This vegan key lime cake is light, fluffy and moist with so much delicious lime flavor. Ideal for a birthday or any special occasion.
This vegan key lime cake was heaps of fun to make. I made it for my sisters birthday. And everyone loved it.
The thing with being a food blogger is if someone is having a birthday you don’t just go making something you’ve made before, it has to be a new thing!
So when my sisters birthday was coming around I went looking for new cake ideas and landed on the idea of a key lime cake.
It makes an ideal birthday cake or special occasion cake. It’s light, fluffy, moist, flavorful and all those lovely things.
You’ll also love our vegan key lime cupcakes and vegan key lime pie.
Ingredients You’ll Need For The Cake:
Ingredients You’ll Need For The Frosting:
Ingredient Notes
- Lime juice and lime zest – both regular limes and key limes will work great here, so just use whatever is easiest.
- Canola oil – can be replaced with vegetable oil.
- White vinegar – distilled white vinegar reacts with the baking soda creating the rise for this cake. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
- Soy milk – can be replaced with a different non-dairy milk.
- Vegan butter – if your vegan butter comes in a tub then there is no need to soften it first. If it’s a very firm stick-style vegan butter then let it soften out the fridge first OR simply beat it in your stand mixer for a couple of minutes to soften before adding the other ingredients for the frosting.
How To Make Vegan Key Lime Cake
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add white granulated sugar, baking soda and salt and whisk together.
- Add soy milk, canola oil, vinegar, lime juice and lime zest and mix into a batter. Don’t overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch round cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with circles of parchment paper on the bottom).
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Add softened vegan butter, powdered sugar and lime juice to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat together until smooth and fluffy.
- When your cake layers have cooled completely then spread on the frosting.
- Slice the cake and serve.
Baker’s Tips
Spoon and level or weigh the flour. If you don’t have a food scale then spoon and level the flour. Spoon it into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into the cup. If you do have a food scale then the easiest thing is just to weigh it out on your food scale.
Don’t overmix the batter. Mix it until just mixed. If you over-mix it, it can affect the rise and texture.
Make cupcakes. This recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes. Bake time will be around 20 minutes. Alternatively take a look at our vegan key lime cupcakes for a perfect 12 cupcakes.
Baking pan sizes. You can also bake this cake in two 9-inch cake pans. The layers will just be a little thinner. Baking time can reduce by 5 minutes (to 25 minutes).
Make it gluten free. If you’d like to make this cake gluten free then try a gluten free all purpose baking blend in the same quantity as the regular flour. We have not tested it with this recipe but that is usually what works.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it stored at room temperature for 2-3 days (covered) or in the fridge (covered) for up to a week. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge and then come to room temperature on the counter before serving.
More Delicious Vegan Cakes
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Biscoff Cake
- Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Key Lime Cake
Ingredients
Key Lime Cake:
- 2 ⅔ cups All Purpose Flour (330g)
- 1 ½ cups White Granulated Sugar (300g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Soy Milk (360ml) or other non-dairy milk
- ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice Freshly Squeezed
- 2 Tablespoons Lime Zest
Key Lime Frosting:
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar (480g)
- 3 ½ Tablespoons Lime Juice Freshly Squeezed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add white granulated sugar, baking soda and salt and whisk together.
- Add soy milk canola oil, vinegar, lime juice and lime zest and mix into a batter. Don't overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch round cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with circles of parchment paper on the bottom).
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Add softened vegan butter, powdered sugar and lime juice to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat together until smooth and fluffy.
- When your cake layers have cooled completely then spread on the frosting.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- Spoon and level or weigh the flour. If you don’t have a food scale then spoon and level the flour. Spoon it into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into the cup. If you do have a food scale then the easiest thing is just to weigh it out on your food scale.
- Lime juice and lime zest – both regular limes and key limes will work great here, so just use whatever is easiest.
- Vegan butter – if your vegan butter comes in a tub then there is no need to soften it first. If it’s a very firm stick-style vegan butter then let it soften out the fridge first OR simply beat it in your stand mixer for a couple of minutes to soften before adding the other ingredients for the frosting.
