Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake
This vegan lemon drizzle cake is light, fluffy and has a refreshing flavor from real lemon juice. It is easy to prepare and uses only 8 common ingredients.
Why you’ll love this vegan lemon drizzle cake
LOTS OF LEMON FLAVOR: This recipe uses real lemon juice in the cake loaf, two-ingredient lemon syrup and simple lemon icing.
TEXTURE: The cake has a lighter texture than pound cake but is slightly denser than a regular vegan lemon cake.
Alternatively, for a lemon cake that doesn’t use syrup, see my vegan lemon olive oil cake, or lemon blueberry cake!
Ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Lemon juice and zest from fresh lemons for the best flavor. You may use bottled lemon juice and omit the zest, but your vegan lemon drizzle cake won’t be as flavorful.
Granulated sugar for the fluffiest vegan lemon loaf. For a refined sugar-free cake, you can use coconut sugar, however, your cake will be brown in color and it will taste a little like caramel.
If you’d like to reduce the amount of refined sugar, in the lemon syrup, use a liquid sweetener instead of granulated sugar. I don’t recommend reducing the sugar in the cake itself.
Oil of choice. If you’d like your cake to have a subtle golden hue, I recommend using a light-flavored olive oil.
Even though this is an eggless lemon cake, you don’t need any special egg replacers!
How to make the lemon loaf
The lemon loaf comes together in one bowl! Simply add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl then mix until there are no lumps. Then add all the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Be careful to not overmix the batter as it’ll make the cake denser. A few lumps in the batter are fine, as long as they aren’t lumps of flour!
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan then it’s ready to bake in your preheated oven.
Preparing the lemon syrup
While the vegan lemon cake is baking, you can make the two-ingredient syrup.
Simply add the sugar and lemon juice to a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat through. Eventually, the lemon juice and heat of the stove will dissolve the sugar!
Your lemon syrup is ready when it’s translucent and you can feel or see any granules of sugar. No one wants a grainy vegan lemon drizzle cake!
While your lemon loaf is still warm, use a long skewer or toothpick to poke lots of holes in the cake. Be generous with the holes, as they will allow the syrup to reach all parts of the cake!
Then pour your warm syrup over your cake! As the cake is still contained the loaf tin, your syrup won’t run away.
How to make the lemon icing
The lemon icing adds extra lemon flavor, moisture and sweetness! It’s easy to make as you just need to mix the ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
For a thicker icing, add a little more sugar and mix. For a thinner icing, add a little more lemon juice or milk and mix. Try to add only 1 teaspoon of extra sugar or liquid at a time as a little goes a long way!
It’s best to pour the icing on the vegan lemon drizzle cake when it’s at room temperature or slightly cool. If your cake is warm, your icing will run down the sides of the cake and melt away.
How to serve the cake
The vegan lemon drizzle cake is delicious at room temperature with just the icing. However, you can also top your cake with:
- Fresh berries – make sure you arrange the fruit just before serving as the berry juices may leak onto your icing.
- Extra lemon zest
- Edible flowers
I also love serving slices of the cake with a dollop of yogurt or ice cream, to complement the lemon flavor.
Expert tips and customizations
For a round or layered lemon cake, check out my vegan lemon cake recipe. For muffins, check out my vegan lemon poppy seed muffin recipe which includes tips on achieving those bakery-style muffin tops.
Orange juice will work! However orange juice is less acidic than lemon juice (imagine tasting a spoon of orange juice compared to a spoon of lemon juice). I recommend replacing some of the milk with extra orange juice.
Or check out my vegan tres leches recipe where you soak a sponge cake in a three-milk mixture.
I haven’t tested it myself so can’t vouch for results. If you try it yourself, let me know!
Yes, but I recommend adding an extra dash of milk as those flours are more absorbent then all-purpose flour.
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Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake
Ingredients
Vegan Lemon Loaf
- 2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose plain flour, (note 1)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- Pinch of salt, optional
- 1 cup (250g) dairy-free milk, room temperature
- ½ cup (125g) neutral flavored oil
- ¼ cup (60g) lemon juice, from approx 1-2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, (optional)
Lemon Drizzle/Syrup
- ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar, or caster sugar (note 2)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) lemon juice
Lemon Icing
- 1 ½ cups (150g) powdered sugar / icing sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter, margarine or coconut oil, for a firmer icing (optional)
- fresh berries, and extra lemon zest, to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease or line an 8 inch (20 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper.
