Vegan Lemon Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons aluminium-free baking powder (or 2.5 teaspoons of regular baking powder)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 3 tablespoons lemon zest (freshly grated)
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed from approximately 2 lemons)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar (or cane juice crystals)
  • 2/3 cup oil (I used safflower, but canola or melted coconut oil would also work.)
  • 1 2/3 cup almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)

For the Glaze

  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (or cane juice crystals)

For the Frosting:

  • 1 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar +4-6 tablespoons as needed
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt,  turmeric, and lemon zest.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice, granulated sugar, oil, almond milk, applesauce, vanilla, and lemon extract.
  • Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and whisk (or use mixer) everything together until just combined.
  • Oil and flour a large bundt pan (needs to hold 10-15 cups of batter).
  • Pour batter into bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Once baked, remove the cake from oven and allow to rest in bundt pan for about 5 minutes before turning the pan over onto rack, plate, or platter to cool.

For the Glaze:

  • Place lemon juice (of 1 lemon) and granulated sugar in a saucepan, and bring to boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
  • When the cake is on a cooling rack (still warm), use a pastry brush to brush the glaze all over cake surface.

For the Frosting:

  • Place juice of 1 lemon (about 2.5 tablespoons) of lemon juice in a small bowl with confectioners’ sugar. Add extra confectioners’ sugar (a few tablespoons at a time) as needed until frosting is thick enough that you can see your spoon tracks for several seconds after stirring it.
  • Once the cake is completely cooled (after about 1 hour), drizzle frosting on top of the cake, letting it partially fall down the sides.
  • Garnish with remaining lemon zest, and serve!

Notes

  1. This cake requires 4 lemons total: 2 lemons for the cake, and 1 lemon each for the glaze and frosting.
  2. This cake keeps for 3-4 days at room temperature, if stored in an air-tight container, or if tightly covered with plastic wrap.
  3. This recipe utilizes aluminium-free baking powder, which is different from your regular baking powder. Aluminium-free baking powder doesn’t have the same metallic aftertaste as regular baking powder, but it also requires a little more to get the desired rising effect. If you don’t have access to aluminium-free baking powder, use 2.5 teaspoons of regular baking powder in this recipe.

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