Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake- Dairy Free, Egg Free.
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!
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 286kcal
Equipment
- 1 Loaf tin 30cm x 11cm / 12" x 4"
Ingredients
Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake
- 380 g plain or all purpose flour
- 18 g baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 250 g sugar
- 250 ml plant milk
- 200 ml sunflower oil
- 50 ml lemon juice
- 45 ml 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 powdered sugar/icing sugar
- 50 ml 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: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 364mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 44IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 0.5mg