This Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and almonds is soft, moist and delicious with a fresh lemon flavor. The recipe is quick and easy to make in one bowl, with a gluten-free option. (This post contains step-by-step pictures).
Best Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Hey guys, this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake tastes SO good, and it’s one of those cake recipes that I use over and over again! Especially in springtime, I love enjoying fresh lemony cakes that are easy to make and perfect for a quick snack or to take to a picnic. Of course, I also love my blueberry lemon layer cake, but making a loaf is definitely the easier way to go if you want a moist and fluffy cake in no time!
And can you guess what makes this Cake makes so special? It’s the poppy seeds! Actually, I’m a big fan of poppy seeds. I love to add them into sweet treats, such as pancakes, oatmeal, crepes, and cakes. By the way, have you tried my poppy seed cheesecake with crumbles on top yet? It’s so delicious! However, you can also make this lemon cake without poppy seeds if you don’t like them.
The perfect dessert for anytime!
The great thing about this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake loaf is that it’s the perfect sweet treat for any occasion! Not only for a cozy afternoon snack or picnic but, it’s also very practical to take to work, school or even to eat it for breakfast. You can enjoy it while it’s still freshly baked and store leftovers in the fridge for the next few days. However, being honest, it never lasts that long in my kitchen, because it’s so yummy and I always have to share with my hungry neighbors, haha!
How to make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Making this loaf is super easy! You need a few simple ingredients and no special kitchen equipment. Actually, the batter comes together in less than 5 minutes. Furthermore, the frosting and topping take only one minute to prepare!
How to grease a cake pan for an easy removal
Start preparing your cake tin. You can, of course just butter it, but I prefer to line it additionally with parchment paper so it’s easier to remove. The previous greasing helps the parchment paper to stick to the pan, so I wouldn’t leave out this step. Another option is to dust the pan with a little flour after greasing, as I usually do when I make a bundt cake (because it’s not possible to line such a shape with parchment paper).
Don’t overmix your batter!
If you want a fluffy vegan cake it is important not to overmix the batter, or your cake will get dense! So please, using a spatula or whisk, make sure to mix it just until the ingredients are combined.
Cream Cheese Frosting and Almonds
You can frost your cake however you like, but I find it tastes best when it’s topped with a creamy frosting and toasted almonds. The Frosting is just made of non-dairy cream cheese, a bit of powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. That’s it! To prepare the almonds, simply toast sliced almonds in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle over a bit of brown sugar and allow to caramelize.
This Best Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is:
- Vegan
- Egg-free
- Dairy-free
- Soft
- Moist
- Lemony
- Delicious
- Easy & quick to make
- With cream cheese frosting
- Topped with toasted almonds
- The perfect recipe for spring and summer!
How to make gluten-free Lemon Cake
If you want to make a gluten-free Vegan Lemon Cake, you can substitute a gluten-free flour blend 1:1. If you can’t find it in a store, you could simply order it online. To be honest, I haven’t tried using other flours yet, but feel free to give it a try. However, I recommend adjusting the liquid and adding more non-dairy milk if needed, because different types of flour absorb less or more liquid. Also, remember that a heavier flour results in a denser cake. That’s why I usually prefer using light all-purpose flour or spelt flour.
Looking for more easy vegan cake recipes?
If you are looking for more easy cake recipes, that you can make in one-bowl, be sure to try my Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake, Vegan Marble Cake, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Banana Bread or my Best Vegan Chocolate Cake. But also my Berry Crumble Cake or Vegan Cheesecake Recipes are pretty easy and so delicious!
Whatever you try, whether this Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake or another recipe, please leave me a comment below, letting me know how it turned out for you! And if you take a picture of your recreation and share it on Instagram, please do not forget to tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka , so I won’t miss your post! Happy baking!
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake - Vegan
Author:You do not have a fitting cake pan at hand right now? Try my Cake Pan Conversion Calculator!
