It’s springtime, so who doesn’t love an easy lemon cake? This one has a delicate lemon flavor and is not too sweet. I use most of the whole lemon fruit to cut down on waste, yogurt, and an egg replacement in this recipe, but I share some substitution options with you if you don’t want to buy products you feel you won’t use up. I also skip the lemon extract which does help to impart a more lemony flavor, but tastes a bit too artificial to me for some reason. But hey, that’s just me.

This is pretty much a one bowl recipe, that you can easily make even if you don’t have a mixer. If you’re a lemon lover, give this one a try.

Equipment:

8” x 4” loaf pan
Stand mixer w/ paddle attachment or hand mixer (if you have neither, you can melt the butter and mix by hand)
Whisk or silicon spatula
Zester or microplane
Juicer or small sieve and bowl
Scale (if using- you should! )
Large bowl or stand mixer bowl
Medium bowl ( icing )
Cooling rack

Products used:

Links provided below-

CocoJune Yogurt- I don’t think what brand you use makes a huge difference, but make sure it’s unflavored.
Unsalted Violife or Miyoko’s Butter - Are my current faves, but use whatever brand you prefer. If you can only find salted butter, you can adjust the salt down by 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon- it’s hard to say exactly though as different butters have different levels of saltiness. This however is one of the cases when I would prefer more salt than not enough, though.
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt- the chef’s salt for various reasons I won’t get into here, but…it contains 53% less sodium than standard salt, so that’s why I say to use half if you’re using Morton or table salt.
Domino Sugar- now, this is a tricky one… my supplier list it as vegan and Domino has stated in the past that the sugar coming from Baltimore, MD, Yonkers, NY or South Bay, FL are all vegan, but at the time (this was around 2017), the supplies coming from west coast were not. Now, this is a good 5 years, so I suspect that it’s all vegan now, but I haven’t had the chance to confirm this - so buy with caution. If you’re a distrustful vegan (aren’t we all? ) go for organic instead- just try to get the finest grain you can- your baking results will be better.
Silk Unsweetened Organic Soy Milk- what type of plant milk doesn’t really matter too much in this recipe, just make sure it’s unsweetened.
Just Egg- or any vegan liquid egg is fine or you can skip all together and use oil or butter to top the buns for a golden finish.

Thick or thin

You can make this icing on the thick or thin side. To thin out, add more lemon juice or if you want it less lemony, add some plant milk or heavy cream instead. Just start small when adding more liquid...I suggest a teaspoon at a time.

Notes + substitutions:

Just Egg- If you don’t have or want to purchase, substitute with ¼ cup more of plant milk.

Yogurt- If you prefer, you can use vegan sour cream. You could again sub with milk, but I like the tang of yogurt or sour cream to help out with the lemony flavor.

Lemon Zest- Mixing the lemon zest with the sugar helps to release the oils in the lemon skin and impart some lemon flavor into the cake, also it’s pretty much the best smell you’ll ever smell

Lemon Flesh- Is that the right word, I don’t know… Anyway, I like to use the whole peeled and deseeded lemon instead of just the juice. Does it make that much of a difference… I’m not completely sure, tbh. If that sounds like too much work for you, just juice the lemon and use ½ a cup.

Lemon Extract- For some reason, I hate any citrus extract… it tastes chemically to me. However, if you don’t mind it and want a super lemony cake, have at it.

Lemon Juice (for glaze)- I use around 2 tablespoons, however, if you want a thinner or more lemony glaze, you can use more- just start with a teaspoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. If you'd like a thinner glaze and not more lemony, add plant milk or heavy cream instead.

Oil- We use some along with the butter to help the cake stay moist. A neutral oil such as grapeseed, canola, or vegetable are best. You could use coconut if you use refined (unless you want a coconut flavor), avocado could work too, but might give your cake a green tinge.

Salt- Diamond Crystal Kosher is my preference, but if you use Morton or table salt, reduce the amount by half as Diamond is less salty than the two.

Sugar- to make sure it’s vegan, use organic as it does not use bone char (yes, it’s as bad as it sounds) in the processing like conventional sugar.

