Vegan Lemon Cake
Enjoy this light and fluffy vegan lemon cake with lemon buttercream frosting for a sweet and tangy treat.
This vegan lemon cake is an excellent springtime recipe to make for those bright, sunny days. Paired with a fruity, vegan lemon frosting, it makes a perfect dessert for Easter or Mother’s Day brunch.
You’re just a few short ingredients away from lemony bliss.
Ingredient Notes
Dry Ingredients for the cake:
- Cake flour and All-purpose – this combination gives a good balance of structure and lightness for layer cakes.
Using only all-purpose flour or cake flour is fine. Be careful not to overmix the batter or the cake could become dense. - Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
Wet Ingredients for the cake:
- Soy milk
- Fresh Lemon juice and zest
- Apple cider vinegar – activates the baking soda to help the cake rise.
- Oil
- Vanilla
Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
- Vegan butter or margarine – use stick margarine and not spreadable, which has more moisture. Soften to room temperature for easier mixing.
- Confectioner’s sugar – sift to remove any lumps
- Vanilla
- Fresh lemon juice
- Bottled lemon juice or lemon extract – bottled juice usually contains citric acid which helps boost the tart lemony flavor. You could also use a bit of lemon extract as well.
- Lemon zest
- Lemon Yellow food coloring
To Decorate:
- Dried Lemon Slices – they are so easy to make. I got the inspiration to use them on the cake from Broma Bakery.
They add such a rustic look but I wouldn’t recommend eating them raw as the bitterness in the rind gets stronger when oven-dried. Save them for tea!
For more milder-tasting decorations, try using fresh berries.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Cake:
1. Line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment or use one of the alternatives to parchment paper. I recommend using cake strips for a more moist, even bake. Soak in water until ready for use. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Add the sugar to a large bowl of a stand mixer, then sift in the remaining dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients including the zest until fully combined.
4. Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the stand mixer and while mixing on low, gradually pour in the wet ingredients.
5. Mix for about 30 seconds or until most of the flour is just moistened and the batter is smooth with a few tiny lumps.
6. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a large spoon or silicone spatula to mix in any dry flour. Don’t overmix.
7. Evenly distribute the batter between the cake pans. If using cake strips, squeeze out excess water, wrap around each pan and secure.
8. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes with cake strips or about 20 to 25 minutes without. A skewer or toothpick inserted should come out clean.
9. Fully cool the cakes in the pans.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
1. Add the vegan butter and confectioners’ sugar to the stand mixer bowl. Give it a stir for a few seconds by hand.
2. Add the bowl to the stand mixer and mix on low while gradually adding the lemon juice and vanilla.
3. When smooth and creamy, remove about ¼ cup of the frosting and set aside. Add the lemon zest and lemon extract to the remainder.
4. Add enough food coloring to get your desired shade of yellow. Keep in mind that the colors do darken a bit as the frosting sets and dries.
To Assemble:
1. Filling a piping bag, or zip-top bag with the corner snipped, with yellow frosting.
2. Dab a bit of frosting on a cake board, stand or plate. Place the first cake layer on the board.
3. Pipe a swirl of frosting on top, without gaps. Spread evenly then add the second cake layer.
4. Add another swirl of frosting, then the final layer, bottom side up.
5. Spread the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting to crumb coat. Place in the fridge for one hour or until the frosting is chilled.
6. Spread the sides and top with the remaining yellow frosting and smooth.
7. Dab some of the reserved white frosting at random spots on the cake. Smooth to add white streaks.
8. Place the dried lemon slices on the cake and add dots of the remaining white frosting with a #2 piping tip.
Key tips to follow
How to zest lemons and measure:
- It’s easier to zest the lemons whole before cutting.
- Use a Microplane grater to gently remove the outer yellow skin.
- Try not to remove any of the white parts as they can be bitter.
- Pack the zest into the measuring spoon until it’s filled.
- While you can use lemon extract, you’ll get the most natural flavor in the cake using the zest and some lemon juice.
However, you can add a bit of extract to the frosting to avoid adding too much liquid from the juice.
Other recipe variations and substitutions
- Plain white vinegar can work if you don’t have any apple cider vinegar.
- Almond or cashew milk may be used instead of soy milk.
- Add some fresh blueberries or raspberries to the cake batter for a fruitier twist.
- Alternatively, blueberry or raspberry jam or lemon curd would make a great filling.
- Make half of the vegan cream cheese frosting from this carrot cake recipe. Use it as a filling in the cake as it’s much softer at room temperature.
I would suggest making half the lemon buttercream and using some as a border for the filling. Use the remainder for the outside of the cake.
Storage suggestions
Wrap the lemon cake in cling film and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Apply extra frosting to the sides of a sliced piece to keep from drying out when storing.
For longer storage, it’s best to freeze the cake. Wrap a few times in cling film then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to a month.
Bring the whole cake or a slice to room temperature for the best texture.
For more tips check out this detailed post on How To Store Cakes.
Common FAQs
How do you add more lemon flavor to a cake?
To add even more lemon flavor and moisture to a cake after baking, brush the layers with fresh lemon juice mixed with zest.
Why is my lemon cake bitter?
If your cake is tasting bitter, you may have added too much baking soda. Also, make sure the baking soda is still fresh.
Another reason is that you may have included too much of the white part of the lemon skin while removing the zest.
Can vinegar be substituted for lemon juice?
Given that lemon is the key flavor in this dish, you probably shouldn’t use vinegar as a substitute.