Make the vegan lemon loaf:
- Add all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt) to a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined. Add all the wet ingredients (milk, oil, lemon juice and vanilla) and mix until combined. Avoid overmixing the batter. Some lumps are fine as long as they aren't lumps of dry flour.
- Pour the lemon cake batter into your prepared loaf pan.
- Bake the cake for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean. Keep the cake in the loaf pan.
Make the lemon syrup (while the loaf is baking)
- Add the sugar and lemon juice to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved. This should take 1-2 minutes. Set aside until your cake is ready.
- When the lemon cake is still warm from the oven, use a long skewer or toothpick to generously poke holes in the cake.
- Pour the lemon syrup over the warm cake. Allow the cake to cool in the loaf pan.
Make the lemon icing:
- Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix until smooth. Add more lemon juice for a thinner icing or more sugar for a thicker icing.
- Remove the lemon cake from the loaf pan. Drizzle the icing over your cooled cake.
Serving the cake:
- If desired, just before serving, top the cake with fresh berries and lemon zest. Use a sharp to slice your cake and enjoy!
- Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or in the fridge for up to 3 days. The cake can be stored without the icing in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
- For a richer cake, you can replace 1⁄2 cup (65g) of the all-purpose flour with 2⁄3 cup (65g) almond flour. Also, to make this cake gluten-free, substitute the all-purpose flour for 1 2⁄3 cups (165g) almond flour and 1 cup (160g) gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Alternatively, you can use 3 tablespoons of your liquid sweetener of choice. Instead of cooking the mixture on the stovetop, you can simply mix the sweetener with lemon juice in a small bowl.
This post and recipe was originally published in 2020 and updated in 2022 with more informative pictures and an improved recipe.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Hello have you made this in a round 9 inch cake pan before? I need to make a cake for my FIL’s bday and want to make a 2 tier cake. I’m thinking I’ll need to double the recipe but I’ve also never made a 2 tier cake. I hope this goes well 🤪
Hi Jen! I haven’t made this cake in a round 9″ cake pan before but I think my vegan lemon cake recipe is better for layering (as it’s already a two-layered cake). The recipe is for 2 x 8″ cake pans, but you can scale it up for larger pans – in the gray recipe card, tap on the number next to ‘Servings’ and drag it to around 16. Hope that helps!
This is the second recipe of yours I’ve made (because the carrot cake was so delicious). Both times my batter was much thicker than your looks in the video, so I made cupcakes instead of a cake or a loaf (only thing I changed was using 1/2 the sugar). They both turned out wonderful, now I want to try all of your recipes!
Hi Kristin, I’m so glad you enjoyed this cake and the carrot cake too! A thicker batter can happen when you reduce the sugar (sugar liquifies in a batter and makes it runnier), but it sounds like you troubleshooted it well by making cupcakes. But I’m so glad that they turned out well! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Phenomenal. No other words for it.
Aww, thanks so much Talya!!
Going to make as a bday cake for my son who is now on a restricted diet…can I put in bundle cake instead of loaf pan, to make it look more cake-like?
Hi Kathy, the cake will work in a bundt pan, but it’s a small cake so it will be very short. Maybe try a round cake pan?
Winner all the way! Delicious! I’ve made it 4 times now!
Hi Ana, that’s just amazing!!! I’m so happy that you make this cake on repeat and thank you for letting me know 🙂
Hi, I’ve made this loaf a few times now and it’s the best vegan recipe I’ve come across, even the non vegans love it. I would like to make it gluten free too, could I use all gluten free flour as you have suggested almond flour ratio with gluten free. I can’t use almond flour.
Hi Rachel, I’m so glad that you enjoyed this cake and it’s great that it was enjoyed by non vegans too! So, a couple of readers have tested this recipe using only gluten-free flour and said that the cake was a bit dense. So, while it will work, it won’t be quite the same as the regular version. It may work with half gluten-free flour and half oat flour, but I haven’t tested it.
Hi 🙂
I wouldt to know, how do you make for you cake grow? My cake dont grow how us to be.
