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    Home » Cake

    Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake- Dairy Free, Egg Free!

    Published: Jan 11, 2024 · Modified: Mar 22, 2024 by Louise-Claire Cayzer · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    This Vegan Lemon and Poppy Seed cake is one of my all time favourite cake recipes. It's light and fluffy but made without dairy and is egg free too! It's one of those cakes that's perfect to eat with a cup of coffee or tea when you need little sweet treat or afternoon pick me up. With the perfect balance of tangy lemon in the sweet fluffy cake, this delicious cake will become a favorite for sure!

    Lemon and Poppy Seed cake sliced up and ready to eat. this recipe

    Citrus season in the northern hemisphere is in January and February, and I like to make the most of it, as the bright, zingy flavors are perfect for banishing mid-winter blues. This deliciously light and fluffy vegan lemon cake recipe is perfect for taking along to a bake-sale or community get-together too, as it makes a generous 12+ slices!

    If you're wanting to explore other vegan cakes, you definitely need to try my favourite Vegan Carrot Cake with Aquafaba which to me is also a fabulous Spring cake. And of course, I can't let you go by without mentioning my other favourite, Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake, which is so retro it's cool again!

    Jump to:
    • 🍋Ingredients
    • 👩‍🍳Instructions
    • 🍊Substitutions & Variations
    • 🥄Equipment
    • 🥫Storage
    • ❗Top tip
    • ❓FAQ
    • More vegan cakes
    • Vegan cookies
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 🍊Substitutions & Variations
    • 💬 Comments

    🍋Ingredients

    These are my tried and true ingredients that I use to make this lemon loaf cake. Head to the 'Substitutions & Variations' box for some alternative ideas.

    Ingredients for the dairy and egg free poppy seed lemon cake laid out.
    • All Purpose/Plain Flour- Ordinary plain all purpose flour or cake flour will do.
    • Sugar- I like to use ordinary white sugar. For my US readers be sure it's vegan sugar (made without bone char).
    • Non-Dairy Milk- Oat milk is my milk of choice for baking, however you can use soy milk or almond milk.
    • Neutral Oil- I tend to use sunflower seed oil, however any vegetable oil or even olive oil is also good, but be warned, will add a distinctive flavor to the cake.
    • Aquafaba (chickpea juice)- This is simply the juice from a tin of chickpeas. It helps to bind the cake, while keeping it light and fluffy- or see notes for alternatives.
    • Vanilla Paste or vanilla extract: use the best quality you can afford. Vanilla and lemon somehow combine to make a more fragrant and delicious cake.
    • Baking Powder- make sure it's fresh and hasn't been hanging around the back of your cupboard for a billion years. This gives the cake rise and fluffyness.
    • Poppy Seeds: I love the little crunch and texture these give in this cake.
    • Lemon Juice- Fresh lemon juice is best- and you should have enough with the zest.
    • Lemon Zest- Choose un-waxed lemons and give them a scrub before zesting them. The zest is essential for the bright lemon flavor.
    • Salt: balances the sweetness.

    For the glaze

    • Powdered Sugar/Icing Sugar: This combines with the lemon juice to make the thick glaze.
    • Lemon Juice: Tangy and adds flavor to the icing glaze.
    • Poppy Seeds: I adore how the deep black seeds look against the bright white glaze. Optional but pretty!

    See recipe card for quantities.

    👩‍🍳Instructions

    First of all, get all your ingredients together in one place, put the oven on to preheat 190°C/ 375°F/ Gas Mark 5 and line the baking tin with parchment paper.

    Grating and zesting the lemons to use.

    1. Prepare the lemons by zesting them (the yellow only) and 2. squeezing their juice

    Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar.

    3 & 4: Rub the zest into the sugar. This releases the lemon oils that are in the zest and infuses the sugar, resulting in a more intensely flavored lemon cake.

    Whisking up the wet ingredients so they emulsify.

    5. Add all the wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk.

    6. Add the sugar, then whisk until it dissolves. The mixture should be thick-ish and emulsified.

    The lemon poppy seed cake batter texture, then poured into the cake pan.

    7. Mix in the dry ingredients to combine. Make sure there are no lumps.

    8. Add the cake batter to a parchment lined baking tin (loaf tin) and bake.

    9. Bake at 190°C/ 375°F/ Gas Mark 5 for around 40 minutes. The cake is done when a skewer comes out 'nearly' clean. Once the cake is cooked, leave to cool for 1 hour then remove from the cake pan and cool it further on a wire rack.

