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    Home » Cakes and Cupcakes

    Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

    Published: Aug 5, 2022 Updated: Aug 5, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

    The best vegan lemon poppy seed cake is light, fluffy and moist with loads of lemon flavor and poppy seeds. Topped with vegan lemon buttercream frosting.

    Sliced vegan lemon poppy seed cake on a white cake stand.

    It’s no secret that I LOVE a lemon dessert. So of course this vegan lemon poppy seed cake is my new favorite.

    The recipe is based on our fabulous vegan lemon cake, with the addition of poppy seeds for flavor and crunch. And they look gorgeous too.

    It’s frosted with vegan lemon buttercream frosting for the perfect layer cake.

    It’s also versatile and can be made as a two or three layer cake.

    Ingredients You’ll Need For The Cake:

    Ingredients for vegan lemon poppy seed cake.

    Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

    • White vinegar – distilled white vinegar reacts with the baking soda and creates the gorgeous rise for this cake. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
    • Lemon zest – is added to the cake batter and adds a lovely subtle lemon flavor. We love using a zester for ease of use.
    • Canola oil – can be switched for vegetable oil.
    • Lemon extract – adds heaps of lemon flavor. You can use lemon juice instead if you can’t get hold of lemon extract, but the flavor will be much more subtle.
    • Soy milk – can be switched for a different non-dairy milk.

    Ingredients For The Frosting:

    Ingredients for lemon buttercream frosting.

    Frosting Notes

    • Lemon extract – adds heaps of lemon flavor but if you can’t get hold of it then just use extra lemon juice.
    • Lemon juice – should ideally be freshly squeezed.
    Sliced vegan lemon poppy seed cake on a white cake stand.

    How To Make Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed 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. Add white granulated sugar, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds and mix together.
    Dry ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed.
    • Add soy milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon zest and mix into a batter. Only mix until the ingredients are combined, don’t overmix.
    Wet ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed into a batter.
    • Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with parchment paper along the bottoms).
    • Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
    Lemon poppy seed cake in 8-inch cake pans before and after baking.
    • Let the cakes cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
    Lemon poppy seed cake layers cooling on a wire cooling rack and then the frosted cake on a white cake stand.
    • When the cakes are completely cool, frost with vegan lemon buttercream frosting.
    Frosted vegan lemon poppy seed cake on white cake stand.

    Baker’s Tips

    Weigh the flour. For the best results weigh your flour out on a food scale. If you don’t have a food scale then spoon and level. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup, level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.

    Don’t overmix the batter. Mix until just mixed.

    Baking pan sizes. This cake can be baked in two 8-inch cake pans OR two 9-inch cake pans for a two layer cake. Or it can be baked in three 8-inch cake pans as a three layer cake. For a two layer 9-inch cake or a three layer 8-inch cake the baking time can be reduced by 5 minutes (from 30 minutes to 25 minutes).

    Gluten free. We have not tested this cake as gluten free but our best guess is that a gluten free all purpose baking blend should work well.

    Sliced vegan lemon poppy seed cake on a white cake stand.

    Storing and Freezing

    Keep your vegan lemon poppy seed cake stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. Let it come to room temperature before serving.

    It’s freezer friendly for up to 3 months.

    Slice of vegan lemon poppy seed cake on a cake lifter.

    More Vegan Lemon Desserts

    1. Vegan Lemon Bars
    2. Vegan Lemon Curd
    3. Vegan Lemon Pie
    4. Vegan Lemon Cookies
    5. Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
    6. Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
    Slice of vegan lemon poppy seed cake on a white plate with a cake fork.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan lemon poppy seed cake with slices cut on a white cake stand.

    Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

    The best vegan lemon poppy seed cake is light, fluffy and moist with loads of lemon flavor and poppy seeds. Topped with vegan lemon buttercream frosting.
    5 from 11 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Cakes, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 517kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 2 ⅔ cups All Purpose Flour (330g)
    • 1 ½ cups White Granulated Sugar (300g)
    • 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
    • ¾ teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ cup Poppy Seeds (34g)
    • 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
    • 3 teaspoons Lemon Extract
    • 2 Tablespoons Lemon Zest

    Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

    • ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
    • 4 cups Powdered Sugar (480g)
    • 2 teaspoons Lemon Extract
    • 2-3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice Freshly Squeezed
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and spay two 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
    • Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl. Add white granulated sugar, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds and mix together.
    • Add soy milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon zest and mix into a batter. Only mix until the ingredients are combined, don't overmix.
    • Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with parchment paper along the bottoms).
    • 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.