More Cake Recipes
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Vegan Coconut Cake
- Baked Vegan Cheesecake
- Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
- Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread
Vegan Lemon Cake
Baking Recipes: For more accuracy, use Metric measurements and measuring spoons.
Ingredients
Dry ingredients for the cake:
- 1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups (188 g) cake flour
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) salt
Wet ingredients for the cake:
- ½ cup (118 ml) soy milk
- ⅔ cup (158 ml) lemon juice, or juice of 4 lemons
- ¼ cup (60 g) apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup (118 ml) plus 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tablespoon (30 ml) vanilla
- 3 tablespoon (44 g) packed grated lemon zest, from about 3 lemons
Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
- 2 cups (454 g) vegan butter or margarine (not unsalted), room temperature (stick or block form – NOT spreadable tub form)
- 8 cups (960 g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla
- ¼ cup (59 ml) fresh lemon juice, from about 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) bottled lemon juice, or 1 – 2 tsps lemon extract
- 2 tablespoon (30 g) packed grated lemon zest, from about 2 lemons
- 8 to 14 drops Lemon Yellow food coloring
To Decorate:
Instructions
Cake:
- Line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment or use one of the alternatives to parchment paper. I recommend using cake strips for a more moist, even bake. Soak in water until ready for use. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Add the sugar to a large bowl of a stand mixer, then sift in the remaining dry ingredients.1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour ,1 ¾ cups (188 g) cake flour ,1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar ,1 tablespoon (15 g) baking soda ,½ teaspoon (2 g) salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients including the zest until fully combined.½ cup (118 ml) soy milk ,⅔ cup (158 ml) lemon juice ,¼ cup (60 g) apple cider vinegar ,½ cup (118 ml) plus 2 tbsp oil ,2 tablespoon (30 ml) vanilla ,3 tablespoon (44 g) packed grated lemon zest
- Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the stand mixer and while mixing on low, gradually pour in the wet ingredients.
- Mix for about 30 seconds or until most of the flour is just moistened and the batter is smooth with a few tiny lumps.
- Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a large spoon or silicone spatula to mix in any dry flour. Don’t overmix.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the cake pans. If using cake strips, squeeze out excess water, wrap around each pan and secure.
- Place the pans in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes with cake strips or about 20 to 25 minutes without. A skewer or toothpick inserted should come out clean.
- Fully cool the cakes in the pans before removing.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
- Add the vegan butter and confectioners’ sugar to the stand mixer bowl.2 cups (454 g) vegan butter or margarine (not unsalted) ,8 cups (960 g) confectioner’s sugar
- Add the bowl to the stand mixer and mix on low while gradually adding the lemon juice and vanilla.¼ cup (59 ml) fresh lemon juice ,1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla
- When smooth and creamy, remove about ¼ cup of the frosting and set aside. Add the lemon zest and lemon extract to the remainder.2 tablespoon (30 g) packed grated lemon zest ,1 tablespoon (15 ml) bottled lemon juice
- Add enough food coloring to get your desired shade of yellow. The color may darken as the frosting dries.8 to 14 drops Lemon Yellow food coloring
To Assemble:
- Filling a piping bag, or zip-top bag with the corner snipped, with yellow frosting.
- Dab a bit of frosting on a cake board, stand or plate. Place the first cake layer on the board.
- Pipe a swirl of frosting on top, without gaps. Spread evenly then add the second cake layer.
- Add another swirl of frosting, then the final layer, bottom side up.
- Spread the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting to crumb coat. Place in the fridge for one hour or until the frosting is chilled.
- Spread the sides and top with the remaining yellow frosting and smooth.
- Dab some of the reserved white frosting at random spots on the cake. Smooth to add white streaks.
- Place the dried lemon slices on the cake and add dots of the remaining white frosting with a #2 piping tip.Dried Lemon Slices
Notes
- Warm lemons for about 20 seconds in the microwave, before cutting, for easier juicing.
- Scrape the mixer beater as long strands of zest may stick to it.
- Bottled lemon juice usually has citric acid added which can help add extra tartness and lemony flavor.
This looks beautiful and I bet it tastes great! I’m going to bookmark this and maybe have the time to make it just in time for Mother’s Day!
A question for you, if you can help out with tips. I’ve always had issues with vegan buttercream frosting where it’s too runny to use as frosting for decoration. I tried putting it in the fridge to chill completely, but it doesn’t seem to hold up if I try spreading it on the cake for any longer than 10 minutes. And even if I attempted to put it back in the fridge multiple time during the course of trying to simply decorate the layered cake, it still manages to become runny. I think it’s the vegan butter that I used(?) I’m not sure what I should be doing instead to ensure a stabilized vegan buttercream frosting. Thanks!
Hi Deresse,
Thank you for the compliment! I think you’ve actually figured it out too. My first guess would also be the type of vegan butter being used. I used to have the same issue in my earlier baking days. The spreadable tub margarines/butters often aren’t stable enough for warmer temperatures or in frostings for layered cakes. Try using the stick kind similar to Earth Balance buttery sticks. There are other dairy-free brands as well.
I’ve also seen recommendations to add shortening but I personally don’t like the flavour and find that it makes the frosting heavy and greasy instead of light.
Also, wait until the vegan butter, sugar and any flavourings are mixed together well before adding any plant-based milk. The butter softens more as it’s being mixed so if it looks dry initially just give it a few more seconds. Taste the frosting and if it’s gritty, add a tablespoon of plant-based milk at a time and continue mixing between each addition until smooth.
I hope this helps but feel free to ask any more questions.