- Make cupcakes. This recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes. Bake time will be around 20 minutes. Alternatively take a look at our vegan key lime cupcakes for a perfect 12 cupcakes.
- Baking pan sizes. You can also bake this cake in two 9-inch round cake pans. The layers will just be a little thinner. Baking time can reduce by 5 minutes (to 25 minutes).
- Make it gluten free. If you’d like to make this cake gluten free then try a gluten free all purpose baking blend in the same quantity as the regular flour. We have not tested it with this recipe but that is usually what works.
- Storing: Keep it stored at room temperature for 2-3 days (covered) or in the fridge (covered) for up to a week. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
- Freezing: It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge and then come to room temperature on the counter before serving.
Naomi says
I’m not vegan, but my friends are. I made this cake for a summer party, it was a great hit, I’ve never seen cake fly off the plate quicker! I’ve never made a vegan cake before and I was a little distrusting of the recipe – i was so wrong, it tasted so good, better than my non-vegan cakes. But what I really love about this recipe and blog is that being really dyslexic makes it very hard to usually follow recipes, but it was so clear and logical- thanks for the easiest and least frustrating recipe to follow!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Naomi, it is so great to hear that you found the recipe easy to follow, it’s definitely what I aim for! And I’m thrilled everyone loved the cake! Thanks so much for your awesome comment and rating! 🙂
Emily says
Can the vanilla extract be omitted?
Alison Andrews says
You can omit it, it’s only 1 tsp so won’t make a big difference to anything.
Jo says
I made this for a local Coffee and Cake event as a bundt ring and it turned out fantastic, we had people turn up just so they could have a piece of Vegan cake. Link to a photo of said cake https://www.instagram.com/p/BiOk0uLAjSi/?taken-by=druidsgarden
I’m currently in the process of making it again but this time as cupcakes for a party we are having this evening. The whole house smells of limes at the moment. It’s definitely going to be one of my go-to recipes from now on.
Alison Andrews says
So awesome! Love the photo! So happy to hear it was a success. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Miss V says
I am cooking mine in oven as I speak single layer cake and blonde colour as I don’t have green colouring, I added a little bit of dessicated coconut into mixture will add that onto icing so coconut & lime cake
Alison Andrews says
Sounds great! How did it turn out?
nicole says
Made this recipe into cupcakes without frosting. Everyone liked the key lime flavor. The cupcake itself has a strong taste, that I think frosting isn’t needed for people trying to cut down on sugar. Or you can try whipping cream with lime zest, which will be less calorie rich.
Alison Andrews says
Great to hear they were enjoyed without frosting, and yes whipped coconut cream with lime zest would also make a very good frosting! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Cindy Roberts says
Thank you Alison. I tried it again last night…this time making each layer separately and cooking longer (I baked one for 47 min and the other for 55 min). I’d love to send you pics of each layer to see which resembles how you think the cake should look. I did swap out a different frosting recipe as I really didn’t want to use the vegan butter again. ? Everyone loved the cake so thank you for you suggestions.
Cindy Roberts says
I tried this tonight and it didn’t really turn out. Admittedly this was my first attempt at vegan baking and using soy milk and vegan butter. I bake all the time, but a colleague asked for a vegan cake for her birthday. I doubled the recipe and used 8 in pans. Cooked for 30 mins and the toothpick came out completely clean. It seemed a little gummy and the very center sunk a little on each cake. One of your posts talked about weighing flour but I forgot to do that; I just used measuring cups. Do you think that’s the main problem or do you think it was an issue with doubling the recipe and making it altogether? Also, the frosting seemed fine, but then it literally slid off the cake after I frosted it. I also doubled that recipe too. I’m determined to make this work, but I can’t serve it as is right now. So any suggestions you have would be appreciated. Thanks
Alison Andrews says
Hi Cindy, it sounds like the cake was too wet, and likely undercooked as well. The toothpick method isn’t full-proof, and it goes along with the correct cooking time, by doubling the recipe for 8 inch pans (which are only a little bigger than those I used) it would definitely have needed to cook longer, maybe even a full 10 minutes longer or more. When you put in the toothpick, it should come out clean but the cake should also look right and feel right, so no sinking in the middle, and it should have a light and spongey feel when the toothpick goes in. This could well account entirely for the gummy feel of the cake, but it could also have been that the cake was too wet to start with. As someone who does bake a lot, you already know that it can be tricky to double recipes, and maybe it takes a couple of tries to get it right. The frosting was definitely too runny. Much too runny. It needs to be as thick as you can make it, while still being able to spread it. Vegan baking isn’t so different to other baking, it’s different ingredients, but you definitely want the same result, nice thick frosting, perfectly moist and spongey cake. Not weighing the flour might have resulted in a cake too dense, because the common issue is using too much, though it doesn’t seem like that was the case here. It might be worth making the recipe as stated (not doubled) to start with, and then getting the feel for it and then increasing it after that. All the best and hope it works on the second round!