Parchment Paper- is really useful to remove the cake from the pan when done. Cut a piece to fit inside the pan and up the sides with an inch or two overhang- use these to pull the cake out of the pan for easy release.

Measuring- Listen… just go ahead and get a scale! They’re cheap and the most accurate for baking. I use them to develop my recipes and do the best I can to convert to the cup measurements out of courtesy to those who don’t have one, but trust me, if you like to bake- it will be the best $20 dollars you spend to improve your recipes. If you still refuse, make sure that you use the scoop and level method to measure out your flour to avoid using more than the recipe calls for.

MEASUREMENT ABBREVIATIONS

T= tablespoon tsp= teaspoon C= cup g= gram ml= milliliter oz= ounce pinch= around ⅛ of a teaspoon

INGREDIENTS:

Cake

250 g ( 1 ¼ C) sugar

Zest of 2 lemons

Flesh of two lemons, seeds removed, blended ( or ½ C lemon juice, fresh squeezed)

43 g (3 T) butter, room temperature

45 ml (3 T) neutral oil

88 g (6 T) just egg liquid ** see Notes + Substitutions**

57 g (¼ C ) yogurt, room temperature ** see Notes + Substitutions**

120 ml (½ C ) plant milk

1 ¼ tsp. vanilla extract

270 g (2 ¼ C) all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal ** see Products Used **, use half if using table salt or Morton)

Lemon Icing

120 g (1 C) powdered sugar, sifted
28 g (2 T) vegan butter, melted (not too hot)
Zest of 1 lemon
2 T lemon juice, freshly squeezed (plus more if desired ** see Notes + Substitutions **)
Pinch salt

Prep:

Bring butter, milk, yogurt, and Just Egg (if using) to room temp
Zest lemons (cake + icing)
If you plan on blending the lemons, peel the remaining skin, chop and remove seeds, otherwise juice the lemons (cake)
Juice one lemon half for icing
Butter (or spray) pan and line with parchment paper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat Oven to 350 F

Cake

If you haven’t already, prepare your pan with butter or cooking spray and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
Add lemon chunks to a blender or food processor to blend- the result should be a slightly thick and frothy lemon mixture. If you prefer to use the juice, then do that, making sure to remove any seeds.
In a large bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Use your hands to rub them together to release the oils from the zest into the sugar.
Add in the room temp butter and oil and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the “egg”, yogurt, and vanilla extract- blend for 20 seconds on medium-low speed to combine.
Pour in the milk, and stir to combine (I like to use my spatula and stir by hand instead of the blender here).
Sift in the flour and baking powder, and add in the salt to your mixing bowl- mix with the spatula or your mixer on low to combine.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix again for 20- 30 seconds or until the mixture is well combined and there are no dry spots- don’t over mix.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and place on the middle rack of your oven to bake 50-60 minutes or until the top is firm, slightly golden brown, and there are just a few crumbs left on a toothpick that’s been inserted.
When the cake is done, remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, use the parchment paper to remove the cake from the pan and continue to cool completely before icing.

DIRECTIONS:

Icing

Sift in powdered sugar into a medium bowl and add the lemon zest reserved for the icing- rub together with your hands to release the oils from the zest.
Add in the melted butter (make sure it is not too hot) and pinch of salt- mix until a thick pasty mixture is formed.
How thick you want your icing is up to you. I like it around thick cinnamon roll icing consistency (thick, but will fall off a spatula when turned upside down), but you can go thicker or thinner. Start off with one tablespoon of juice, mix well, then see where you are at. If it’s too thick, add more juice, a teaspoon at a time (or milk if you don’t want it too citrusy) until you get your perfect icing. If you mess up and add too much liquid, add a bit more sugar to thicken up again.
Pour or spread the icing on the top of the cake.
Slice and serve- enjoy!

STORAGE AND USE

Wrap leftover cake in plastic wrap or slice and store in an air-tight container.
I prefer to leave at room temp for up to two days, but you can store in the refrigerator for maximum food safety.

Thanks for stopping by, friend.

xx Debbie xx