Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake

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Light, soft, moist, vegan lemon sponge cake drizzled in a sweet but sharp lemon syrup and topped with a zingy lemon icing. This vegan cake won many fans when Charlotte took it into work recently – it disappeared in a flash apparently and nobody could tell whether it was vegan or not. The easiest cake in the world to make, it literally comes together in 5 minutes and, apart from the fresh lemon, it is made from ingredients you most likely always keep in your store cupboard.

You’ve got to have enough lemon!

But for now, back to the lemon cake! I like my lemon cakes to properly taste of lemon – it is a lemon cake, not a ‘hint of’ lemon cake, after all! As such, I use more zest and juice than a lot of similar recipes. If you prefer a more gentle flavour, simply reduce the lemons to 1 or 1½.

Use exactly the same recipe to serve as a loaf or in squares:

You can use this recipe for either a loaf style cake or in a square tin and then cut into squares. Both work equally well.

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‘Bake My day’

It is always useful to have a few vegan recipes up your sleeve. Whilst nobody is vegan in this house, many of the girls’ friends are and I always like to know I can cater for them when they visit. Also, I like to gift cakes. Last week I sent a box of cakes along to our local vaccination centre and I wanted to ensure that everybody would be able to have a treat. I included both vegan and gluten free cakes, which, hopefully, covered the majority of dietary requirements. Hopefully I was able to ‘bake their day’! The lemon drizzle squares show above were made for his box.

This recipe is based on my Vegan Sponge Cake – Core Recipe.

Over the next few months I shall be sharing other recipes using this fabulous Core Recipe such as Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, Vegan Coconut Loaf with Chocolate frosting and Vegan Coffee and Walnut Cake with Coffee Frosting.

How to make Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake

Collect all the ingredients together:

For the basic cake –

• plain/all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• fine salt
• caster sugar
• cold water
• vegetable oil
• grated lemon zest

For the soaking syrup:

• water
• caster sugar
• lemon juice

For the drizzle:

• lemon juice
• icing sugar

First make the sponge cake:

1. Simply put the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Add the water and oil.
3. Whisk with an electric whisk until thoroughly combined.
4. Use a fine grater to zest both of the lemons – I do this directly over the mixing bowl.
5. Fold in the lemon zest.
6. Spoon into a lined 900g/2lb loaf tin and bake on the centre shelf of your oven for 45 – 55 minutes or until cooked. Check the cake after 30 minutes. If it is browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil.
7. The cake is cooked when:
   • the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains, or
   • a toothpick or skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

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While the cake is baking, make the soaking syrup:

1. Whilst the cake is cooking, make the syrup. Heat the water and caster sugar in a saucepan over a moderately low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Take off the heat and then add the lemon juice.

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Drizzle the hot, cooked cake with the syrup:

1. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, puncture it all over with a cake tester or skewer.
2. Spoon the syrup over the cake, trying to let the middle absorb it as well as the sides.
3. Leave it to cool in the tin.

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Cover with icing:

1. When the cake is cool, mix the lemon juice with the icing sugar.
2. Mix until there are no lumps – use a balloon whisk if there are any lumps. It should be a thick pouring consistency. If it is too thick, add a little more lemon juice or water. If too runny, add a little extra sugar.
3. Remove the baking parchment from the cooled cake and place it on a rack over a baking tray – this is just to help with easy clean up as some of the icing will trickle off the cake. Pour over the icing, ensuring it covers the top of the cake – you may need to spread it with a knife.

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You can also make this cake as in a square tin and serve in slices:

1. Make the cake exactly as above and pour into a lined 20cm/8in square tin.
2. Cook for 30 – 35 minutes until cooked.
3. Puncture it all over with a cake tester or skewer and spoon the syrup over the cake, trying to let the middle absorb it as well as the sides.
4. Leave to cool in the tin and then cover in lemon icing.
5. When the icing is set cut into 16 squares. Grate over some extra grated lemon zest if desired.

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Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.