In my never ending search for new desserts with a vegan twist, I am currently taking a reprieve at this lemon poppy seed cake recipe, which not only feels light but is light. You can have a slice (or two!) for breakfast and still be keeping true to your dietary goals. Enjoy with coffee, tea, or a nut milk.

Cake often feels light in texture, but it is more often than not heavy in its implications. Packed with flour, sugar, eggs, and milk, even the simplest of vanilla cakes is a thumbs up to your love handles. I use a little bit of white flour and sugar in this recipe, but I keep it to a minimal and opt for turbinado sugar overall white table sugar. Turbinado sugar is a less processed sugar that has a slight caramel taste to it. The spelt flour adds onto the fiber and protein already inherent in poppy seeds and rounds out the cake’s overall nutrition. The fat comes from coconut oil and the sweetness is augmented by apple sauce. The lemon offers a real sense of lightness and aromatic goodness to this cake recipe. While it bakes, brew a cup of coffee or steep your favorite tea. In your coffee or tea, use coconut milk instead of cream and a few drops of stevia in place of sugar.

Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Recipe

Makes 1 loaf/cake

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup white flour
  
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1/2 cup poppy seeds
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/2 cup plain almond milk
  
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup turbinado sugar
  
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put all ingredients together a large bowl until smooth and evenly combined. Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf pan or 9-inch round cake pan. Cook for 30-40 minutes, keeping check on it during the last 10 minutes. Remove and serve with a dust of powdered sugar.

Aylin Erman is founder of GlowKitchen. There she shares step-by-step picture recipes of her plant-based creations. Aylin lives and works in Istanbul as a writer and editor at the country’s first-ever green-living and sustainability platform, Yesilist. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter to keep up with food news and recipes.

Related on EcoSalon:

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Sunday Recipe: Fig and Coconut Walnut Cake

Photo Credit: Anwarnienique

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