Lemon Cake

Fluffy lemon cake with cream cheese frosting. Flavored with fresh lemon juice, zest, and a hint of vanilla from the addition of vegan yogurt. The result is a moist, citrusy, and refreshing treat.

Overview

Both the cake and the frosting utilize fresh lemon juice and zest. The vegan cream cheese in the frosting helps to dampen the sharpness of the citrus without impeding the flavor. While the cake itself is very fluffy and light.

This recipe is very easy to make. The only special equipment considerations required are a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and a grater or zester. If you have a stand or hand mixer you certainly can leverage those appliances. We opted to mix everything by hand in a single large mixing bowl.

In terms of special ingredients you will need to source vegan yogurt and vegan cream cheese. It seems that more and more vegan options are available at the local supermarket. Or if you have a local health food store nearby it might be good to stop by and see what options they have available.

Baking Notes

Prep Work

For this recipe you will want to have three to five lemons on hand. Begin by grating the lemons until you have about two teaspoons of lemon zest. Place the lemon zest in a small bowl and set off to the side. Then slice the lemons in half and juice them over a small bowl or measuring cup.

Wet Ingredients

For this recipe we used a coconut based vegan yogurt by So Delicious. Any of the various oat, almond, or soy yogurts on the market will also suffice for this recipe.

Using a large mixing bowl add the canola oil, yogurt, lemon juice, oat milk, lemon zest, and sugar. If you used fresh squeezed lemon juice you will want to use a strainer when adding it to the mixing bowl. This will prevent any seeds from making their way into the cake batter. Stir the ingredients with a silicone spatula until the sugar has dissolved.

Dry Ingredients

Next, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the mixing bowl. Use the silicone spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet. The batter should be fairly smooth but a few lumps are also okay.

Baking the cake

Add a tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil to the 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Using a paper towel to evenly coat the inside. Then add the cake batter to the dish. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the bowl and even the top of the cake batter.

Preheat the the oven to 350ºF. Once the oven comes up to temperature place the baking dish on the center rack. Bake the lemon cake for 30 to 35 minutes. When the time has almost elapsed insert a toothpick into the lemon cake. If the toothpick comes out clean then use potholders or oven mitts to remove the lemon cake from the oven. Otherwise, if the toothpick is gooey, then add time and repeat the test until the toothpick pulls out clean.

Place the baking dish on a cooling rack. Allow the lemon cake to cool to room temperature before adding the frosting. To optimize your time you can make the frosting and store it in the refrigerator until the lemon cake has cooled sufficiently.

Frosting

Soften the vegan butter by microwaving it for several seconds before adding to a medium sized mixing bowl. Then add the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Use a silicone spatula to stir the ingredients until they are combined.

When the lemon cake has cooled to room temperature add the frosting to the top of the cake. Use a spatula to spread and even the frosting. Place the frosted lemon cake in the refrigerator until it is ready to be served. This will help the frosting set.

Storage

To store the lemon cake add a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Place the covered baking dish in the refrigerator between servings. The lemon cake should keep nicely for up to a week before the freshness starts to taper off.

If you like this recipe be sure to check out our other recipes below:

• Lemon Coffee Cake
• Lemon Bars
• Blueberry Muffins
• Sweet Potato Muffins
• Pumpkin Pie