You are going to love this Vegan Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It is unbelievably delicate and moist while bursting in citrusy flavors; a delicious vegan cake that everyone will love.
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We’ve made it to February. Just a month and a half of winter left!
This winter has been mild in Oregon but regardless, it’s been rough on me. The short days and cold airs have taken a toll. I’m ready for the clouds to part and give way to some much-needed sun. But with 6 weeks of winter left, there’s not much to do but accept this season for what it is. And so, I’m going to celebrate these winter days the best way I know how – with cake!
This vegan lemon cake is perfect. It pulls in the citrusy flavors of winter with the freshness of spring for a transitional dessert between seasons that I know you’re going to love.
Let’s take a closer look, shall we?
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
This easy lemon cake recipe is made with simple, straight-forward ingredients that you likely already have on hand.
Here is everything you need.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour – This recipe can be made with a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
- Baking Powder & Soda
- Salt
- Vegan Butter -Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- Powdered & Granulated Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
- Lemons - You will need the zest and juice from fresh lemons.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I recommend soy, almond, or cashew milk but any non-dairy milk will do.
- Applesauce – This is the binder of the recipe. Applesauce works the best but if you don’t have access to it, check out my guide on replacing eggs.
- Lemon Extract
- Vegan Cream Cheese - I recommend Tofutti or Daiya.
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, you’ll need basic kitchen equipment such as a mixing bowl, utensils, a wire cooling rack, and three 9" cake pans. For the frosting, a handheld or stand-up mixer is ideal. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One - Measure the Ingredients
In one bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. That’s the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the soymilk and lemon juice and set it aside to curdle. Next, beat together the vegan butter, sugar, and lemon zest and extracts in a stand-up mixer.
Step Two - Combine the Ingredients
Once the butter and sugar are beat, we slowly add the applesauce. At this point, the batter might curdle a bit and that’s okay. It will come back together when the flour is added. Finally, we are going to finish the cake by alternating the dry and wet ingredients into the batter.
Step Three - Bake the Cake
Pour the batter into a prepared cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Step Four – Decorate the Cake
Once the cake is ready, remove from the oven and let it cool at least 30 minutes in the cake pan before flipping it out onto a wire cooling rack. This is very important as the structure of the cake is still firming up. If you flip it over too early, it may fall apart or stick to the pan. Let the cupcakes continue cooling on a wire cooling rack until it is completely cool.
To assemble the cake, place about 1 ½ cups of cream cheese frosting on the bottom layer of lemon cake, smooth oven evenly with an offset spatula and top with a second layer of cake. Repeat with a third layer if necessary. Coat the entire cake in cream cheese frosting and top with lemon wedges.
Serving and Storing
Serving - Serve immediately or place it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Storing - Store for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This cake can also be store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, simply pull out and let thaw at room temperature.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t over-mix the batter. By alternating the dries and wets into the batter, we are ensuring the batter does not get over-mixed and gummy.
- Generously spray your cake pans. We do not want any of this delicious cake sticking to its edges.
- Do not open the oven door while the cakes are baking. This causes the structure to fall leaving you with a dent in the middle of your cakes. You can check for doneness after 45 minutes.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the cake starts to get dark around the edges, you can cover it with tin foil to bake the last 10 minutes.
- Let the cake cool at least 60 minutes in the cake pans before turning it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Let the lemon cake cool completely before frosting. Otherwise, the cream cheese frosting will melt off.
Frequently Asked Questions
By alternating we are making sure the batter stays as tender as possible. By adding all the liquid ingredients first, the butter would start to separate from everything. Yet, adding all the dry ingredients first would cause the batter to get thick and require over-mixing in order for it so even out. And, as we know, over-mixing results in a gummy glutenous texture – not what we’re looking for in a cake.
Yes! This vegan cake can be made in advance. To do this, bake the cake according to the instructions. Once the cake is cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. This cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to frost, let the cake thaw at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
The cream cheese buttercream can be made up to 5 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yes. I have had a lot of luck with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. (<<affiliate link). That is the only gluten-free flour I’ve tried for this cake but I’m sure other 1:1 ratio flours would work as well.
Variations of Lemon Cake
- Make it extra lemony by filling the layers with my vegan lemon curd.
