This vegan lemon cake with velvety lemon buttercream frosting is moist and fluffy and will make all your lemon cake dreams come true!
This vegan lemon cake is pure lemony perfection!
Jaye was saying it’s exactly like the lemon cake his grandmother used to make! Which is high praise considering his grandmother was quite the chef.
The recipe is based on our vegan vanilla cake, with lots of lemon flavor added in via lemon zest and lemon extract and of course, a delicious lemon buttercream frosting and lots of lemon zest as decoration.
It’s super easy, and will happily fulfil all your lemon cake dreams!
When looking around the web at lemon cakes in general, I saw a lot of lemon loaf cakes.
But that isn’t what comes to my mind when I think of a lemon cake, to me a lemon cake is a lemon layer cake, and a lemon loaf cake or a lemon pound cake is the loaf cake. Anyway, just saying because I hope you didn’t come to this page hoping for a loaf cake.
If you did, well don’t worry, we also have a gorgeous vegan lemon pound cake.
I went with two 8-inch cake pans for this cake. The layers are really fat and beautiful. This cake also works perfectly in 9-inch cake pans.
Egg replacement?
I didn’t use a flax egg in this cake, which I also don’t use in my vanilla cake recipe that I based this recipe on. I don’t find I need it in this recipe and I don’t want it to affect the color.
In light colored cakes, a flax egg can affect the color leading it to look a bit spotty, so in this case it’s best to leave it out.
So there isn’t any specific egg replacer in this recipe, unless you count the baking soda/vinegar combination, which definitely acts together to create some crucial baking science that causes the cake to rise beautifully. It all just works.
Recipe Q&A
You can use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend to replace the regular flour in this recipe. If it comes out a bit dry (gluten-free flours can absorb more moisture) then increase the oil a little.
Yes you can. This recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes. Or for a perfect 12 cupcakes see our vegan lemon cupcakes recipe.
Sure you can, but the lemon flavor will be lessened quite a bit. I do recommend getting some lemon extract if you possibly can.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature where it will stay gorgeous for a 3-4 days or keep it covered in the fridge where it will last for up to a week.
The cake is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. You can freeze it either frosted or unfrosted. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Gorgeous Vegan Cakes
- Our vegan white cake is a classic 8-inch beauty which is pretty much a vanilla cake, just with attempts to make it even whiter in color.
- Our recipe for the best vegan chocolate cake can be made in either 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans and our easy vegan chocolate cake adapts well to multiple different cake pans.
- Our vegan banana cake can be made as a 9×13 sheet cake or a 2-layer 8-inch cake. It’s also topped with a delicious lemon frosting.
- Our vegan coffee cake isn’t just a cake to eat with your coffee, it’s actually a coffee flavored cake! Topped with a kahlua frosting it’s a real treat.
- Our vegan red velvet cake has a beautiful vibrant color and it’s perfect for special occasions and our vegan carrot cake is always very popular.
- Want to have an English tea? Make this delicious vegan Victoria sponge cake!
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Lemon Cake
Ingredients
For the Vegan Lemon Cake:
- 2 ⅔ cups All Purpose Flour (330g)
- 1 ½ cups White Granulated Sugar (300g)
- 1 ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 1 ½ cups Soy Milk (360ml) or other non-dairy milk
- ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 tsp Lemon Extract
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Zest
For the Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
- 4 ½ cups Powdered Sugar (540g)
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 2 tsp Lemon Extract
- 3 ½ Tbsp Lemon Juice
For Decoration:
- Lemon Zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two 8-inch* cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift the all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda and salt. Then add the soy milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon zest. Whisk with a hand whisk briefly until nicely combined and no big lumps remain. Don't overmix, tiny lumps are okay.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans and place into the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the pans and place onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare your frosting by placing the powdered sugar, vegan butter and lemon extract and lemon juice* into the bowl of an electric mixer. Start off at slow speed, gradually increasing speed until thick and smooth.
- Frost the cooled cakes and decorate with lemon zest.
Video
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly using the spoon and level method or by weighing it on a food scale. For the spoon and level method, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.
- You can switch the canola oil for another vegetable oil if you prefer. We have made this with various oils including a light olive oil and it has come out great.
- 2 Tbsp of lemon zest is from about 2 lemons, but it does depend on the size of the lemons, if it’s a large lemon you might get 2 Tbsp worth of zest from 1 lemon.
- You might not need all the lemon juice in the frosting. I used all of it, but how much you need will largely depend on the brand of vegan butter you use. If you use a firmer type of vegan butter (lower water content) you will need more lemon juice, whereas if it’s more of a soft spread (higher water content) you may need less. So this will require a little flexibility.
- This cake recipe can also be made in 9-inch cake pans with no other changes. The layers will be slightly thinner, but perfect! The cooking time will be 25 minutes.
Elle says
I added more lemons but this recipe is so easy, moist and super tasty!
Kath says
Very good cake and easy to mix.
Fatini says
Made this and it turned out moist and spongy! Who would have thought vegan cakes can be like that?
