Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Vegan lemon poppy seed cake with a soft, moist and light crumb and lots of flavor from fresh lemon juice and zest. The batter is easy to prepare and is baked in a loaf pan for ease!
Ingredients
Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon packed lemon zest (you'll need around 3-4 medium lemons)
- 2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose plain flour (note 1 for gluten-free option)
- 1 ½ tablespoons (14g) poppy seeds
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt optional
- 1 cup (250g) dairy-free milk room temperature
- ½ cup (125g) neutral flavored oil or a light olive oil
- ⅓ cup (80g) lemon juice (you'll need around 2-3 medium lemons, note 2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
To decorate (optional, see note 3 for alternatives)
- ⅓ cup (75g) vegan block butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (150g) powdered sugar / icing sugar or to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice or to taste
- ½ batch homemade vegan lemon curd from my lemon cheesecake recipe, optional
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl. Rub the mixture together until the sugar is pale yellow and fragrant.
- Add the dry ingredients (flour, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt) to the bowl and whisk until the mixture is well combined. Add all the wet ingredients (milk, oil, lemon juice, and vanilla) and mix until just combined. Some lumps are fine, as long as they aren't lumps of flour.
- Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan.
- Bake the cake for 55-60 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the center and there's no wet batter on it (some moist crumbs are fine). The top of the cake should be golden brown.
- Allow the cake to cool in the loaf tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting:
- Add the vegan butter to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add more sugar for a firmer frosting or more lemon juice (or milk) for a smoother frosting.
- Dollop the lemon frosting on your cooled loaf cake. If desired, use a small spoon to create swirl patterns on your frosting. Dot some lemon curd on top and swirl it into your frosting (save any leftover lemon curd to serve with the cake). Sprinkle the top with poppy seeds.
- Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the fridge for 3-4 days. The frosted cake can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
- This lemon poppy seed cake works well with King Arthur's gluten-free measure for measure flour. If using, I suggest baking the cake for 5-10 minutes longer. Other gluten-free flour blends may produce different results.
- Don't be tempted to add more lemon juice to this recipe as it will make the cake dense and stodgy. There's a lot of lemon flavor in this cake, but if you want an extra zesty cake, use more lemon zest.
- To give your cake a subtle yellow color, use a light olive oil or a few drops of yellow food coloring. Adding turmeric may give your cake a slight green hue.
- Alternatively, serve the cake with a two-ingredient icing (check out the one from my lemon olive oil cake), with fresh berries or lightly dusted with powdered sugar.