This vegan lemon pound cake is seriously the best ever. Also known as vegan lemon loaf, it is moist and rich and topped with a deliciously tangy lemon glaze.
Ever since making our vegan pound cake recipe, I have wanted to make a vegan lemon pound cake.
After doing all the heavy lifting of figuring out how to even make a pound cake when I made our original pound cake, this one was a total breeze and a complete pleasure to make.
Topped with a delicious lemon glaze it is total lemony perfection.
The lemon flavor in the cake is subtle and comes from a little lemon extract and some lemon zest.
And the frosting is a simple mix of powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract.
And if you love lemon desserts then you’ll also love our vegan lemon cake.
How To Make Vegan Lemon Pound 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.
- Add vegan butter and white granulated sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream them together until well mixed. Add vanilla extract and lemon extract and mix in.
- Prepare vegan buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it curdle.
- Add the vegan buttermilk to the mixer and mix it in with the vegan butter and sugar mix. It will look curdled but this is fine.
- Sift the all purpose flour into a separate mixing bowl, add baking powder and salt and mix together.
- Add the dry ingredients in with the wet and mix into a batter with a spoon. Be careful not to overmix.
- Add lemon zest and mix in. The batter will be thick.
- Transfer the batter to a 9×5 loaf pan (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with parchment paper so that there is overhang on either side) and smooth down.
- Place into the oven to bake at 350°F for 60 minutes.
- At the 40 minute mark, bring it out and tent the top with foil so that the foil makes a tent shape over the top. Return it to the oven to bake for the final 20 minutes.
- Lift the cake out using the parchment paper overhang and place it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before adding the lemon glaze.
- To make the glaze, mix powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract in a bowl.
- Spoon the glaze onto the cake and spread it around the top evenly. Allow the glaze to set in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing and serving the cake.
Tenting with Foil
This cake bakes for an hour, which can lead to excessive browning on top. So the trick is to bring it out after 40 minutes and tent it with foil and then put it back in for the last 20 minutes.
You simply wrap the whole loaf pan in foil so that there is a tent shape on top, this is so that the foil doesn’t press down on your cake from the top, but protects it from getting overly browned.
Bringing it out at the 40 minute point doesn’t effect the rise of the cake or cause any sinking effect (as it would do if you opened the oven at an earlier point) because all the rising has already happened at this stage and it’s close to done.
Why This Recipe Works
Texture. The cake is quite dense, which is what you want in a pound cake. It’s not super light and fluffy, but it’s not meant to be. It’s still probably lighter than a traditional pound cake, but you can see from the photos that it has a fairly tight crumb.
Moisture. The moistness in this cake comes about from the vegan butter and homemade vegan buttermilk.
Rise. The lift comes from 3 teaspoons of baking powder, which is the maximum amount you can use in this recipe, any more and you’d have it rising too high for the structure to support and then you get sinking in the middle.
Result. The result is a lovely vegan lemon loaf with a delicious lemon flavor that really pops with the addition of the lemon glaze.
Serving Suggestions
This cake is divine served as is, but if you wanted to serve it with something else like a scoop of vegan lemon ice cream, that would be divine too! Pound cake really works well served alongside other things.
Make It Gluten-Free
If you’d like to make this lemon loaf gluten-free then my recommendation would be to use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. I haven’t tested it with this recipe, but that is usually what works best.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay fresh for 3-4 days or covered in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
More Lemony Vegan Desserts
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Lemon Pie
- Vegan Lemon Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Bars
- Vegan Lemon Curd
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Lemon Pound Cake:
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (200g)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Extract
- 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (240ml) 1 Tbsp lemon juice + soy milk up to the 1 cup line
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Zest
For the Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar (120g)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- ⅛ teaspoon Lemon Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray and line it with parchment paper, letting the parchment paper hang over the sides so that the cake can be easily lifted out. Set aside.
- Add vegan butter and white granulated sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream them together until well mixed. Add vanilla extract and lemon extract and mix in.
- Prepare vegan buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it curdle.
- Add the vegan buttermilk to the mixer and mix it in with the vegan butter and sugar mix. It will look curdled but this is fine.
- Sift the all purpose flour into a separate mixing bowl, add baking powder and salt and mix together.
- Add the dry ingredients in with the wet and mix into a batter with a spoon. Be careful not to overmix.
- Add lemon zest and mix in. The batter will be thick.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared 9×5 loaf pan and smooth down.
- Place into the oven to bake at 350°F for 60 minutes. At the 40 minute mark, bring it out and tent the top with foil* so that the foil makes a tent shape over the top. Return it to the oven to bake for the final 20 minutes.
- Lift the cake out using the parchment paper overhang and place it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before adding the lemon glaze.
- To make the glaze, mix powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract in a bowl.
- Spoon the glaze onto the cake and spread it around the top evenly. Allow the glaze to set in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing and serving the cake.
Notes
- Weigh your flour for the most accurate/best results or use the ‘spoon and level’ method. Spoon the flour 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.
- 2 Tablespoons of lemon zest is what you’d get from about 2 small lemons.
- Tenting with foil stops the cake from browning too much on top.
- Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay fresh for 3-4 days.
Sitota says
Can I substitute more lemon zest for the extract since I do not have any at hand, or is there something else that substitutes better? If so, how much?
Alison Andrews says
Hi there, sure you can do that! More lemon zest will increase the lemon flavor. All the best!
