The vegan lemon cake you don’t have to be vegan to love! This quick and easy snack cake is light, moist and so lemony.
I’ll say it again in case you didn’t get the message ~ this vegan lemon cake is worth making even if you aren’t vegan. It’s a great option for those of you looking for plant based recipes, of course, but it also happens to be a delightful cake that’s easy to throw together with very simple and economical ingredients. Everybody needs this cake.
a naturally vegan lemon cake
This vegan lemon cake is what I call a naturally vegan cake ~ meaning there are no processed substitutions like flax eggs or plant based butters involved: my recipe offers a pure and simple approach to vegan baking much like Depression-era cakes like Wacky Cake or Crazy Cake, born out of necessity during the Great Depression when eggs, milk, and butter were scarce.
These cakes also used oil instead of butter, and relied on vinegar and baking powder and soda for leavening instead of eggs, as my cake does. The first time I made a cake like this I was blown away by the lovely soft texture. Turns out you don’t need animal products at all for a great cake!
ingredients notes for vegan lemon cake
The first time you make a vegan cake you’ll have an aha moment. Vegan cakes might seem to go against everything we thought we knew about cakes ~ where’s the milk, the butter, the eggs??
- vegetable oil
- it replaces butter in this cake, which makes for a very nice moist texture. Use any kind of neutral vegetable oil you like, I used canola but a mild olive oil or refined avocado oil can be a healthy choice too (check out my Lemon Olive Oil Cake.)
- lemon zest and juice
- gives this cake its flavor. You’ll need 2 medium lemons to make this recipe ~ one for the cake, and one for the glaze. An acidic component is crucial for the success of vegan cakes because it reacts with the baking soda for a good rise.
- water
- it’s essential in many vegan cakes, providing the liquid lost without milk and eggs.
vegan lemon cake basics
Oil takes the place of butter which translates to a moister cake because oil remains liquid at room temperature, while butter solidifies.
Vegan cakes tend to have a softer more delicate texture due to the lack of eggs (it’s one of the things I love about them.)
Extended Freshness: plant-based baked goods tend to have a longer shelf life compared to those containing animal products
Vegan cakes are not only suitable for a vegan diet but also for folks with dairy or egg allergies or those trying to reduce cholesterol in their diet.
The lack of dairy means your leftovers don’t need to be refrigerated, although you can if you like.
variation suggestions
Replace the lemon juice and zest with another citrus fruit like navel orange or grapefruit.
Garnish with other fruits like blueberries, blackberries, or even thin slices of lemon.
Add a couple of tablespoons of poppy seeds for a lemon poppy seed version.
Turn it into vegan lemon cupcakes! Check them at 15 minutes.
Double the recipe to cook in layers for a vegan layer cake.
we adore lemon cakes!
This latest vegan lemon cake comes from a long line of fabulous lemon cakes on the site, here are just a few examples…
Lemon Olive Oil Cake is one of the most popular with readers…the olive oil creates a lovely texture in a cake that stays moist for days. Does it taste like olive oil? No!
Meyer Lemon Cake is made with whole Meyer lemons, which are sweeter, milder, with thinner skins.
Lemon Drizzle Cake is a British tea cake from Mary Berry.
Lemon Cheesecake Recipe is a classic and a must make for cheesecake (and lemon) lovers!
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is a citrusy layer cake perfect for entertaining and birthdays.,
Vegan Lemon Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch cake pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
for the lemon glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
for the strawberry topping, optional
- 2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 3 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Oil a 9 inch cake pan and line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well and set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, water, vegetable oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.
- Add half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until almost incorporated. Add the other half and fold everything together until just mixed, don't over mix.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until risen and firm in the center. You can check with a toothpick. This cake will still be fairly pale when it is done baking.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple minutes in the pan before carefully removing it. Allow to fully cool on a baking rack.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until a thin glaze forms. Spread evenly over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
- Allow the glaze to set (this should only take 15-20 minutes or so) while you make the strawberry topping.
strawberry topping
- Combine the chopped strawberries and sugar in a bowl. The berries will start to get juicy on their own, but I usually add a couple tablespoons of water to make a little more syrup for topping the cake.
- Serve the cake with the strawberry topping and enjoy!
Another great recipe I have to say. And so timely! We all need this one and your chocolate wackcake recipe in our back with egg prices where they are. I also have a daughter and a friend who cannot have dairy e%gs or milk. It is so nice to have these lovely quick options for them.
Thanks Jan, I’m going to try to work on more vegan baking recipes this spring.
I can’t wait to make this for my nephew who is allergic to dairy and eggs. Baking sure has come along way since I first started baking for him, he’s 22! Thank goodness vegan diets are so popular now, LOL!
As soon as this recipe landed in my inbasket, I started preheating the oven! Omg, so light and fluffy! The cake itself isn’t super lemony, but the glaze kicks it right up a notch. I would make the cake without the glaze, but would add a bit of lemon extract to heighten the citrus flavour. Mine was done pretty much at the 30 minute mark, but I checked it at 25.
Sue, thank you so much for making a truly vegan cake that is as light as a cloud and just delicious. Keep ‘em comin’ please!
Well. I’m making this cake for the second time today (yes, the second time – don’t judge me!) and I realized that I didn’t add the lemon zest the first time. No wonder the cake wasn’t as lemony as I had hoped it would be. Duh. Mea culpa, Sue.
Also, I wanted to express my appreciation for this type of recipe since the price of eggs has sky rocketed. And again, please keep recipes like this coming!
2 times, wow! And yes, it’s really amazing how much flavor the zest adds. I’ve made cakes before that only utilized the zest and they were super lemony! Thanks for kicking off the reviews on this cake Rose!
Another way to make this cake even lemon-ier would be to make my lemon sugar first by processing the peel, peeled with a vegetable peeler, with the sugar in a food processor (how to make lemon sugar.)
love anything lemon. would love to hear if anyone has made this with gluten free flour…. thanks!
Good question, I hope someone tries and reports back. Gluten free baking mixes bake up super soft and delicate, and this cake already lacks the eggs for structure, so it might be tricky.