- Vegan orange cake - swap out the lemon juice/zest with orange.
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake - add 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds to the batter.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
- Classic Lemon Pound Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Check out all my vegan cake recipes for more inspiration.
Vegan Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan butter
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 heaping tbsp. lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. lemon extract
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1 cup non-dairy milk, I use soy
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup vegan butter, at room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
Instructions
- To make the vegan lemon cake: Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line three 9" cake pans with parchment paper rounds and spray generously with cooking oil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the non-dairy milk and lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a stand-up mixer or an electric handheld mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and extracts until light and fluffy. With the motor running, add the applesauce scraping down the sides as necessary. The mixture will appear to have separated at this point, but it will come back together.
- Alternating wets (soymilk and lemon juice) and dries (flour mixture) add in three batches, scraping down the sides as needed, ending with the flour mixture until it just comes together. Do not over-mix.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pans and smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown (about 20-25 minutes), and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Remove from the oven and let cool for 60 minutes. Flip out onto wire racks and allow the loaf to cool completely.
- To make the Cream Cheese Frosting, in a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together vegan cream cheese and vegan butter until well combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add lemon extract and combine it. With the mixer on its lowest setting, slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides between cups. Once all the powdered sugar is added, turn up the speed to medium and mix until smooth and creamy.
- To assemble the cake, place about 1 ½ cups of cream cheese frosting on the bottom layer of lemon cake, smooth oven evenly with an offset spatula and top with a second layer of cake. Repeat with a third layer if necessary. Coat the entire cake in cream cheese frosting and top with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Don’t over-mix the batter. By alternating the dries and wets into the batter, we are ensuring the batter does not get over-mixed and gummy.
- Generously spray your cake pans. We do not want any of this delicious cake sticking to its edges.
- Do not open the oven door while the cupcakes are baking. This causes the structure to fall leaving you with a dent in the middle of your cakes. You can check for doneness after 45 minutes.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the cake starts to get dark around the edges, you can cover it with tin foil to bake the last 10 minutes.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
t kane says
Made these as cupcakes for a party for convenience and got a lot of compliments. Delicious!
Jenn says
Hi. You are my go-to for vegan baking! Made the lemon pound cake yesterday and it is awesome. Everything I’ve tired so far has been a hit. Blueberries muffins, chocolate cupcakes, corn bread, carrot cake with the cream cheese frosting. Wow. All amazing. Moving onto the lemon cake… I only have two nine inch round pans and would like to make a 2 layer cake. Any recommendations on adjusting oven temperature and/or bake time? Or do I really need 3 pans for this to set up well?
Sadhna says
Sarah, These desserts look so gosh great. Thank you so much for your insights and your pointed instructions. I did enjoy reading through this site. I have three questions and would greatly appreciate your guidance. Can you see below ? 1) Why does this recipe, and the one for the cranberry-orange-pound-cake ,both call for tenderness/fluffiness by creaming of sugar with butter and alternating addition of wet and dry ingredients, while most of your other cake recipes require neither of these 2 steps? I am trying to make lower glycemic desserts and I understand that flour and sugar provide desserts with tenderness/airiness and moisture. 2)Would I be able to substitute spelt flour for all-purpose flour in your recipes? 3) Would I be able to apply to your recipes sugar substitutes that I've in general read about and listed in your article 'is sugar vegan' , for example 1x1 date paste ,or 1x1 date sugar ,or 3/4 cup maple syrup (with corresponding 3-4 tbsp liquid reduction) or 1/2 tsp stevia (with 1/3 cup apple sauce or fruit puree to add moisture)?
Kara says
I didn’t see a plain vanilla cake recipe on your blog. Would this be ok as a vanilla cake, just leaving out the lemon extract and lemon juice? Do you think I will need to add extra liquid? Thanks!
Sarah McMinn says
You could use this recipe. Each batch makes about a 9" cake pan.
Sally says
Could butter be substituted with the same amount of coconut oil?
Sarah McMinn says
I don't recommend it. Coconut butter has a different melting temperature than vegan butter, which would greatly affect the texture.
Elizabeth says
Can you make this into a bundt cake?
Thanks!
Sarah McMinn says
Yes, I think that would be great!