Ingredients
Vegan Lemon Cake:
- 1 cup non-dairy milk (240ml)
- 1 lemon juice + zest
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (300g) or gluten-free flour*
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup sugar (150g)
- 1/2 cup neutral oil (125ml) or soft vegan butter*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp poppy seeds
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 200 g non-dairy cream cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60g) or more to taste
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- Sliced almonds
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
Vegan Lemon Cake (*see step-by-step pics in the blogpost or check out the recipe video!)
- Preheat oven to 355˚F (180˚C). Grease a and line with additional parchment paper so that there is an overhang on both sides. (You could also use a similar sized pan, such as 9-inch. If using a square pan, the baking time will be about 25 minutes only.)
- Add the non-dairy milk and lemon juice into a measuring jar and mix to combine. Set aside to curdle until it becomes vegan buttermilk.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add the sugar and whisk everything to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add into the well the vegan buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and poppy seeds. Stir together just until combined. (Please do not overmix, or your cake will get too dense).
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan, smoothing it out evenly. Tap the pan gently on your work surface to release any air bubbles.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes. Then cut a slit lengthwise to ensure that the cake rises evenly, and bake for another 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, then remove onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place non-dairy cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice into a mixing jar and mix using an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy (or blend in a blender).
- Spread the frosting over your cooled cake evenly.
Almonds
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add sliced almonds and toast for a minute. Sprinkle over brown sugar and allow to caramelize. Remove from the pan when the almonds are slightly golden-browned.
- Sprinkle toasted almonds over your frosted cake and garnish with fresh lemons or other desired decorations.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- To make this lemon cake gluten-free, I recommend using a gluten-free flour blend 1:1.
- If using a heavier flour, such as whole grain flour, keep in mind that your cake won’t get as fluffy and soft as when using a lighter flour. Also, please make sure to adjust the liquid by adding more non-dairy milk, if needed, because different flours absorb different amounts of liquid.
- You can use any sweeteners you like, such as maple syrup, agave syrup, coconut sugar, a sugar-free substitute or other.
- The baking time may vary, depending on your oven, or which pan you use, or if you cover the cake during baking. So please make a cake test! Also, remember the longer you bake the cake, the drier it gets.
- If you want to make this cake with vegan butter or margarine, you can check out this lemon cake recipe.
- Please read my blogpost for additional information about this recipe!
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I made this for a Swedish “fika” for my family and it was delicious! Beautiful, and most importantly so flavorful you would never know it was dairy-free. I highly recommend not leaving out the toasted almonds, since they added a little special crunch. I will definitely be making it again and again. 🍋
That sounds great! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Thank you 🙏
The recipe is delicious! I added the juice of one and a half lemons, since I like it more lemony, and didn’t make the cream cheese topping. Still super delicious and moist!
That’s awesome! 🙂
So glad you love this cake! ♥️
I love you recipes
Many thanks! 🙂
Liebe Bianca,
Kann man für den Teig anstatt des weißen Zuckers auch braunen Vollrohrzucker 1:1 verwenden? Lieben Dank!
Ja, klar! Bedenke jedoch, dass die Farbe des Kuchens dann dunkler wird.
Amazing recipe!! We did Veganuary on our Instagram page and used this recipe and it was so easy to follow and tasted so so YUMMY! Deffo give it a try!
Thank you for sharing! I’m happy you liked the recipe! Have a great day! 🙂
My favourite recipe!! Although my cake doesn’t always rise that well; do you have tips for this problem? Maybe I didn’t add enough baking powder?
Hi Maxime,
I am so glad you love it!
What is the size of your loaf pan? If your loaf pan is wider than mine, then your cake will be flatter.
Aside from that, it is important to not over-mix the batter. Stir until just combined, or your cake won’t rise very well.
The amount of baking powder as written in the recipe is perfect!
Best, Bianca 🙂
I’ve tried so many lemon poppyseed recipes both vegan and non vegan and this recipe still is my favorite. The texture is incredible and this cake stay so moist days after being made. The amount of poppyseeds is just right. I add a bit of lemon oil to boost the flavor and sometimes I do a simple lemon glaze made of powdered sugar and lemon juice. I highly recommend making this!
