A Pound Cake that is so rich and decadent no one will believe it's vegan. It is topped with a lemony glaze for a delightful sweet morning or midday snack.
Christmas is less than a week away!
And that means I've got just 2 more recipes before the end of the year.
After that, it's time for some 30-day cleansing. So before that happens, I have to sneak in at least one more decadent recipe this holiday season. And decadence is just what I've got for you. This Vegan Pound Cake is a remake of one of my first recipe for the blog. The original recipe was an Orange Poppy Seed Pound Cake. I have since re-tested and updated the recipe to make it easier, tastier, richer, and overall better.
If you came here looking for the Orange Poppy Seed Poundcake, you can still access it here. But I think you're going to love this new and improved vegan pound cake recipe. I omitted the commercial egg replacers, switched oils, adjusted the leavening agents, and pumped up the flavor so that you get a rich, vibrantly lemon, buttery, decadent vegan pound cake that makes the perfect dessert or snack at the last of your upcoming holiday parties.
Let's take a closer look.
How to Make Vegan Pound Cake [Video]
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Traditionally pound cake is made from combining equal parts butter, flour, sugar, and eggs. Over time the ingredients in a pound cake have gotten more complex. It is now common to add extracts (such as lemon or vanilla) and/or fruit, swap out some of the butter for sour cream, and even add a few teaspoons of baking powder to make the cake lighter and less dense.
My modern take on a pound cake has made many of these adjustments.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour - I have also made this recipe with 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Baking Blend with great success.
- Baking Powder - Typically pound cake does not use a chemical leavener like baking powder or soda. Rather it relies on eggs. However, for this vegan pound cake, I recommend a combination of baking powder and vegan sour cream for the perfect texture and rise.
- Salt
- Vegan Butter - Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- Granulated & Powdered Sugar - Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
- Lemon Juice & Zest
- Vegan Sour Cream - This is used as the egg replacer in this recipe. It adds moisture and a delicious tangy flavor. There are a lot of vegan cream cheeses and sour creams on the market. I suggest looking for Daiya or Tofutti brands. You can also make homemade sour cream.
- Coconut Oil - You could also use vegetable oil or olive oil. However, olive oil will add a slight savory taste.
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, I recommend a stand-up mixer. These make whipping, beating, and blending so much easier. However, they are pricy and if they are not in your budget, you can make cookies with by hand or with a handheld mixer.
You will also need a loaf pan, mixing bowl, and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Pound Cake
Step One: Mix the Ingredients
Mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. That's the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a stand-up mixer beat together the vegan butter, sugar, and lemon zest.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Slowly add the sour cream. At this point, the batter might curdle a bit and that's okay. It will come back together when the flour is added. Finish the cake by alternating the dry and wet ingredients into the batter.
Step Two: Bake the Cake
Pour your batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan and smooth top.
Place the cake in the oven and bake until the top is golden brown (about 50-55 minutes). To check for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. When it comes out clean, your cake is done!
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely before topping it with lemon glaze.
Serving And Storing
Serve immediately or place it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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 loaf pans. We do not want any of this delicious cake sticking to its edges.
- Do not open the oven door while the cake is baking. This causes the structure to fall leaving you with a dent in the middle of your cakes. You can check for doneness after 50 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 30 minutes in the loaf pans before turning it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Alternate Wet and Dry Ingredients?
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.
Can this recipe be made in advance?
Yes! This 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.
Can this recipe be gluten-free?
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.
More Vegan Quick Bread Recipes
- Healthy Vegan Banana Bread
- Classic Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Vegan Zucchini Bread
Vegan Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
Vegan Pound Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
- 1 cup vegan sour cream
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 1 loaf pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine coconut oil and lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a stand-up mixer or an electric handheld mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. With the motor running, add vegan sour cream, scraping down the sides as necessary. The mixture will appear to have separated at this point, but it will come back together.
- Alternating wets (oil 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 loaf pan and smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown (about 50-55 minutes), and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Flip out onto wire racks and allow the loaf to cool completely.
- To make the lemon glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and pourable. Pour over the cooled loaf pan. The glaze will harden as it cools. Keep at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 days. This cake can also be stored in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Video
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 loaf pans. We do not want any of this delicious cake sticking to its edges.
- Do not open the oven door while the cake is baking. This causes the structure to fall leaving you with a dent in the middle of your cakes. You can check for doneness after 50 minutes.
- Let the cake cool at least 30 minutes in the loaf pans before turning it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Why Alternate Wet and Dry Ingredients? 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.
- Can this recipe be made in advance? Yes! This 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.
- Can this recipe be gluten-free? 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.
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
sKaye says
Hello, Can i put this in a bundt pan?
Sarah says
Yes, that would work although I would make about 1.5x the recipe to fill up the bundt pan.
