This is the easiest vegan lemon cake you will ever make! This one bowl recipe gets whipped up in minutes and bakes in only 30 minutes. Perfect for a last-minute gathering or special occasion!
The satisfying lemony flavor is lusciously carried in a soft, melt-on-the-tongue cake crumb. This recipe is so simple you will not believe how delicious the result is.
If you are expanding your healthy baking repertoire, try this Vegan Strawberry Cake or these Dairy Free Vanilla Cupcakes.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- One-step vegan lemon cake: Whip it up in one mixing bowl. The preparation time with this cake is minimal.
- Cost-effective: This cake uses regular, store-bought ingredients that do not cost the earth.
- Long-lasting: This cake will stay fresh for days. Store it in the fridge.
- A base to play with: Add other tasty ingredients to this base recipe. Try it with fresh blueberries, poppy seeds, or toasted coconut.
- Fresh flavor: The lemon flavor is bright, fresh, and flavorful.
- Gluten-free: Make this cake gluten-free with gluten-free flour.
- Versatile: This cake is great for so many different occasions! Bake it for Easter, Mother's Day, birthdays, summertime, and family parties.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Check out the ingredients for this vegan lemon cake recipe. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom.
Granulated 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 contains lumps.
All-purpose flour: Sifted flour is best for an easy smooth cake batter. Use your favorite gluten-free brand if you want a gluten-free cake. All the other ingredients are already gluten-free.
Baking soda: Use fresh baking soda for a well-risen cake. This is a crucial ingredient as the cake batter is without eggs.
Plant-based milk: Go for any of your favorites. Oat milk, soy, coconut, almond, or rice milk
Vegetable oil: Avocado, canola, and mild olive oil are delicious in this case.
Vanilla extract: Use a high-quality extract if possible. Switch it out for lemon essence (also good quality) if you prefer.
Lemon juice and zest: Fresh lemon juice is first prize. You can also make this cake with orange juice and zest (also fresh) or grapefruit juice and zest (a totally different experience). Use half lemon and half lime juice for a fun flavor combination.
Vegan frosting: Use vanilla or lemon, depending on your taste preference. Lemon frosting delivers a more intense citrus experience. Vanilla balances the citrus a little and is lighter on the palate. Store-bought vegan frosting is all you will need. Go ahead and make a homemade batch if you like.
Taste & 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, beautifully balanced. The veggie oil in the recipe gives a lovely velvety crumb.
The soft and fluffy cake crumb will melt in your mouth. A pillowy pop of frosting follows each bite. It is truly the most delicious yet simple cake.
How to Make
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray.
Step 2
In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, and baking soda. Stir together.
Step 3
Add in the remaining ingredients, except frosting. Stir until combined.
Step 4
Pour batter into the two greased pans.
Step 5
Bake for 30 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean.
Step 6
Remove vegan lemon cake from oven. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the cakes from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 7
Once fully cooled, add frosting. Frost one cake then place the other cake on top. Frost on top!
Expert Tips & Tricks
Use room temperature ingredients: Use room temperature oil. Cold vegetable oil will not mix in easily with the other ingredients. In addition, you want your batter to be silky and light.
Grease the tins well: Nothing is worse than a cake that sticks to the sides of the tin. Apply plenty of nonstick spray to the sides.
Change the tin: Use this recipe in a Bundt pan for a different shape and look. Make sure to grease and flour the tin well. If you bake a full load of batter in a single tin, increase the baking time as needed.
Cool the cake: Cool this vegan lemon cake before frosting 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. This is because the gluten will overdevelop and cause the baked cake to be stretchy and dry rather than soft and light.
Store the cake in an upside-down container: Place the cake on the lid of the container. Next, pop the container on top of the cake. This way, you will not need to reach into a deep container to pull out the cake.
How to Serve & Store
Serve this vegan lemon cake as part of a tea party or as a birthday cake. Top it with sprinkles, edible flowers, and glitter. So pretty! It is also great for a Spring party at Easter time.
This vegan lemon cake is a lovely, quick afternoon tea cake to put together. Box it up and take it as a gift or serve it to kids with ice cream and a drizzle of lemon curd. What a treat.
To store this vegan lemon cake recipe, cool it first. Completely. Once it has reached room temperature and ice frosted, pop it in an airtight container. Use a tin or plastic container that is 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use an egg substitute like 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 a jelly, your “egg” is ready.
Vegan cakes, like this vegan lemon cake, do not contain any ingredients derived from animal products. Instead, they use all plant-derived ingredients. The main elements to switch out 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. The all-purpose flour can be substituted for gluten-free flour to make vegan gluten-free lemon cake.
Yes, you can. Use cupcake liners to prevent sticking. Bake for only 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Yes, this is a freezer friendly cake.
You can, although the taste from fresh lemon juice is best.
Equipment Needed
Hand Mixer: This hand mixer is convenient, easy to clean and sturdy. This recipe can be mixed by hand or with an electric mixer.
Pyrex 3 Glass Mixing Bowls: These are the best mixing bowls for baking cake.
Pyrex Glass Measuring Cups: These glass measuring cups are great for baking and cooking.
Whisk: Whisk together or stir together the cake batter.
8 Inch Cake Pans: These are my favorite affordable cake pans. They are easy to clean and bake beautifully well.
You May Also Like
- How Long Do Lemons Last
- Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Fluffy Almond Milk Pancakes
- Dairy Free Whipped Cream
- Vegan Vanilla Pudding
If you make this vegan lemon cake recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find more great recipes on my Facebook page.
Vegan Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups dairy free milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 cups vegan frosting vanilla, buttercream or lemon
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. Stir together.
- Add in all remaining ingredients, except frosting. Stir together.
- Pour batter into the two greased pans.
- Bake for 30 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean.
- Remove from oven. Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes. Then remove cakes from pan and place on wire rack to cool completely.
- Once fully cooled, add frosting. Frost one cake then place the other cake on top. Frost on top!
(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)
Notes
- Be sure to use 8-inch cake pans, not 9-inch pans.
- Generously spray the cake pans with nonstick spray.
- Mix the cake batter until no clumps of flour remain.
- If needed, replace all-purpose flour with gluten-free 1 to 1 flour.
- Do not bake too long.
- Once a toothpick inserted comes out clean, remove the cakes from the oven.
- Allow the cakes to fully cool before adding the frosting.
- Feel free to use any flavor of frosting.
- Store cake in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
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