Thank you so much! I am glad you loved this recipe! ♡
Sincerely, Bianca! 🙂
This recipe looks great, I haven’t tried it yet but I love the flavor combinations (lemon, poppy seed, cream cheese, almond!). I’m very curious, how do you get away with no “binding” agent in the cake, no banana, no egg replacer, no tofu? I see some comments say it is a bit crumbly, do you think adding a bit of a binding agent might help?
Hi Emily,
I don’t think it’s crumbly! 🙂
Just be sure to let it cool completely after baking and please avoid over-baking.
You can use soy milk as it works great as a binder!
I hope you’ll love it!
Best, Bianca
Great recipe and soooo easy to make! I doubled it not realizing how big the recipe already was. Oftentimes, I find that bloggers make tiny portions, even if it says 10 portions, but the original measurements would have been perfect for a family. I used non-bleached flour, replaced the oil with vegan yogurt, and added a little more non-dairy (unsweetened vanilla oat) milk. Next time, I would add more lemon zest or lemon flavour; I need to buy a microplane… The texture of the loaf was perfect. Not too sweet, but doesn’t taste “healthy”. Perfect indulgence! Thank you Bianca! 🙂
I am so happy about that! 🙂
Thanks for your great feedback! ♡
Hi Bianca! I want to bake this for a bake sale and I was just wondering if this cake needs to stay refrigerated or if it would be okay at room temp? Thank you!
If you skip the cream cheese frosting, room temp is okay! 🙂
Hello, I made your cake with a simple yogurt-sugar icing and it was delicious thank you for the recipe. I would have loved to make a cream cheese icing but I can’t find any vegan cream cheese in France near my house.
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hope you’ll find vegan cream cheese in France soon, too.
Thank you so much for your feedback!
Best, Bianca <3
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
The batter was so light and airy.
I’m always cautious about how much sugar I have, and I often find I don’t have an affinity for overly sweet things – I ended up putting about half a cup, and it was perfect for me.
I’ll be serving this with the cream cheese icing for sure 🙂
So glad you enjoyed this cake!
Thank you so much! 🙂
Just DIVINE! The texture was perfection, I couldn’t believe how well this turned out and everyone loved it. Will be cooking it again for sure 👍😁 Thank you!!
So glad you love this cake!
Thank you so much, my dear! 🙂
This recipe is very simple and packs a punch. The cream cheese frosting with the almonds is so yummy! Defiantly worth a try.
So glad you love this recipe! 😊
Thank you so much for your amazing feedback!
Ein wahnsinnig leckerer Kuchen! Vielen Dank für das tolle Rezept 😍
Das freut mich sehr! Danke 🙂
Das Rezept war super einfach umzusetzen und der Kuchen schmeckt wirklich lecker! 😋✨ Ich habe ihn für meinen Opa zum Geburtstag gebacken ☺️
Dankeschön! 🙂 Das freut mich wirklich sehr! 🙂
Ich hoffe, dein Opa hat sich gefreut!
Great recipe! It doesn’t taste too sweet (add more sugar if you’ve got a really sweet tooth) I loved the lemon and poppy seed flavour.
So glad you love this recipe! Thank you so much! ❤️
Ich habe länge nach einem richtig guten Veganer Rührkuchen gesucht und bin jetzt so happy mit dem Zitronen-Mohnkuchen. Ich finde er ist perfekt geworden. Innen schön fluffig, genau wie ich es mag. Dazu noch super einfach und schnell geht’s auch noch. Vielen Dank für das tolle Rezept Bianca.
Es freut mich, dass dir mein Rezept gut gelungen ist und geschmeckt hat! Vielen Dank für dein Feedback! ❤️
Liebe Grüße, Bianca 😊
Such a great recipe and easy to follow along! I used GF flour and it turned out really light and fluffy, Big hit with the family as well!
So glad your lemon cake turned out amazing with gluten-free flour! Thank you for your amazing feedback! ❤️
This recipe is easy and simple for a first time baker. I didn’t use frosting on top and instead put the almonds inside and it was delicious – light & crumbly. Next time I’ll add more lemon and less bake time to get it a bit moister but you can really taste the lemon as is!
