Y’all, this vegan lemon cake is NO JOKE. Fluffy, moist, and amazingly delicious, this is the easiest cake you can make from scratch. Top with coconut whipped cream for a super simple finisher.
Preheat oven to 350° F (176° C). Lightly oil a 9×13 baking pan (or line the bottom with parchment paper) and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and stir.
Add in carbonated water, oil, lemon juice, and lemon extract. Using electric hand mixers, beat ingredients on medium speed until combined well. Batter should be thick.
Transfer batter to cake pan and spread out evenly. Pop in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the sides start to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely (you can place in the fridge to chill faster). Top with coconut topping, if desired. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
I prefer to use unbleached white flour. You can also substitute with a 1 to 1 all-purpose gluten-free flour, if needed.
To make this vegan, be sure to use a natural cane sugar. Standard white sugar is processed using bone char, and is not vegan. Coconut sugar and turbinado sugar would also work, although keep in mind that it may change the flavor a touch.
Sparkling water or seltzer water work for this recipe too.
Olive oil or coconut oil work for this recipe too. Just keep in mind that if you use coconut oil, you must be sure that all ingredients are room temperature, or it will harden the oil.
Instead of worrying about the frosting, I’ve topped this cake with coconut whipped cream for a deliciously easy finisher. I like using the So Delicious or Truwhip brands. Of course, if you want real frosting, you can top this cake with my easy coconut frosting.
If you have a special occasion coming up, and you want to make this vegan lemon cake ahead of schedule, do it! I recommend making the cake up to 2 days in advance, but keep it refrigerated to prevent the cake from drying out. Also, for best results, wait to top it with coconut whipped cream until the night before your event– if the topping sits for too long on your cake, it could make it soggy.
When topped with coconut, this cake is stored best in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Just keep in mind that the longer it sits, the more likely the top could become soggy.
You can freeze this cakewithout the coconut topping. Simply wrap in plastic and keep frozen for up to 3 months. To defrost, let it thaw out in the refrigerator overnight. You can then frost it with coconut topping.
This cake can totally be made into cupcakes. Just divide batter between 12 baking cups and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until cooked through. For a bundt cake, grease bundt pan and add batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through.
If you want to add poppy seeds, stir in 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds in step 2.