Hi Elisa! If your cake didn’t rise at all, it sounds like your baking powder may have been too old. It might also be that you added too much flour or lemon juice which can happen if you use measuring cups (adding too much of either will inhibit the rise). Try getting a fresh batch of baking powder, or using the gram measurements. Hope that helps!
This is the best loaf I ever eat. My family finished this in a second. I will definitely bake it again. We absolutely loved it and is super easy to make also. Thank you for the recipe ❤️
Hi Andreea, aw what a lovely compliment! I’m so happy that you and your family loved it. Thanks so much for your kind comment x
This recipe is awesome! My cake turned out so well- I can’t stop eating it!
I thought my batter was too thick, but no.I added more lemon- because lemon,and used less sugar both in the cake and on the icing( maybe about a teaspoon in the icing). I love how easy this recipe is!
Hi Micol, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this cake and was able to customize it to your tastes! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
So yummy and easy! Came out so light and lemony. I made this for vegan friends, but I think I’ll make this again even for non-vegans. Everyone asked for the recipe and had second slices.
Aw that’s great to hear!! I’m so glad that everyone enjoyed it 🙂
I make this easy, delicious recipe regularly. The whole community has the recipe, we all love it.
I substitute apple sauce for the oil, it works great.
Hi Hanne, I’m so happy that this recipe has been a keeper for you (and your community)! And great to hear that it works with applesauce instead of oil :). Thank you!!
I have made this cake every Saturday for the past three weeks and it is so delicious and easy to make!! The tartness from the lemon pairs beautifully with the sweet, moist cake. I love eating a piece with a mug of tea. It’s so cozy and lovely! Plus, it makes the whole house smell good.
Awww, that’s so lovely, Taylor!! I am stoked that you’ve made this cake a few times and that you enjoy the flavour and texture. Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Always looking for recipes for vegan cakes. Was looking for an easy lemon drizzle cake and this recipe did not disappoint. My only negative comment would be the amount of sugar the recipe requires. Ok if you can stick to eating one little slice!!
Hi Helen, I’m glad that you enjoyed this cake! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Hello, Anthea! I checked this recipe – it’s amazing. But I use coconut sugar. And I had a one problem – there was a bubble in the middle of my cake.
What can I do to fix it? Time of baking: 50-52min, 180C
Hi Mary! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe! Sometimes larger holes develop in our cakes because a small lump of sugar (or another ingredient) that hasn’t been mixed in well :).
Great recipe! I’m always looking for lemon desserts to share with my lemon lovers. Lol..
This is definitely going to be shared!
Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Hi Sandra, I’m so happy that you enjoyed this lemon cake!! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe and I make it every few weeks (our lemon tree is bountiful atm!). I will confess that I make twice the amount of drizzle as I love the texture and how gooey it goes in parts. Thank you for your recipes Anthea, they are my go-to for Vegan baking.
Hi Kirsty, I’m so so thrilled that you’ve made this cake many times! And I love that you doubled the drizzle as well (I’m going to try that next time). Thanks so much for your ongoing support – I appreciate it a lot and it encourages me to keep creating!
Soooo easy, and looks lovely!
I’m putting it in the freezer for a charity event later this month, so will add my icing when I defrost it.
Thanks!
Julia, Devon, UK.
Oh that makes me happy to hear! And great idea to freeze it ahead of your event. Thanks so much for your feedback, Julia!
1) This is an extremely easy and delicious cake; highly recommended.
2) Had no plant milk so used green tea instead.
3) Didn’t have neutral oil, used a mild olive oil. Wasn’t noticeable.
4) How on earth is this supposed to fit in a 20cm tin? I used a 28cm loaf tin and the cake still was really tall.
So glad that you enjoyed this cake Lena! I love the sound of an olive oil and green tea lemon cake.
Oh, the cake definitely fits into a 20cm tin, as you can see by the step-by-step images above. However, the cake may be taller if you overmeasured the flour (especially if you used cups), or your oven runs hot which encourages cakes to rise quicker and taller. It sounds like the recipe worked for you nevertheless!
Good point about overmeasuring. I baked it in an Airbnb kitchen that didn’t have measuring cups, so used a tea cup to measure all the ingredients (using the same cup for every ingredient to maintain the correct proportion). It may have been slightly bigger than a standard measuring cup.