    10. To make the lemon icing: whisk lemon juice bit by bit in with the icing sugar/powdered sugar until you get a thick white paste that can be 'dropped'. Ice the cake, thickly, allowing it to drizzle and drip a bit. Sprinkle over some poppy seeds and allow it to set before cutting.

    Hint: Make sure when whisking up the liquid with the sugar that the sugar is really dissolved and the mixture is emulsified (thickened up a little and well whisked) This ensures the cake ends up with a tender and moist fluffy crumb.

    Lemon Poppy Seed cake iced and sliced up.

    🍊Substitutions & Variations

    Here are some easy substitutions you can make for this delicious vegan lemon cake with poppy seeds.

    • Ground Linseed 'Egg' - instead of the aquafaba. I prefer aquafaba as it's clear, however you can also hydrate the linseed, then strain it, just using the liquid if you don't want to see any slightly gritty bits in the fluffy cake.
    • Gluten-Free- Choose your favourite gluten-free flour. You might want to add an extra tablespoon of aquafaba or linseed to help bind the cake better.
    • Lemon Extract or Lemon Oil - Add a teaspoon of these for an extra zesty flavour.
    • Bottled Lemon Juice- if you choose to use bottled juice, you won't have the zest, so I suggest adding some lemon oil to bump up the flavor.
    • Other plant milks: Choose coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk or really any plant-based milk without a strong flavor.
    • Without poppy seeds: Simply leave these out for a simple lemon pound cake!
    • With Berries; If you want to, you could try this recipe's sister recipe, Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake. It's SO delicious with berries too.

    🥄Equipment

    If you want to, you can use a stand mixer or hand mixer to whisk up the ingredients, however I usually make this cake in a large bowl with a whisk and a wooden spoon and it turns out perfectly!

    My favorite way to make this cake is in a long loaf pan: 30cm x 11cm (12" x 4"). which provides 12 generous slices. Halve the recipe for a smaller loaf pan. Alternatively you could also make this as a layer cake in a 20 cm pan round pan and maybe fill it with some vegan lemon curd.

    🥫Storage

    This cake keeps in a cake tin or wrapped up in some clingfilm or plastic wrap for up to 7 days. (I think it tastes best on the 2nd or 3rd day for some reason! If you wish, you could freeze the cake uniced, then thaw it ready to eat.

    ❗Top tip

    Make sure the cake cools completely before icing it! Otherwise the icing will melt and just run into the cake making it dense and not fluffy (and make a mess of your countertop!). To ice, splodge the thick lemon icing over the top of the cake, then smooth it out with a spatula. It will sort of self level before it hardens.

    ❓FAQ

    Do I have to use fresh lemon in this cake?

    I think fresh lemons work best as you use the lovely zest to intensify the flavor as well as the fresh juice. However you can use lemon oil and bottled lemon juice as a substitute.

    Help- My cake is still not cooked through!

    Return the cake to the oven for another 5 minutes then test again. The size of your pan will dictate how long your cake will cook, so be patient with it.

    More vegan cakes

    Want to make more vegan cakes? Try these recipes!

    • Peach and Raspberry Cake with a slice cut on a plate ready to eat.
      Raspberry and Peach Cake- Dairy and Egg Free
    • Lemon Blueberry Cake with a slice of cake taken off, with blueberries on top.
      Easy Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake (Dairy and Egg Free)
    • Banana Bread with Chocolate chips ready to eat.
      Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with 2 Bananas
    • Banana Bread with rhubarb ready to eat.
      Easy Rhubarb Banana Bread (without Eggs)

    Vegan cookies

    Or why not try to make a cookie or two...

    • A stack of raspberry shortbread crumble bars ready to eat.
      Raspberry Shortbread Crumble Bars- Dairy Free Recipe
    • Vegan Cheese Biscuits on a board ready to eat.
      Vegan Savoury Cheese Biscuits (Cookies)
    • A stack of banana date flapjacks ready to take for a snack.
      Healthy Date Banana Flapjacks (without sugar)
    • A stack of biscoff flapjacks on a plate ready to eat.
      Easy Biscoff Flapjacks (Dairy Free & Vegan)

    If you love this recipe, please share this post with your friends on Pinterest or Facebook, or tag me on Insta! Don't forget to also please comment and star ⭐this recipe too!

    Love & Vegan Yummies, Louise xx (P.S. Follow me on Insta and Tik Tok!)

    📖 Recipe

    Lemon and Poppy Seed cake sliced up and ready to eat.

    Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake- Dairy Free, Egg Free.

    Louise-Claire Cayzer
    A lovely light and fluffy lemon and poppy seed cake that is zesty and delicious. Perfect for serving with a cup of coffee or tea!
    No ratings yet
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 55 minutes mins
    Course Dessert, pudding, sweet
    Cuisine American, british, European, French
    Servings 12 slices
    Calories 286 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Loaf tin 30cm x 11cm / 12" x 4"

    Ingredients Note:

    For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.

    (Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)

    Ingredients

    Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake

    • 380 g (3 cups) plain or all purpose flour
    • 18 g (4 teaspoon) baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 250 g (1 ¼ cups) sugar
    • 250 ml (1 cups) plant milk
    • 200 ml (6/7 cups) sunflower oil
    • 50 ml (⅕ cups) lemon juice
    • 45 ml (3 tablespoon) aquafaba (chickpea juice) (or linseed egg)
    • Zest of 2 lemons or 3 teaspoon lemon extract / essence
    • 2 tablespoon poppy seeds

    Lemon syrup topping (optional for extra moisture)

    • 150 g (1 ⅕ cups) powdered sugar/icing sugar
    • 50 ml (⅕ cups) lemon juice

    Instructions

    • Pre-heat oven to 190℃/375℉/Gas Mark 5. Grease and line a 30cm loaf cake tin
    • Zest the lemons, making sure not to get any of the white pith.
      Zest of 2 lemons or 3 teaspoon lemon extract / essence
    • In a large bowl, rub the zest into the sugar to release the lovely lemon oils.
      250 g sugar
    • Now add in the oil, plant milk, vanilla, lemon juice and aquafaba to the bowl and whisk very well until the sugar dissolves and the liquid emulsifies (comes together rather than being separate)
      250 ml plant milk, 200 ml sunflower oil, 50 ml lemon juice, 45 ml aquafaba (chickpea juice)
    • Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder into the liquid making sure it's well incorporated and there are no flour lumps.
      380 g plain or all purpose flour, 18 g baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
    • Mix in the poppy seeds to the cake batter.
      2 tablespoon poppy seeds
    • Pour the cake mix into the prepared tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer emerges clean from the cake.
    • Once cooked, allow cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes or up to an hour, then put on a cooling rack.
    • You can choose to serve the cake without the icing.
    • Or to ice the cake, mix lemon juice into the powdered sugar bit by bit until you have a thick, glossy white paste.
      150 g powdered sugar/icing sugar, 50 ml lemon juice
    • Smooth the icing over the now cooled cake and sprinkle with extra poppy seeds.
      Allow the icing to set before cutting.

    Video

    Notes

     

    🍊Substitutions & Variations

     
    Hint: Make sure when whisking up the liquid with the sugar that the sugar is really dissolved and the mixture is emulsified (thickened up a little and well whisked) This ensures the cake ends up with a tender and moist fluffy crumb.
    Here are some easy substitutions you can make for this delicious vegan lemon cake with poppy seeds.
    • Ground Linseed 'Egg' - instead of the aquafaba. I prefer aquafaba as it's clear, however you can also hydrate the linseed, then strain it, just using the liquid if you don't want to see any slightly gritty bits in the fluffy cake.
    • Gluten-Free- Choose your favourite gluten-free flour. You might want to add an extra tablespoon of aquafaba or linseed to help bind the cake better.
    • Lemon Extract or Lemon Oil - Add a teaspoon of these for an extra zesty flavour.
    • Bottled Lemon Juice- if you choose to use bottled juice, you won't have the zest, so I suggest adding some lemon oil to bump up the flavor.
    • Other plant milks: Choose coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk or really any plant-based milk without a strong flavor.
    • Without poppy seeds: Simply leave these out for a simple lemon pound cake!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 1gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gSodium: 364mgPotassium: 31mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 44IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 141mgIron: 0.5mg
    Tried this recipe and loved it? Follow and Mention @vegan_larder or comment and ⭐ below

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    Hi! I'm Louise-Claire! I believe vegan and plant-based food should be easy to make, never scary and above all, absolutely delicious. Also, it's for everyone, not just for vegans!

    I'm a photographer, recipe developer and gardener. You'll find me in the kitchen, in the studio or wandering the garden, picking delicious veggies to make recipes for you! So why not stay a while, check out some of my recipes and try one or two for yourself...Find out more on my About Me page.

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    Lemon Poppy Seed Cake ready to eat.
    Lemon Poppy Seed Cake ready to eat.

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