    Frosting:

    • Add vegan butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat it until smooth.
    • Add powdered sugar, lemon extract and lemon juice and beat it in until fluffy and smooth.
    • When the cakes are completely cool, frost with the lemon frosting and let it set in the fridge for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

    Notes

    1. Weigh the flour. For the best results weigh your flour out on a food scale. If you don’t have a food scale then spoon and level. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup, level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.
    2. Lemon extract – adds heaps of lemon flavor. You can use lemon juice instead if you can’t get hold of lemon extract, but the flavor will be much more subtle.
    3. Baking pan sizes. This cake can be baked in two 8-inch cake pans OR two 9-inch cake pans for a two layer cake. Or it can be baked in three 8-inch cake pans as a three layer cake. For a two layer 9-inch cake or a three layer 8-inch cake the baking time can be reduced by 5 minutes (from 30 minutes to 25 minutes).
    4. Gluten free. We have not tested this cake as gluten free but our best guess is that a gluten free all purpose baking blend should work well.
    5. Frosting. If you’re using a tub-style vegan butter then you can just add all your ingredients to the stand mixer at once, no need to beat the butter first before adding the other ingredients. In this case you may only need 2 tablespoons lemon juice as well. If you’re using a very firm stick-style vegan butter then beat it first in the stand mixer and then add the rest of the ingredients as per the recipe instructions. In this case you will likely need the full 3 tablespoons of lemon juice as stick style vegan butters have a lower water content. 
    6. Storing and freezing: Keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. Let it come to room temperature before serving. It’s freezer friendly for up to 3 months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 517kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 360mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 65g | Vitamin A: 476IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 2mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Wren says

      October 04, 2022 at 10:33 am

      I’ve made this twice now, so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, but the first time I made 2 cakes in loaf tins, and the second time I made 15 cupcakes. I’ll definitely make it again. So reliable and easy, no ‘weird’ ingredients. I’ve found all the cake recipes on this site to be no-fail and loved by both vegans and non-vegans, thank you Alison!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 04, 2022 at 11:22 am

        Thank you so much Wren! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Carla Colombon Fernandez says

      September 18, 2022 at 10:20 am

      This was delicious! Followed the recipe to a T although I used only one large cake pan and didn’t used butter for the frosting, only made a glaze with confectionery sugar, lemon juice and a bit of oat milk. I lt was absolutely delicious, moist and fluffy and so so good. Thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 19, 2022 at 10:36 am

        So glad you loved it Carla, thanks for the amazing review!

        Reply
    3. Dina says

      August 22, 2022 at 4:59 am

      First vegan cake my daughter and I ever made and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipes!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 22, 2022 at 9:33 am

        That’s awesome Dina! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review!

        Reply
    4. Natasha says

      August 13, 2022 at 9:09 pm

      Could this work in a loaf tin? Also if I used self raising gluten free flour should I just leave out the baking powder? Many thanks 🙂

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 15, 2022 at 11:20 am

        Hi Natasha, I think if you only have a loaf pan it will be better to halve the recipe. The baking time will also likely be a bit longer. If you use gluten free self raising then you could try reducing the baking soda (bicarbonate of soda if you’re in the UK) by half.

        Reply
    5. Ann Griffiths says

      August 08, 2022 at 11:56 am

      This was perfect. I made it to celebrate our son’s 40th birthday with friends. He wasn’t there lol. It was perfectly moist. I only used lemon juice and zest no extract. It was lovely and is definitely in my saved recipes. Our friends were amazed it was vegan.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 08, 2022 at 12:07 pm

        Thanks so much for the lovely review Ann! So happy everyone enjoyed it!

        Reply
    6. Anna says

      August 08, 2022 at 11:12 am

      This cake was amazing! So moist and lemony! 5 stars

      Reply
    7. Annie says

      August 05, 2022 at 9:11 pm

      Hi! How long would you suggest baking this if all the batter was put in a bundt pan? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 06, 2022 at 11:43 am

        I haven’t tested this in a bundt pan but my guess is at least 45 minutes but it could be longer, up to an hour.

        Reply
    8. Cheli says

      August 05, 2022 at 7:17 pm

      Absolutely amazing cake. I love lemon desserts but not a fan of the eggs in those desserts. This is something I will be trying.

      Reply
    9. Deb Z says

      August 05, 2022 at 6:10 pm

      Hi Alison! How’s this cake in a bundt pan with no frosting?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 06, 2022 at 11:41 am

        I haven’t tested it in a bundt pan but it should work fine, the only thing to adjust is the baking time, my guess is it would take at least 45 minutes but might be longer.

        Reply
    10. Audrey says

      August 05, 2022 at 5:07 pm

      Is it possible to make this an oil free and butter free recipe?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 06, 2022 at 11:39 am

        You can try replacing the oil with applesauce. It usually works but it does have a slightly different texture. For the frosting you could just go with a powdered sugar and lemon juice glaze. Have a look at our vegan lemon pound cake for an example.

        Reply

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