it and put it on a cooling rack. Let it thaw at room temperature for about 4 hours. Individual slices take less time (only about an hour).
What Kind of Frosting Can You Make?
I made a simple powdered sugar glaze with lemon juice and water. To add even more lemon flavor, I sprinkled the lemon cake with lemon zest. This also looks super nice!
If you want a more decadent and rich frosting, you could also try a vegan buttercream frosting or a vegan cream cheese frosting instead.
In this case, I’d also sprinkle a bit of lemon zest on top.
What Baking Pan Do I Need For This Vegan Lemon Cake?
I used a 9 x 4.5 inch bundt pan for my vegan lemon cake with a nonstick coating.
Can I Make This Cake Gluten-Free?
I haven’t tried making this lemon cake gluten-free. However, I think it should work by replacing the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend.
How Do I Keep This Vegan Lemon Cake?
I usually wrap my lemon cake with aluminium foil and store it a room temperature. It will keep fresh for several days.
It will taste even better on the next day as the lemon flavor will be deeper.
I’m not the biggest fan of storing it in the fridge as it will lose some of its flavor this way. However, it will stay fresh for about a week in the fridge.
Other Delicious Vegan Cake Recipes You Might Like:
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Birthday Cake
- Apple Cake with Almonds
- Vegan Cheesecake (without cashews)
- No Bake Kiwi Cheesecake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Baking
I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!
I hope you like this vegan lemon cake as much as we do around here.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Vegan Lemon Cake
Ingredients
For the vegan lemon cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup lemon-flavored soy yogurt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup vegan margarine
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 1/2 tablespoons oil
- 3 teaspoons lemon zest
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Grease the bundt pan with vegan margarine and lightly dust with flour. Melt the margarine in a small pot.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. Pour the dough into the bundt pan and bake for about 40 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if the cake is ready. Leave in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile make the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar, the lemon juice, and the water and stir well. Once the cake has cooled, pour the glaze over the cake and sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest. Enjoy!
Notes
- I used lemon and lime-flavored soy yogurt for my vegan lemon cake, which worked perfectly. If you can't get hold of this flavor you could also use plain soy yogurt or coconut yogurt. In this case you could slightly increase the fresh lemon juice and the lemon zest to give the cake a deeper lemon flavor.
- The vegan lemon cake is even better the next day! So don't eat it all at once. I know that's always hard with a cake being around, but in this case it's really worth it.
- To make the lemon cake even moister, I added a little bit of almond flour. I really like the texture and the taste it gives the lemon cake. I've experimented a bit with the almond flour and I ended up replacing about 1/5 of the all-purpose flour with the almond flour. However, you could also leave it out and use 100 % all-purpose flour.
- I’ve had some readers use this vegan lemon cake as a base for other cakes for example chocolate cakes, marble cakes, or berry cakes. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but they told me it worked out great.
- I used a 9 x 4.5 inch bundt pan for my vegan lemon cake with a nonstick coating.
Diane
I keep doing this cake again and again, because it’s very very tasty, and super easy to make. My favourite cake!
Kelly
This vegan lemon cake is definitely a keeper! Family and I loved it. Also very easy to follow. Thanks for the recipe, Sina!