Nicole says
The weight for the flour is incorrect. It should be 350g, not 220g. The same thing happened to me (and, being an avid baker, I should have noticed immediately, as opposed to when I saw that my cupcakes had sinkholes). They still taste great, though.
Nicole says
My bad, that seems like the right conversion, but I feel like something is off.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Nicole, the flour weight is correct, one cup measures 125g so 1 and 3/4 cup is actually exactly 218.75g but I just round that to 220g! 🙂
Jessica Stewart says
Thank you for all of your great posts! One kitchen tool I can not live without is the stainless steel hand immersion blender! I use it for the tomato sauce – and I blend it right in the hot pot – because it’s stainless steel and not plastic. I also use it for other recipes, but this is a great kitchen tool that I am really enjoying and thankful for. Have a beautiful day and please keep baking and sharing your awesome recipes. And, I love reading your blog / blurb right before the recipe. I wish you all of the best in your life. You share so much of your talent with us and I thank you. 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jessica! Thanks for sharing! Yes I must say I love my immersion blender too – makes soups so much easier!
Lexi says
If I cooked this in a bundt cake pan would it still come out okay?
Alison Andrews says
The kind of pan you use will only make a difference to the baking time, I’m not sure how much longer or shorter the baking time might be.
Mel and Jay says
I did this recipe for my husband’s birthday. We both loved it. So original!
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! So happy to hear!
Julia Crowne-Greene says
I’m going to be making dessert for a wine dinner I’m working next week and this looks perfect!! (We have three vegans in the group)
Since it’s a group of 29, I need to make a larger cake! I saw you mentioned using one 8″ pan or increasing the recipe by 50%..
So my question is that by increasing it by 50% I can fill two 8″ cake pans?
Wasn’t exactly clear.
Thank you!!
Alison Andrews says
Yes, by increasing the recipe 50% you’ll fill two 8″ pans. You might need to cook it a few minutes longer too, I’m not entirely sure, check it at 30 minutes and see if it’s done, it might need a couple of minutes more as the layers will likely be slightly thicker as well.
Danielle says
Is there a gluten free option? This sounds so yummy but I can’t do the regular flour.
Alison Andrews says
Sure you can adapt it to be gluten-free. If I was adapting this recipe, I would switch the flour for a gluten-free all purpose flour blend (I like Bob’s Red Mill brand and usually use that), and then because gluten-free flours absorb more moisture, I would increase the oil to half a cup and add 2 tablespoons of applesauce. I would also increase the baking soda and baking powder by 25% each, so add a 1/4 tsp to each. All the best!
Alexis says
This cake looks wonderful and I’m sure it tastes just as much! I’ll give it a try as soon as the next perfect occasion pops up – might even just create it *oops*
Alison Andrews says
Hahaha, that sounds like a great plan Alexis! 🙂 x
Anna Andrews says
A green cake? I would never have thought of that – absolutely delicious!
Alison Andrews says
Haha, yes I loved the green! 🙂
Karen says
Looks wonderful, tastes even better. Love the lime flavour and my kids loved the colour!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! 🙂 x
J Dennis says
My family said it was the best cake they ever had.
Alison Andrews says
Wow! That’s so awesome! So happy to hear!