Vegan Lemon Cake Recipe

Delicious Yellow Cake With Lemon Curd Filling & Lemon Frosting

Vegan Lemon Cake: Yellow cake recipe with lemon curd filling and lemon frosting.

Perfect for special occasions, especially birthdays. Everybody loves this lemon cake - adults, kids, vegans, vegetarians, omnivores!

Prepare the lemon curd and cake the day before, then chill. On the special day, quickly make the frosting and assemble the cake.

Total Prep & Cook Time: 75 Min

20 Servings

Nutrition Data, 56g Serving: 168 Calories, 26g carb, 6g fat, 164mg sodium, 1g fiber, 2g protein, 10g Sugars, low Cholesterol. Estimated glycemic load 18.

Lemon Cake Ingredients:

• 1 recipe lemon curd (see recipe below)
• 1 recipe lemon frosting (see recipe below)
• 3/4 cup vegan margarine (we used organic Earth Balance)
• 1 cup fine granulated sugar
• 3 cups white flour
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup almond milk, soy, or other non-dairy milk
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• Fine shredded coconut

Lemon Cake Directions:

1. Prepare the lemon curd and refrigerate at least 8 hours (see recipe below)
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Butter and flour a 9 x 12” pan or two 9” round cake pans
4. Mix almond milk, lemon juice and lemon extract. Set aside to curdle.
5. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
6. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt
7. Starting with flour, alternate adding dry and wet ingredient mixtures to the creamed butter and sugar, 4 additions of dry, and 3 additions of wet. Mix until completely combined after each addition. Do not overmix (use low speed on a stand or hand mixer).
8. Spread the batter evenly in the pan(s) and bake 35 minutes for round cakes, 45 minutes for a 9x12 cake, until slightly golden in color and firm in the center.
9. Remove cake from pans and cool on racks
10. Chill cake 8 hours or overnight
11. Prepare the lemon frosting and chill for 1 hour (see recipe below)
12. Spread lemon curd between the 2 layers, then ice with the lemon frosting
13. Sprinkle with shredded coconut or sprinkles as desired

Lemon Curd Ingredients:

• Makes 1 cup
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 6 Tbsp unflavored almond milk
• 1 Tbsp vegan margarine

Lemon Curd Directions:

1. Whisk together lemon juice, water, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest in a saucepan
2. Place on the stove on medium heat and continue to whisk until the mixture comes to a boil
3. Allow mixture to boil for 1 minute without stirring
4. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in almond milk and margarine
5. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate in an airtight container for 8 hours or overnight before using

Lemon Frosting Ingredients:

• Makes enough for one 9” layer cake
• 1 cup vegan margarine
• 1 lb powdered sugar (approx. 4 cups)
• Zest from 2 lemons
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 3-4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Lemon Frosting Directions:

1. Using a hand-held mixer cream together margarine and zest until smooth
2. Sift the icing sugar into the mixture through a medium strainer and mix it in
3. Gradually beat in lemon juice 1 Tbsp at a time, stopping when the icing has reached the right consistency for spreading
4. Refrigerate one hour or until needed. Allow to soften before using if chilling for longer than 1 hour.

Recipe Tips:

The lemon curd filling should be chilled for at least 8 hours. Unless you're starting the cake very early in the morning, to serve that evening, it's a good idea to make the cake and lemon curd a day ahead, and store them carefully covered in the fridge, then make the frosting and assemble the cake the next day.

We spread shredded coconut over the frosting, but colored sprinkles would be equally good and especially appealing to children.

For Tidy Frosting: Cut a sheet of waxed paper to overhang the cake plate 2 inches each side. Cut the paper in half and overlap in the center of the plate. Then assemble and frost the cake on the plate. When you are finished, carefully lift one side of the cake and pull out 1/2 the waxed paper. Repeat on the other side.