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Vegan Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. No added refined sugar in this soft and Delicious Lemon Cake! Makethe batter into cupcakes, loaf or a sheet pan cake. Vegan Soyfree Recipe, Can be nut-free, glutenfree Jump to Recipe
This Cake is Zesty, lemony, Soft, Moist, Sumerry and everything I want in a Lemon Cake. A super easy Cake with loads of lemon juice and zest covered with 4 ingredient vegan cream cheese frosting. I use kite cream cheese or a cashew based home made cream cheese. A simple glaze with a few tsp lemon juice and half cup powdered sugar will work wonderfully as well.
It takes just a few minutes to put together and then it is the excruciating wait time to bake, cool and frost! All maple syrup, no refined sugar in the cake or the frosting. The batter can be baked into cupcakes, baked donuts or a loaf like my Cinnamon Swirl Loaf which is getting made every day on Instagram!
Soft, Spongy, Fresh and so Lemony! Perfect to have some around at all times.
More Cakes from the blog
- Cinnamon Swirl Cake. Super popular!
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- 1 Bowl Banana Apple Bread. Can be made into muffins
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Cake
- Lemon blueberry pound cake
- 1 Bowl Oil free Turmeric Coconut Loaf
Gluten-free options
- GF Cashew Butter Chocolate Marble Cake.
- Gluten-free Cinnamon Roll Bread yeast-free.
- GF Carrot Banana Bread – Also grain-free.
- Sweet Potato Crumb Cake. GF
Tips to make a great Vegan Lemon Cake
- Adjust the batter based on the ingredients used. Different flours and differences in amounts(measurement errors), means the mixture will absorb moisture differently. You want a flowy batter, but not too thin (will make gummy cake with high moisture content), and not too stiff(will make a dryer cake).
- Add more zest if using less lemon juice.
- Once mixed, bake the batter immediately. Because of the higher acidity, the reaction with the leavening agents will already start on mixing. If the batter sits for too long, it will tend to rise less on baking.
- This recipe makes a moist cake with higher moisture content. It can easily end up gummy, see point 1 to ensure fluffy cake.
Vegan Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1/2 cup maple syrup, (add 1 tbsp sugar for sweeter)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, ( 1 tbsp more if using whole grain flours)
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/4 cup water, or non dairy milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, optional
Dry:
- 1 1/2 cup flour , (I use all purpose or a combination of all purpose and whole wheat pastry/white whole wheat flour, 1 :1 or 2:1 ratio)
- 2 tbsp almond flour or meal, , or use more flour to make it nutfree
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp turmeric, for color, optional
- zest of 1/2 to 1 lemon depending on the size of the lemon and your preference of lemonyness
Frosting:
- 6 oz vegan cream cheese, (I use kite hill plain almond cream cheese, see notes to make your own cashew cream cheese)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- a pinch of salt
- 1 - 2 tbsp powdered sugar and 2 drops of vanilla if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
- Add the 1 1/4 cup flour and the rest of the dry ingredients and whisk well to make a smooth batter. Add rest of the flour 1 tbsp at a time to make a smooth flowy batter, but not overly watery or overly stiff. You might not need all of the flour if using whole grain flour.
- Pour the batter into a lined or greased pan. Even it out using a spatula.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes if using a square baking dish or brownie pan. If the dish is stoneware, add a few more mins to the baking time. If baking a Loaf: 40 to 50 minutes, Cupcakes: 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes. Test with a toothpick from the center. It should come out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 mins, then remove and let it cool completely before frosting.
- Whisk the ingredients under frosting until smooth. Add 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar for sweeter frosting. Adjust the tang with lemon zest if needed. Add a drop or so vanilla extract or almond extract for flavor (optional). Chill the frosting for 15 mins if too flowy.
- Spread the frosting on the cake evenly. Slice and serve. Store refrigerated for upto 4 days. The lemon flavor gets stronger on storing
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is simple, fast and delicious!
I didn’t have cream cheese but used coconut milk instead for the frosting.
It worked perfectly!
sounds delicious – thank you
I made it exactly according to the recipe. It was so lemony, so moist, and so, so good. Hardly needs the frosting because the cake is so flavorful, but it’s nice as well. Richa, your baked goods do not disappoint!
so nice
Hello, planning to make the vegan lemon cake next week. Don’t have maple syrup, so will be using white sugar instead. So do I use 161 gms of sugar and increase the amount of water/milk? Increase it to how much please?
Add half the amount maple as milk
I made this last weekend and let me say – it was amazing! Not too sweet, very moist, and I followed directions to the letter. Just outstanding, LOVED the “frosting.” Just very, very satisfied. This recipe I printed and am keeping permanently. A total winner! Thank you Vegan Richa!
so great to hear Carolyn, thank YOU
Looks delicious!
If I use your gluten free flour blend, do I still need to add the 2 tbsp almond flour?
Thanks!
Yes
Hi. I want to make lemon poppy seed cake. How much poppy seed would you recommend adding to this recipe without compromising texture. Btw we love your cinnamon swirl cake and have made it countless times.
Thank you!
thank you!!! 2-3 tsp of poppy seeds
Incredible recipe! I’ve made lemon deserts in the past that were too sour and this was just perfect. I will definitely be making it again.
Could I make this with lime instead?
If I use sugar instead of maple syrup, I’ll need to add more non-dairy milk?
Yea and yes. Add half the amount maple as milk
Made this as a birthday cake for myself tonight, skipped the frosting and did a light lemon glaze instead. Between my partner, my son, and myself we ate the entire cake in one night.😅
Yay happy birthday
Looks delicious! Thank you, I’m going to try making this.
Is the Cashew Cream Cheese recipe under Notes the frosting recipe or just the cream cheese part of the frosting recipe? If it’s the latter, then that means I’ll have to add more lemon juice and more salt (plus syrup and powdered sugar) to make the frosting right?
Great! The Cashew Cream Cheese recipe works for many different purposes and is the base of the frosting. so, make that first and then you’ll have to add more lemon juice and more salt (plus syrup and powdered sugar) to make the frosting, yes, you got it!! Enjoy