So glad you love this recipe! Thank you so much for your feedback! ❤️
Mega Rezept, habe ihn schon mehrmals gebacken und er kam auch bei nicht-veganern immer super an 🙂
So ein tolles Feedback höre ich wirklich gerne! 🙂
Ich danke dir vielmals!
Liebe Grüße,
Bianca <3
how much lemon juice is needed?
The juice of 1 lemon (about 1/3 cup).
Really yummy. A bit crumbly but it’s delicious. I did a lemon icing on top instead of the cream cheese topping.
Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! ❤️
This recipe turned out fantastic! From the texture of the poppyseeds to the crunch of the caramelized almonds. You’ll be eating it for breakfast, snack and after dinner dessert!
I added a half cup more of lemon juice to the recipe (to make sure it was moist and because I love strong lemon flavors). For the frosting, I made a vegan buttercream. I decreased the cooking time too 30 minutes as it cooks for 10 more minutes when you remove it from the oven
I made 3 loafs and they are all gone! Family, friends and neighbors are already asking for more! This ones a hit!
So glad you love this recipe! Thank you so much! 🙂
Woooow!!! The moment i saw this recipe i could imagine the taste, and i knew i had to make it!! Its super easy to make!! My whole house smelled amazing while it baked, and the taste was absolutely perfect!! Moist,soft,fragnant!! We ate it in a day, and it will definitely replace a classic bday cake for my bday in 2 weeks!!
Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! So glad you love this recipe so much! Thank you and happy Easter! 🙂
I made this with my husband to celebrate the launch of my new IG handle @thewellpleasuredmama and it was perfect because it is such a pleasure to delight in this cake! The frosting was perfect but even the cake alone is delicious!! 👌🏽🤗😋❤️
So glad you love this recipe! Thank you 🙂
so dellisious, thanks for the recipe <3
So glad you love this recipe! Thank you 🙂
Der Kuchen ist einfach göttlich!!
Den werde ich sicher noch öfters backen 😀
Meine Eltern meinten es ist der beste vegane Kuchen, den ich je gebacken habe 🙂
DANKE für das tolle Rezept <3
Wow, das freut mich, dass der Kuchen so gut ankommt! Dankeschön! 🙂
Easy and delicious, like all of Biancas recipes 🙌🏼
So glad you love my recipes! Thank you so much, Lauren! 🙂
So soft and tasty😍 Thank you!
So glad you love it! Thank you 🙂
Can i use something esle than butter cream pls Ty
You can use coconut oil! 🙂
The most fluffiest and moist cake 😍 didn’t get a vegan cream cheese so I made it from butter, sugar and vanilla custard 👌❤ Bianca you never disappoint ☺
So glad you love this recipe, my dear Martina! Thank you so much for your amazing feedback and recipe rating! 🙂
I made this today it was super easy and quick to make. I was afraid it would be too dry since my batter looked less runny/smooth than the one in the picture but it actually turned out great, it’s perfectly balanced and the cream cheese adds an amazing flavour and texture contrast to it. I loved it!
So glad you enjoy this vegan cake! Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
So ein wunderbar leichter und leckerer Kuchen! Der Tipp mit dem Backpapier ist super! Ich hab den Kuchen easy aus der Kastenform bekommen und weil ich ihn auch mit Backpapier abgedeckt habe, ist er so schön fluffig und saftig und goldbraun geworden ♥️ lecker!!
Das freut mich sehr zu hören! Ich danke dir, liebe Cindy! 🙂
This looks so yum, I love lemon and poppyseed! Could I make this into a bundt cake? Or would it better to follow your Blueberry Bundt Cake recipe and add poppyseeds to that recipe?
Hi Olivia, you can also make this into a bundt cake if you like! 🙂
Hope you’ll enjoy it! 🙂
Soooooooo nice! I love it. Taste delicious and it is so easy to do it. Vegan life can be easy! Thanks for this nice recipe! Will do it again and again 🙂 yummy
So glad you enjoyed this vegan lemon loaf recipe! Thank you for your amazing feedback! 🙂
Hi Bianca,
I made the lemon cake, but for some reason it ended up having a bitter aftertaste 🙁 Amy idea why it could happen? I followed your recipe to the letter, so have no idea why it turned out this way.
