Lemon Layer Cake (Vegan)
Nothing says summer like a lemon cake—sweet, zesty, and effortlessly easy, it’s the perfect treat for sunny days. This 6-inch, two-layer beauty boasts a moist, tender crumb bursting with fresh lemon flavor, a creamy, tangy layer of homemade lemon curd nestled between the layers, and a luscious lemon buttercream infused with even more lemon curd. If you are looking for a simple, dairy and egg free lemon cake, this is it. – your new go to cake for warm weather celebrations or that lemon lover in your life.
What you will need:
This fun and simple layer cake is perfect for summer celebrations. It’s made with pantry-friendly ingredients that you can easily find at your local grocery store. Both lemon juice and zest are used to flavor the cake. Two medium lemons provided enough juice and zest. The filling and buttercream are flavored with homemade lemon curd, though store-bought works just as well. For those who’d like to make their own, check out my recipe for Lemon Curd- Lemon Curd (Vegan).
Ingredients:
Lemon Cake
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cane sugar
- plant based butter with salt
- olive oil
- plant based milk
- plant based yogurt
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- vanilla extract
Lemon Buttercream
- powdered sugar
- plant based butter with salt
- plant based heavy whipping cream (Country Crock Dairy Free Heavy Whipping Cream)
- lemon curd (homemade or store bought)
Assembly
- lemon zest
- lemon curd
How to:
Lemon Curd:
This recipe uses lemon curd as the filling between layers and to flavor the buttercream. Whether making your own, or buying it from the store, both will work. If you choose to make your own, it should be prepared first. It can be prepared a day or two in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. If you prepare it same day, make sure it has cooled to room temperature before assembling the cake.
Prep Work:
Zest and juice the lemons. Two medium lemons provided just the right amount of juice and zest needed for the recipe. Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare 2 6-inch round cake pans by greasing them and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. I find I get the best release by using parchment paper along with greasing the pans thoroughly.
Batter:
Start by bring the dry ingredients together. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to a small bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until they are well combined and set the bowl aside. Next, bring the wet ingredients together by adding the milk, yogurt, vanilla extract and lemon juice to a 2-cup measuring cup. Whisk the ingredients together until they are well combined and set the mixture aside.
To a medium bowl, add the cane sugar and lemon zest. With your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar until all of the sugar is coated in zest. Add the butter and oil to the sugar mixture. Using a handheld mixer, beat them together on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until light, fluffy, and creamy. Add half of the wet ingredients to the bowl, blending at medium speed for 15 seconds. Add half of the dry ingredients and blend at medium speed for 15 seconds. Pour in the remaining liquid ingredients, blending for 15 seconds, and finish by adding the rest of the dry ingredients, blending on medium speed until no flour remains.
Stir the batter a few times with a spatula, then split it evenly between the two pans. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cakes are set. The edges should be pulling away from the sides, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let them rest in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack. Once turned out onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment paper from the bottoms. Be sure they’ve cooled completely to room temperature before frosting.
Lemon Buttercream:
While the cakes are cooling, start on the lemon buttercream. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a balloon whisk and beat on high for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides, then beat for another minute until it’s smooth and fluffy.
Add the powdered sugar to the creamed butter. Blend the sugar and butter together at medium to medium-high speed until the powdered sugar is completely incorporated, this should take 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon curd and heavy cream to the bowl and blend at high speed for 3 minutes or until the frosting is light, fluffy and creamy.
Assembly:
To assemble the layer cake, place the first cake layer on a plate or serving dish and apply a thick layer of buttercream. Spread it out evenly across the top of the cake. Add the lemon curd in an even layer to the top of the buttercream layer. Place the second cake layer over the top of the curd layer. Place a thick layer of buttercream on the top of the second cake layer, working it across the top of the cake and down the sides. Add more frosting to make sure the entire cake is covered. Smooth out the frosting with an offset spatula or cake scraper. Add some of the frosting to a piping bag, fitted with the tip of your choice, and decoratively pipe frosting on top of the cake. Finish the cake off by decorating the top with a few sprinkles of lemon zest.
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature.
Alright, let’s get started. Please make, bake and enjoy!
Lemon Layer Cake (Vegan)
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 2¼ cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup (200 grams) cane sugar
- 4 tbsp (56 grams) plant based butter with salt – room temperature
- 4 tbsp light olive oil
- 10 tbsp (150 ml) plant based milk – room temperature
- ½ cup (120 grams) plant based yogurt – room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2½ tbsp lemon zest
- 2½ tbsp lemon juice
Lemon Buttercream
- 4 cups (480 grams) powdered sugar
- 12 tbsp (168 grams) plant based butter with salt – room temperature
- 3 tbsp dairy free heavy cream – cold
- 3½ tbsp lemon curd
Assembly
- 1 tsp lemon zest – decoration
- ⅓ cup lemon curd
Instructions
Lemon Cake
- Zest and juice the lemons – 2 medium lemons were enough to give me all the zest and juice needed for the recipe – set the juice and zest aside for later.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare 2 6-inch round cake pans by greasing them and lining the bottoms with parchment paper.
- To a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine and set the bowl aside.
- To a 2-cup measuring cup, add the milk, yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- To a medium bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar until all of the sugar is coated in zest. Add the butter and oil to the bowl. With a handheld mixer, blend at medium-high speed for about 2 minutes.
- Add half of the liquid mixture to the butter mixture and blend at medium speed for 15 seconds. Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and blend at medium speed for 15 seconds.
- Add the rest of the liquid mixture to the bowl and blend at medium speed for 15 seconds, add the rest of the flour mixture and blend at medium speed until no more flour can be seen.
- Give the batter a few good stirs with a spatula and then divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
- Bake the cakes for 40 minutes or until set – edges are pulling away from the pan and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cakes rest in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn them out onto a cooling rack and remove the parchment paper. Make sure the cakes have cooled to room temperature before frosting them.
Lemon Buttercream
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter. With a balloon whisk attachment, whip the butter for 2 minutes at high speed, scrape the sides and whip for 1 more minute.
- Add the powdered sugar and blend at medium-to-medium high speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until it all comes together.
- Add the heavy cream and lemon curd and blend at high speed for 3 minutes.
Assembly
- Set the first cake layer on a plate or serving dish and generously frost the top, spreading it evenly. Add the lemon curd to the top of the buttercream layer, evenly spreading it out.
- Place the second cake layer over the top of the curd layer. Cover the top with another thick layer of buttercream, spreading it across the top and down the sides. Add more frosting as needed to ensure the entire cake is fully coated.
- Smooth the buttercream out on the top and sides of the cake with a cake scraper or off set spatula. Place some of the buttercream in a piping bag, fitted with the piping tip of your choice and decoratively pipe buttercream on top of the cake.
- Decorate the top of the cake with some lemon zest.The cake is ready to slice and serve.
- Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
