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.
Egle says
Dear Alison,
I am your vegan cake lover, I make cakes to your recipes and can’t have enough of them. I was wondering if you had an orange cake recipe? Could not find it… perhaps you will be making one soon and would post it on your blog? At the moment I adapted some things from your lemon cake as well as used bits from someone else’s recipe, but really, I would love to see your version 🙂
Thank you,
Egle
Alison Andrews says
What a wonderful suggestion, I will definitely do an orange cake soon and have added it to my list! Thanks so much for the wonderful review and great suggestion! 🙂
ALFR says
Hi Alison – Thanks for the recipe. Baking right now. Cake has been in the oven for 50 minutes. Toothpicks come out clean, but cake does not appear terribly firm. Is it because this is a light and fluffy cake?
Alison Andrews says
That sounds very strange. It usually bakes for 30 minutes and it should be firm when it comes out. It should have a sort of spongey feel when you put the toothpick in. Did you double it up or use a single pan? Just wondering why it needed the extra baking time. Let me know more and I’ll try and help!
ALFR says
Hey Alison – I ended up taking the cake out a little after 50 minutes and it turned out perfectly. Perhaps the extended baking time was due to the cheap oven in my rented apartment or the flimsy, aluminum, square 8 inch pans that were the only thing I could find at a grocery store open at midnight (This was my first cake; I don’t own round 8 inch baking pans). Never mind all that; the cake turned out perfectly! It was moist, tangy, and the hit of the party. Looking forward to making more of your recipes..
Alison Andrews says
So glad to hear it was a success! Yay! Thanks so much for updating and the wonderful review. xo
Tamala says
I was wondering if you can use cake flour instead of regular flour to make the cake? Thank you.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Tamala, I haven’t tested it with cake flour, but it might be fine. There is some info in this article about switching all purpose flour for cake flour. All the best! 🙂
Ginger says
Hi Alison, I’m new to your blog, but love what I see. Can you tell me what other sweeteners other than sugar can be used in your recipes.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Ginger, when it comes to replacing a regular granulated sugar with a different kind of sugar, then if it’s also granulated then it can be swapped 1:1. So if you wanted to use coconut sugar for example, that should be fine as a direct replacement. You can’t use a liquid sweetener though and if you’re talking about using something like stevia then that would be totally different and you’d simply have to experiment with the recipe to find the right ratio. All the best! 🙂
Angela says
So so so delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and a beautiful perfect cake turned out. Huge hit with the nonvegan family will be making again!!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful to hear that! Thanks so much for the awesome review Angela. 🙂
Lui says
I just made the cake , I didn’t have vegan butter so I used reg unsalted butter, I love it, it turned out fantastic. And tastes delicious. Don’t know if I can share it with my girls becsuse of the high carbs in it. It worth the cheat every once in while ! Lol
Alison Andrews says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the wonderful review! 🙂
Val says
I am hosting a pescatarian dinner party at my home this Saturday and, I am SUPER EXCITED to try this recipe in a Vegan Lemon-Strawberry Trifle. I’ve searched a TON of recipes via-google but, this one sounds more like me! :o) Will let you know how it turns out! Thanks for the detailed recipe, instructions, and pics.. XO..
-Val from Detroit, MI :o)
Alison Andrews says
Sounds awesome Val! Hope it works out wonderfully! 🙂
Liz says
The cake part turned out great, however my frosting needs some help. Mine turned out more like a glaze than a thick frosting, also it was incredibly sweet. I used vegan margarine spread, I’m not sure if that had something to do with it? Please help I’m wanting to make this for Easter!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Liz, so glad the cake part turned out great! With the frosting, I added a note to the recipe card, some vegan butters have a higher water content than others, so it may just be that you can use less lemon juice. I would start off adding the lemon juice very slowly and only as much as you need to get the right consistency. If you don’t like the sweetness, you could try something like a vegan cream cheese frosting which is usually a bit less sweet. 🙂
jess says
If you don’t have lemon zest can you just use lemon juice instead of the lemon zest and extract?
Alison Andrews says
You can use lemon juice instead of the lemon extract, but rather leave the zest out. The lemon flavor will be reduced quite a bit though.
jess says
Thanks for the reply. I want to make this after Lent is over. I’ll just have to get myself a lemon.
Bess says
Dear Alison and Jaye,
Thank you guys for the thorough directions and fabulous photos!
You inspired me to go out and buy lemon extract and a few organic lemons.
I couldn’t resist I added a dash of fresh ground nutmeg and a couple teaspoons of fresh ground flax to the flour.
Poured your beautiful batter into a 9″x13″ glass dish.
After 24-minutes I removed the lemon cake from a forced air oven.
Two organic lemons a little smaller than a tennis ball was enough for 2-tablespoons of zest for the cake only.
Even though your frosting looked scrumptious, I topped off my slice with a dollop of plain yogurt.
Oh my, your lemon cake smells so….. good and is so dense.
Now, the hard part, I have to wait for your lemon cake to cool!
Will get back to you on the taste test!
Sincerely,
Bess
Alison Andrews says
Hi Bess! Hope it turned out delicious! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Emma says
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Alison Andrews says
Hi there! Sure, you can sign up for our email list. 🙂
Paula says
Amazing recipe!! Made my daughters birthday cake using this recipe and it turned out amazing!
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic to hear that! Thanks a million Paula! 🙂
Leela says
Thank you for the tips, you always cover every detail needed, it’s very helpful. Also, is white vinegar the same as “distilled malt vinegar” (also white in colour). I’m from the UK so just wondering.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Leela, I don’t know about the ‘malt’ part but yes distilled white vinegar is exactly it. Heinz has one, which is definitely in the UK. It can also sometimes be called ‘spirit vinegar’. Otherwise if it’s proving hard to find you can switch it out for apple cider vinegar in this recipe without any issue. All the best! 🙂
Jillian Seaton says
Hi I was wondering can you double or triple the amount of cake and make it into like a sheet cake.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jillian! You wouldn’t need to double the amount, if you look at our vanilla sheet cake, you’ll see the quantities are much the same, and it makes a perfect sheet cake using a half sheet cake pan. 🙂
Reem says
I made this for my dad’s birthday and oh my goodness it was sooo yummy. The only thing was I put the mixture in 1 pan so it took a lot longer to bake and ended up burning around the outside so I took off that layer, but the remaining insides were great! I want to make it again but with coconut flour and brown sugar, do you think this will allow the recipe to still work? Also, how can I avoid the burning if I don’t have smaller pans to split the mixture, would just a lower oven degree suffice for a longer period of time?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Reem, so glad it was yummy! I don’t recommend using coconut flour and I don’t think the recipe will work like that. If you want to make it gluten-free, you would be much safer using a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. To stop it burning or over-browning on the top in longer baking times you can cover the top of the cake pan with foil. You would let the cake do the bulk of the baking without foil and then take it out and put foil over the top. So if your cake was going to need 50 minutes in the oven, maybe only the last 20 minutes you would bake with foil. If the top of your cake is quite high, then tent the foil. So make a ‘tent’ sort of shape with the foil so that the foil doesn’t press down on the cake from the top. And then put it back in for the rest of the baking time.