One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (2024)

This rich, soft, and zesty vegan lemon drizzle cake rises so beautifully all with no eggs and no butter! Easy to make in one bowl with simple ingredients!

One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (1)

You won’t believe this lemon drizzle cake is vegan:

This vegan lemon drizzle cake took me 10 attempts to FINALLY get the perfect rise, texture, and level of moisture that a traditional lemon drizzle cake has- all without eggs, milk, nor butter.

And it was well worth it because now I can present to you the mostunbelievablyvegan lemon drizzle cake that rises and domes beautifully, keeps its moisture, and has aburst of fresh lemon flavorall throughout the cake.

All without using any lemon extracts- just real lemons! – and absolutely no animal products.

One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (2)

Like with my vegan lemon blueberry loaf and vegan lemon pound cake, I cried tears of joy. Lemon desserts can be notoriously tricky because the acidity in the lemon can hinder rising, but we’ve cracked the code (which is quite simple!).

And the best part? This lemon drizzle cake is made literally in just one bowl and with a whisk.It’s so easy, you don’t need any fancy equipment or years of baking experience.

Trust me when I say that you will be speechless after baking this lemon drizzle cake!!

Craving more lemon desserts?Try my vegan lemon blueberry layer cake, lemon sweet rolls, lemon poppyseed cake, my viral lemon blueberry coffee cake, lemon poppyseed cupcakes, or my blubbery lemon cinnamon rolls. All such a treat!

Simple, pantry staple ingredients:

  • Flour:I use all purpose flour here, but you can also use a gluten free flour blend- see my notes below for my specific recommendations because not all blends will work!
  • Sugar:I have not tested this cake with any other sugar other than organic granulated sugar (which is vegan-friendly).
  • Lemon zest:We’re adding the lemon juice to the cake AFTER we bake, to help the cake rise better!
  • Oil:I like either vegan butter or a neutral oil, like avocado oil.
  • Dairy free milk: You can use oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk here.
  • Dairy free yogurt:This is to help add some moisture to our vegan lemon drizzle cake.
  • Baking powder:We’re actually not using any baking soda, and that’s by design. The acidity from even just the lemon zest will neutralize the baking soda, which will prevent the baking soda from helping the loaf rise. The baking powder is already activated baking soda and a much more stable leavening agent, so that’s what will help our lemon drizzle cake rise!
One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (3)

How to get a lemon loaf to rise without eggs:

This was my biggest learning lesson, as typically a drizzle cake rises from mostly eggs, followed by a little help from leavening agents.

Well since we aren’t using eggs, I tested a few different options, including a higher ratio of dairy free yogurt, swapping in just applesauce, which just landed me with very level and flat cakes.

Great for a vegan cake for layer cakes, but not great for loaf cakes.

Eventually, I landed on a higher ratio of flour than what a typical pound cake requires, while also mimicking the moist and tender texture of traditional lemon drizzle cake.

That’s the key- using the proper ratio of ingredients to mimic a more traditional bake!

One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (4)

We also OMIT the lemon juice from the cake batter- this is intentional, as lemon juice FURTHER prevents our lemon drizzle cake from rising (as it neutralizes leavening agents).

However, we’re also not using any lemon extracts- just real lemon juice and zest. The lemon zest adds a beautifully strong aroma to the cake, and the lemon simple syrup we brush on top at the end will pack in the lemon flavor.

Overview: step by step how to make a vegan lemon drizzle cake:

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (5)
One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (6)
One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (7)
One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (8)

Optional frosting or glaze:

Instead of going with a traditional icing sugar glaze, I decided to top with my favorite vegan cream cheese frosting with lots of lemon zest in it.

The vegan lemon drizzle cake is quite sweet, so I wanted that tang to balance the flavors.

Can I make this vegan lemon drizzle cake gluten free?

Absolutely! I recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour. It’s a really good blend that yields a texture nearly identical to that of all purpose flour.

Personally, I haven’t liked using Bob’s in recent years because I feel that the formula changed, and rendered it NOT 1:1. So experiment at your own risk, but I haven’t had much success so I don’t recommend it here.

One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (9)

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (10)

One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

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  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 70
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

This rich, soft, and zesty vegan lemon drizzle cake rises so beautifully all with no eggs and no butter! Easy to make in one bowl with simple ingredients!

Ingredients

Scale

Lemon Drizzle Cake:

  • 2/3 cup (150 g) unsalted vegan butter or neutral oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (300 g) organic granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp dairy free yogurt, room temperature*
  • 45 tbsp lemon zest, from 2 large lemons
  • 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 3 cups (375) g all purpose flour*
  • 1 1/4 cups (300 mL) dairy-free milk, room temperature*

Lemon Syrup:

  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon juice
  • 23 tbsp granulated sugar
  • Optional: vegan cream cheese frosting or simple glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar with 1-2 tbsp dairy free milk

Instructions

  1. Prep:Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a pound loaf pan (about 8″) with parchment paper. Measure out all ingredients.
  2. Rub the sugar with the lemon zest:In a large bowl, rub the sugar and the lemon zest together between clean fingers to help bring out the lemon oil and flavors.
  3. Make the batter:To the sugar mixture, add in the oil, dairy free yogurt, vanilla extract, and salt, and whisk just until mixed. Then add in the baking powder, and whisk again.
  4. Finish the batter:Add in the flour and dairy free milk, and whisk JUST until the flour is combined.
  5. Bake:Pour the lemon loaf batter into the prepared pan, and place onto a baking sheet just incase of any extra spillage. Bake for 65-70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. If you notice that your vegan lemon drizzle cake loaf is browning too much towards the end you can cover it with parchment paper.
  6. While the loaf is baking:Make the lemon syrup. In a small saucepan, heat the lemon juice and sugar until dissolved. Then pour into a heat-safe jar and let cool while your lemon loaf bakes.
  7. Cool:Once out of the oven, brush the loaf with the lemon syrup and let cool completely before you frost or ice.
  8. Make the frosting:Prepare the frosting according to instructions and frost. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

Oil:You can use avocado oil, vegetable oil, or even olive oil.