Manon says
Hello from Belgium
Just a note to ask how much vegan butter is needed if calculating it in the metric system, since the recipe says 2 vegan butter ?
Thanks for clearing that so I can try this deliciously looking cake. I suppose it is 200 or 250 gr.
Sarah says
I'm not sure why it was converting that way but it should be 125g. I have adjusted the recipe.
Fiozznah tan says
Can i replace oil for vegan butter?
Sarah says
Unfortunately not without altering the rest of the recipe. Otherwise the batter will be too loose and not bake correctly.
Erin says
Made this as one of the 3 vegan desert options for Christmas! Came out beautifully! When I tried the glaze alone I thought it was too lemon-y but once it was added to the cake it went so well together! The cake came out very dense, is there any way to make it more soft and fluffy? Would I need to add more of the vegan sour cream?
I definitely plan to make this again, it was also very easy to make. Thank you!
Chrystal says
I made this pound cake yesterday and it was divine. Even my omni boyfriend could not get enough of it. We are now making two more to take to take with us on Christmas. I did not have vegan sour cream on hand so I made some out of cashews. My dough came out quite thick so I added a little soy milk but the cake still came out amazing. Thank you for sharing!
Sarah says
I'm so glad you liked it, Chrystal!
Te says
This is the best vegan poundcake I have ever tasted!
Bryan Martinez says
I use to be obsessed with this lemon pound cake from starbucks. This immediately made me think of that pound cake. Gosh, I cant wait to make this recipe haha thank you!
Sarah says
I think you'll find it tastes very similar!
Mrs Joan Butler says
Love the recipe of the lemon cake but here in the UK I've never seen vegan sour cream. Ordinary cream yes but I've noticed you have a wider range of vegan foods than here. We're getting there slow but sure though.
Love your cake but I've never seen vegan sour cre.. You seem to have a bigger variety of vegan products in the US than we do I've noticed with a lot of ingredients.
Sarah says
If you want to give it a try you can try making your own sour cream recipe. here's one that I would recommend.
Irene says
Hi - this looks amazing - just not sure whether I can get vegan sour cream in the shop here in the UK - do you have a recipe for it so I can make it myself? Thanks!
Sarah says
I don't have a recipe personally, but here's one that I would recommend.
Kremy says
I hate butter,so I'm using coconut butter instead,it's working and it is healthy. I'm also using more poppy seeds. Sorry,I am Hungarian so I just love them..:) (we have a festive cake called ,,bejgli" and it's fantastic! http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Beigli-(Hungarian-Poppy-Seed-%26-Walnut-Rolls)
Christa says
I'd like to make these with lemon...mmm. Is orange/lemon extract necessary for this recipe, or do you think some extra zest could do the trick?
Sarah says
Lemon zest should work. Lemon is stronger than orange anyway, so I would probably just make it that way.
Christina says
Have you tried using this recipe to make muffins? I'm wondering what the baking temp and time would be and if they would turn out the same? I'm wanting to bring this to a brunch and thought muffins might work better this time.
Sarah says
I haven't tried it, but I imagine they would be delicious! You could keep the same baking temp and check them after about 20 minutes (they will probably take more like 28-32 or so) but check by inserting a toothpick into the center. Good luck!
Aria says
This looks amazing, and I'm hoping to make it this week. I just have one question - do you think this would freeze? It's just me, and I don't know if I could finish it before it went bad. Thanks!
Sarah says
Yes it would freeze just fine. I made this and froze it for a month to serve it at Christmas and it was tasty as ever.
Nicole says
This was the fist vegan baking I have done and it turned out perfectly. Everyone loved it - including the non-vegans in the family (and my dog who stole a loaf). This recipe inspired me bc I realized that vegan baking can be as delicious as anything with animal products.
Therese says
I have to say that all of these recipes rival anything with eggs or other animal products in delicious-looking-ness.
I don't eat red meat or pork - and getting my feet wet with vegan baking is a good way to eliminate even more. Ever since I made cupcakes using pumpkin to replace some of the ingredients, I was amazed at the moistness and richness.
Thanks!
Sarah says
Yes, vegan baking can be amazing! You probably saw it, but if not here's my post about replacing eggs: http://www.thesweetlifeonline.com/2012/11/29/replacing-eggs/ for all kinds of baking. It may help you along the way. Good Luck!
narf7 says
I agree with Annie...this looks AMAZING! Luscious, scrumptious and heartily endorsed by little ole me! Cheers for this wonderful recipe and for the myriads of Omni's that are going to mass consume this baby and never know its vegan ;)... that's right up till the time I TELL them it is 🙂 Cheers for this lovely cake 🙂
Annie says
Luscious! Yep, sometimes you've just got to indulge.