Alison Andrews says
So glad it was good Fatini! Thanks for posting and the great review.
Judith says
This is a go-to for me. I have decorated it with lavender flowers..so pretty and delicious. Sometimes I turn it into 4 layers because I love the frosting! Next week I am going to fold in raspberries. I have also made cupcakes with it.
Alison Andrews says
So glad you enjoy the recipe Judith! Thanks for sharing!
Kim says
Hi this is the first vegan cake I’ve made and the texture is perfect! But I was wondering how can I make the frosting less sweet or more sour?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kim, so glad you liked the cake! A buttercream frosting is always very sweet, if you don’t love sweet frostings then it’s best to make something like a vegan cream cheese frosting or a vegan ermine frosting as those are less sweet options. Otherwise omit the frosting and serve it with vegan whipped cream. All the best! 🙂
Rachel Stemson says
This has become my go to Birthday or any occasion cake. It is delicious, bright and cheery. It has become my non vegan mother in-laws favorite cake.
Alison Andrews says
I’m so pleased to hear that Rachel! Thanks so much for posting!
Shalina says
Hi, I’m wanting to convert this to a 6inch cake, please advise me on what fraction of the recipe to use and how long I should bake for. Shalina
Alison Andrews says
Hi Shalina, I would halve the recipe for a two layer 6-inch cake. Bake time would be around 20 minutes.
Sri says
Amazing cake, I am not vegan, but I needed an egg free cake. I did use 1% milk instead of non dairy milk. So easy to make too with whisking, uncomplicated ingredients. Love it.
Alison Andrews says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Elena says
It was a lovely cake, but there was a bit of an acidic taste to it, maybe from the bicarbonate of soda/vinegar? Do you know where I went wrong? I used measuring spoons /scales for everything.
Thanks
Alison Andrews says
Hi Elena, the baking soda/vinegar combination doesn’t result in any acidic taste to the cake, it is more likely to have been from your lemon zest particularly if the lemons were quite bitter/acidic. You can omit the lemon zest next time if you prefer as well! All the best!
Sue says
What a great recipe!!! I made it using a 9×13 pan and baked it an additional 7 minutes. After frosting the cake I sprinkled a little yellow colored sugar crystals on top. It was beautiful. I made it for my daughter’s birthday (she’s vegan) and she absolutely loved it. So flavorful and moist.
Alison Andrews says
It sounds gorgeous! And so happy your daughter loved it. Thanks for the wonderful review Sue!
Sisko Laitinen says
Hi! The cake looks amazing and I am planning on making it for my boyfriend’s birthday this week. I was wondering whether you think it’s a good idea to bake the cake in the evening, store it in the refrigerator overnight and do the frosting & decorations the next day? Also, since I only have one cake pan, would you recommend baking the layers individually after each other or would it be possibe to bake one big layer and cut it in half once cooled?
Thank you, I’m really looking forward to trying the recipe!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sisko, if you only have one cake pan then I highly recommend to just halve the recipe. If you double it up in one cake pan it won’t cook evenly and if you have half the batter waiting to bake, it also affects texture and rise. You can absolutely bake the day before, keep it covered in the fridge overnight and frost the next day. It’s also fine to frost it and keep the frosted cake overnight in the fridge (covered) and then bring to room temp before serving.
Sisko Laitinen says
Thanks for the tips! 🙂
Naimah says
I made this cake today. I noticed my batter was much thicker than the video and when it was completely done, it was a little dense. I almost thought it wasn’t done, but it was. I’m not sure what I did wrong. The flavor was awesome! I’m going to try it again. ❤️
Alison Andrews says
Hi Naimah, my guess would be too much flour. If you have a food scale then weigh the flour on your food scale for perfect accuracy. Otherwise spoon and level the flour: spoon it into your measuring cup and level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it in. Also make sure not to overmix. Glad the flavor was awesome, I’m sure it will be much more delicious next time!
Naimah says
Thank you Alison for the feedback. I think that’s exactly where I went wrong. I scooped the flour from the container, and I believe I over mixed it! I’m trying it again next week with these adjustments. 🙂
Fiona says
Made this cake for my daughters 13th birthday and it was a big hit. As usual, I always cut back the sugar in all my cake recipes. For this recipe, I decided to also cut back on the icing sugar and ended up making the butter cream frosting only using 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar and it was nice an fluffy).
I did not have an 8 inch pan so I used a 9 inch springform pan and cut in down the middle to create two layers…. IT WORKED :).
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful to hear that it was a success Fiona! Thanks so much for sharing!
Emily says
Can I make the batter and leave it in the fridge overnight to bake the next day? Will it still turn out well?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Emily, no it must bake right away or it will affect the texture and rise.
Sarah says
Hi this cake is amazing thank you for the recipe! I’m planning on making it again soon for my husbands birthday but only have Coconut oil. Could this replace the vegetable oil? Thanks.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sarah! So happy you like the cake! Yes, coconut oil (melted) will work great.