Francesca Guenter says
Can you add poppyseeds to this recipe? If so, how would you adjust the recipe?
Alison Andrews says
I think you can! I wouldn’t adjust the recipe at all, just add some in. 🙂
Taylor says
This is a really solid recipe. I added 1 extra tsp of lemon extract to compensate for the lack of lemon zest on hand. In retrospect, I should have dropped in a few drops of yellow food coloring for more of a traditional lemon pound cake look. I made it right before bed and honestly the next morning it was very mediocre. By that night (24 hours after baking) it was a bit better. By 48 hours after being made it was really good and somehow even better by 72 hours. The crumb started so close and it was almost dry but it became more tender as it sat. By Day 3 my husband who “isnt a lemon guy” ate an entire piece standing in front of the fridge. I have no idea why it needs to age but I’m happy to comply! I look forward to making this on a Friday for a Sunday dinner or to bring to work on Monday. The end result is absolutely worth a little bit of planning. Thank you for this great recipe!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks for sharing Taylor!
Pavi says
I had the same experience where the cake texture got better after a couple of days. By day 2 the cake was perfect! I guess it’s a good make ahead project!
Pavi says
I have this in the oven now. I was excited to see how nicely it had risen at the 40 minute mark. I took it out to tent it with foil and I saw it start deflating. Now I’m worried that it’s ruined 🙁
Pavi says
Update: the cake was a tad sunken but still delicious, especially with the glaze. My edges turned a bit hard and crunchy…how can I prevent this? Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Glad it was delicious! Ovens can vary a lot and if the temperature is a little high that can cause the edges to be hard and crunchy, it may be a good idea to check the temperature with an oven thermometer. 🙂
Pavi says
Another update: the flavor and texture of this cake gets better each day! I made it 2 days ago and I’m loving it even more now!
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! Thanks for the update Pavi! 🙂
Jenni says
Made this Last night for thanksgiving (which is today) and it’s half gone already. SO good!!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! So glad you’re enjoying it! Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Olive Bradbury says
My pan was slightly smaller than the recipe. I can confirm that it works really well as a microwave mug cake if anyone else finds the self in the same situation!
Alison Andrews says
Oh haha, good to know! 🙂
Mary says
Thank you for the reply to my previous question about freezing this cake.
Now I’m wondering how it would work if the cake was drizzled with a lemon glaze as in lemon drizzle cake.
Maybe I will try this.
Mary says
Do you think the cake would freeze, without the icing?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Mary, yes you can freeze it! 🙂
Emily says
Thank you for the recipe, it has worked perfectly, so moist and lovely lemony flavour. My omni in laws couldn’t believe it was vegan. I swapped the lemon extract for lemon essential oil.
I am fairly new to vegan baking and your website has so many simple recipes, I will definitely be trying more of them.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Emily! So happy it was a success. So glad you found our blog and I hope you’ll find lots of recipes you’ll love! xo
Christal says
Thanks so much for this recipe! My dad loves pound cake so I’m planning on making this for Father’s Day. I noticed you said the baking time may vary if round pans are used. I’m hoping I can make this in a bundt pan and still get a good result. I’ll keep you posted! Would you recommend buttering and flouring the pan before baking in my bundt pan so that it’s easier to take out?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Christal, I haven’t tried this in a bundt pan, but I think the baking times should be around the same since it’s done in a single pan, but just keep a check on it. I usually use parchment paper plus non stick spray, but I don’t think parchment paper is something you would use in a bundt pan so if you usually have good success with buttering and flouring the pan then stick to what works for you. All the best with it and let us know how it goes! 🙂
Christal Young says
Hi Alison! Thank you again for this wonderful recipe! My dad absolutely loved his cake and the bundt pan turned out PERFECT! The butter and flour helped the cake slide out with ease and it was a beautiful, as well as delicious, cake. I posted a photo under your Pinterest pin if you’re interested in seeing how it turned out. Many many thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Christal! So glad to hear it was a hit and worked great in the bundt pan! I just saw the pin on pinterest and it looks amazing! Thanks so much for updating us and the wonderful rating. 🙂
Jennifer says
Could Almond flour be used in place of the flour?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jennifer, I don’t think that would work. If you want it to be gluten-free you could try a gluten-free all purpose flour blend.
Sanne Bloom says
Absolutely scrumptious. I will be making this on regular rotation.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Alison Andrews says
So happy it turned out great! Thanks for the wonderful review. xo
ViviBelle says
Can this icing be changed to vanilla? How would I go about that? Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Sure, just use non-dairy milk instead of lemon juice and vanilla extract instead of lemon extract.
Stuart says
I made this cake for my mom on Mother’s Day and she loved it! Everyone who has tasted it (vegan and non-vegan) has complimented me on it.
I made only two slight variations.
I sifted my dry ingredients before adding them to the butter/sugar mixture.
And, my icing wasn’t pourable, so I added a bit more lemon juice and a tsp of almond milk to it.
I will definitely make this cake again and recommend it to anyone who likes a great lemon pound cake.
Can’t wait to try out some of your other recipes!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Stuart, so glad it was a success! Thanks for sharing your adjustments and the wonderful review. 🙂
Diane M. says
This is my new go-to lemon loaf recipe. It’s absolutely delicious and moist! And it’s super lemony! I made it for the first time several months ago for my coworkers, who devoured it and also could not believe it was vegan.
Alison Andrews says
So glad to hear! Thanks for the awesome review! xo