Gluten free:Swap in a gluten-free flour blend, such as King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour.

Dairy free yogurt:You can use vegan sour cream or dairy free yogurt here- any type will do.

Dairy free milk:I like oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk.

One Bowl MOIST Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you use lemon juice instead of water in a lemon cake mix? ›

Sprinkle in lemon or orange zest to give your box cake batter a hint of zing. You can also replace the water with lemon, orange or lime juice or soda. Use this method with any type of cake mix, but it works best with lemon, yellow and white cake.

What happens if you put too much lemon juice in a cake? ›

Cutting too much lemon for a recipe can result in a dish that is excessively sour or acidic. This can overpower the other flavors and make the dish unbalanced.

Why does my lemon drizzle cake always sink in the middle? ›

5. My cake has sunk in the middle. There are three main reasons for this: a/ the oven door has been opened before the cake has set, b/ the cake didn't go in the oven as soon as the mixture was ready or c/ there's too much raising agent.

Why has my lemon drizzle cake cracked? ›

In an oven that's too hot, the outside of the cake cooks at a much faster rate than the inside. A crust forms early on, but as the inside of the cake continues to cook and rise, this crack crusts. You might experience the same problem if the cake recipe has too much leavener or if you've used a pan that's too small.

What happens when you mix lemon juice and baking powder? ›

When baking powder is mixed with lemon juice, bubbles formed because of evolution of carbon dioxide gas. This is a chemical change, because in this reaction new substances are formed.

Why does my lemon cake not taste like lemon? ›

Lemon flavor: Let's all say it together: LEMON JUICE DOESN'T ADD LEMON FLAVOR (when added to the cake). Instead, try adding more zest, lemon extract, or a lemon soak.

Why does my lemon cake taste bitter? ›

One of the most common misfortunes among bakers is that they are using too much baking soda or baking powder. Know that too much baking soda or baking powder in cakes will not just lead to a metallic and bitter taste, but it can also make a big mess in the oven as it will rise beyond expectations.

How do you increase the flavor of lemon in a cake? ›

Add up to a few teaspoons of zest to your baked goods to provide background flavor notes. It can be used to boost the overall lemon profile of your bake or accent additional flavors, similar to vanilla extract. Add the zest to your recipe when called for or when adding the fat (butter, oil, etc.)

Should lemon drizzle cake be kept in the fridge? ›

Room Temperature:If the drizzle cake is made with ingredients like sugar, butter, and eggs (common in many drizzle cake recipes), it can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for about 2 to 3 days. It's best to keep it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Can you eat a cake that has sunk in the middle? ›

If your cake was cooked to the proper temperature, chances are it is still edible even if it sunk in the center. Check that it's baked through the middle, then try a small piece of your cake. It might not taste good if the ingredient measurements were off. Notice the texture to make sure it's not too dense or spongy.

Why is my lemon cake not fluffy? ›

Room Temperature Butter / Don't Over-Cream

Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.

Why do vegan cakes crack? ›

Why do cakes crack when baking? A: Oven too hot or cake placed too high in oven; the crust is formed too soon, the cake continues to rise, therefore the crust cracks.

Can I use lemon juice instead of lemon zest? ›

Lemon juice carries the same flavor as lemon zest, but it's more acidic, so you might want to add a pinch of sugar to balance out the tartness. That said, the lemon flavor is not as concentrated as lemon zest, so you'll want to keep this formula handy: 1 teaspoon of lemon zest = 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Can I use granulated sugar instead of caster sugar? ›

Caster sugar

White sugar is milled into smaller crystals. It's also called superfine sugar. It dissolves more easily, making it perfect for recipes like custard from scratch, meringues and cakes. In most recipes you can substitute granulated sugar for caster sugar and vice versa.

Can I use juice instead of water in a cake mix? ›

You can also think 'outside of the box and use other non-dairy liquids: Try swapping out the water for soda, juice (orange juice is great with vanilla / yellow cake), or even a stout beer or coffee (for chocolate cake).

Can I use lemon juice instead of lemon in my water? ›

Always use a fresh lemon; never use bottled lemon juice. Organic lemons are best if you have access to them. If not, wash your lemon well before cutting into it. Also, boiling water will kill the nutrients in the lemon, you want warm water, not boiling hot.

What can you substitute for water in a cake mix? ›

At the very least, replace the water called for on the package with another liquid: apple cider, coffee, buttermilk, even pink Champagne. Use that same liquid to make a glaze or frosting, as in apple cider cake with apple cider glaze. Or turn to citrus, from lemon to orange to lime to grapefruit, or even clementine.

What do you replace water with in cake mix? ›

Baking tip #2: adding milk to your box cake mix in place of water adds a dense texture to your dessert leaving it moist and flavorful like a homemade cake. Or, if you prefer, you can add buttermilk, giving your cake a tangy flavor to balance out the sweetness.

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