Lighten up your dessert with this delicious vegan lemon cake recipe.

When I think of dessert cake, I imagine decadence, density, and a surefire means to a splurging waistline. However, not all cakes are created equal. Some thrive being light and fluffy, just like this vegan lemon cake. It bears a subtle lemon flavor and a light-as-a-feather texture. Enjoy this cake in the late morning or afternoon with a warm cup of tea or a tall glass of homemade lemonade.

This lemon cake recipe does include white sugar and white flour. While I can suggest healthier alternatives, I advise to keep the recipe as is. It’s difficult to mimic the effects of white sugar and white flour for a recipe so delicate. And, hey, moderation is key!

Vegan Lemon Cake Recipe

Serves 10

Ingredients

For the cake

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sugar
• Zest of one lemon
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup vegan yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Juice of 2 lemons
• ¼ cup vegan butter, melted

For the icing

• 1 cup icing sugar
• Juice of one lemon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit.

Into a large bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and baking soda. Add the salt, lemon zest, and sugar. Mix.

Add the vanilla extract, water, oil, yogurt, lemon juice, and melted vegan butter, and whisk until smooth.

Pour the batter into a bread form pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Let cool slightly before removing the cake from the pan.

For the icing, whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice until creamy. Pour over the cake and let sit at room temperature until completely cool. Slice and serve!

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The post Vegan Lemon Cake Recipe: Light, Refreshing, Perfectly Tart appeared first on EcoSalon.

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:

Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe with Coconut-Fig Frosting

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Photo Credit: Anwarnienique

The post Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.