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.
It’s still in the oven. Looking and smelling amazing. I just found this cake. I added some ground chia seeds to replace the eggs. I used oat milk. They have risen beautifully. I have vegan home made lemon curd to sandwich it together. Tomorrow I will make vegan butter icing with Buttery Flora. Thank you so much for the recipe. Love it.
That’s great Lesley! Thanks for sharing and for your great review!
Very easy to make. Lots of lemon flavor
Thanks for your great review Sue!
Hi Alison!
I’d like to triple this recipe to make a bigger cake and some cupcakes / what are your tips?
Do I need to adjust ratios or just triple everything in the recipe?
Hi Sophia. Yes you can triple the recipe. We also have a recipe for vegan lemon cupcakes if you want to try that out.
Made this for my daughter and son-in-law’s Baby Shower. It was absolutely delicious and got rave reviews from everyone, vegan or not! I fancied it by putting a layer of vegan lemon curd in the middle. Wish I could post a picture – my husband’s decorations were stunning! This one is a keeper.
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing and for your great review Susan!
This is a wonderful recipe. It was delicious, moist, and decadent – perfect for a summer birthday.
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thanks so much for your lovely review!
This is an easy recipe. However the baking soda is extremely overpowering some of the buttercream can mask it. But I’d suggest decreasing the amount used. I’ll have to try this one again.
Thanks for your review Alex. We found the amount of baking soda to be correct. If you do decide to use less, keep in mind your cakes will not rise as much.
I make this cake every year for my birthday, June 19. Today I made it for the fifth time, and it turned out beautifully. I soured the milk separately before adding it (along with the oil and extracts and zest) to the dry ingredients. The past two years, I have elevated it by making lemon curd to put between the layers (with the buttercream on the top and sides). It will forever be my favorite cake to enjoy. Thanks for making my birthday a little more special, year after year.
That’s amazing Naomi! So happy to hear you enjoy the recipe and thanks so much for sharing and for your lovely review!
I just discovered this cake, and I already feel like it’s gonna be my favorite cake, too. I can’t wait to make it again. I added a bunch of fresh berries on the top and in the middle, and it’s freaking amazing. 🎉🎉🎉
Awesome! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
I’ve use half of the sugar (used brown) and half of the oil with adding 3 tbs of chia and the cake turned out great. Thank you for the recipe
Thanks for sharing Monica!
This recipe is just what I’m looking for. Going to make lots as wanted for a Wedding Cake! Can the cake be frozen?
Yes it can be frozen Jami!
Hi again, I’m still making the cakes! The lemon buttercream is absolutely amazing! I’ve made a couple of two layer test cakes for family, taste lovely, they love it! I am having one problem, the cakes rise perfectly but have dropped a little while cooling. I’m using plain flour -UK ( all purpose -US.) Following recipe exactly. Apple cider vinegar works better than white distilled vinegar for me. Any suggestions what I may be doing wrong? Worth trying UK Self-raising flour?
Thanks very much!
Hi Jami. There are quite a few things that can cause your cakes to fall in the middle like an inaccurate oven temperature, excessive or insufficient leavening agent, overmixing of the batter, or premature opening of the oven door. Hope that helps!
Lemon extract is a game changer !!!
Fabulous cake , loved by everyone
Thank you
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Fi! Thanks for your great review!
Could you swap the vinegar for lemon juice?
Yes you can!
My friend made this lemon cake, on Sabbath. I was impressed with the moisture , consistency and overall taste. Very few vegetarians can cook simple tasty food. Art to knowing good food.
She did use only 1/2 icing recipe and used only 1/2 amount sugar called for in cake. Thank you
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe CC!
Made this for a work colleague and everyone loved it. Already have requests for another one! I used more lemon juice in the frosting than called for and it was a nice tart balance to the cake.
That’s great Diana! Thanks so much for sharing and for your great review!
Can I make this in a Bundt pan?.
We haven’t tested this recipe in a bundt pan before, so I’m not sure Pat.
hello! sorry for the annoying question but in your opinion could I add poppy seeds to this recipe?
Sure you can!
I love this recipe thank you! I would like to make it for a friend who is gluten free – would U just substitute the flour or would you advise any other changes? Many thanks! Alexis
You can just substitute the flour with any all purpose gluten free flour without making any other changes to the recipe. Thanks so much for your great review Alexis!
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly – I will do that ☺️