Thank you 🙏🏼
Nodira
Hi Nodira, I’m sorry to hear that because everyone loves this lemon cake recipe. Maybe your lemons were old? I suggest using very fresh and organic lemons. Hope it’ll be better next time. You could also try my blueberry lemon cake as desired.
This recipe is AMAZING!!! Using Bianca’s cookbook I know I’ll have great dishes every single time 😍 and this one is definitely one of the many I’ll make over and over again!!
Easy, cheap and delicious
Awwww, thank you so much for your amazing feedback, Jana! So glad you love my cookbook!🙂 Lots of love, Bianca <3
I was so excited to find this recipe, and it smelled so amazing and all while I was baking it – but I needed to do a gluten free version, and have substituted 1:1 with gluten free flour as is suggested in the recipe – sadly the cake is too dry, pretty much inedible. Just thought I would let you know – I was (now) told that gluten free flour absorbs a lot more moisture, so the quantities of the dry ingredients to wet will have to be changed for gluten free recipe. I will try it with regular flour though as was so pleased about the whole recipe otherwise.
Hi Blanka, so sorry to hear that! You’re absolutely right that gluten-free flours often absorb more moisture but I’ve mentioned in the recipe that you need to use a gluten-free flour blend 1:1. This is a special gluten-free flour blend that absorbs the equal amount of liquid as regular flour. I’ve also linked the product in the recipe notes. Kind regards, Bianca
I made this recipe for my mother-in-law, it was her birthday and I needed something special for her because she is allergic to dairy milk, white sugar, honey, eggs and gluten. So this recipe was perfect and DELICIOUS! We loved that combination of lemon and poppy seeds. LOVE IT!! ❤
Awww, this is such a cute present for your mother! Happy belated birthday to her 🙂 So glad that you enjoyed this vegan lemon cake! Thank you for your comment! 🙂
Super leckerer Kuchen😍 selbst meine “nicht veganer” fanden den lecker ❤️👌🏼
Das freut mich wirklich sehr zu hören! 🙂 Vielen lieben Dank dafür! <3
HI,l love you’re this recipe,but in my country I can’t buy any poppy seed.
May I can change chia seeds??
Hi Zewa, you can omit the poppy seeds. I suggest NOT adding chia seeds because they absorb much liquid. Hope you’ll like the lemon cake 🙂
I made this recipe three times now! Everyone tgat has tried the cake absolutely loved it! I have made so many of your recipes. Your blog is my go-to place to find recipes! Every single recipe I have made from your blog has been a success!!! Thanks for taking the time to create amazing plant-based recipes!
So happy to hear that everyone loved this vegan lemon cake 🙂 and thank you so much that you also love my other recipes! Lots of love to you! <3
Hi ,
So easy to make and very delicious !!!
This cake changed the way my friends look at vegan cakes !
Thank you for this delicious recipe!!
So happy to read that you could impress your friend with this vegan lemon cake too! 🙂 Thank you so much for your feedback!
Der Kuchen ist wirklich super fluffig geworden!! Ich habe ihn gestern gebacken, heute dann dekoriert und zum Kaffee serviert. Alle fanden ihn sehr lecker und waren überrascht, als ich gesagt habe, dass er vegan ist. 🙂
Das freut mich so zu hören! Ich mag diesen fluffigen Zitronenkuchen mit Mohn auch so gerne. Schnell gemacht und perfekt für jeden Anlass. Danke 🙂
Hey!
After the cake was a hit with my mums friends, my boyfriends mum asked me If I could possibly make this cake for her anniversary- but in a cupcake style.
Two cake batters make roughly – 48 cupcakes and two times the frosting is enough to coat all of them.
When baked with the same heat they need about 20 mins!
And they were fantastic! Again!
Thank you so much!
So happy that you liked this recipe 🙂 Thank you so much for your feedback <3
My mum has never been a good baker and when she told me that she would not be serving any cakes at her birthday party, literally in the morning on the day of her party – I knew exactly what I wanted to do lol.
Ever since you posted this recipe and the carrot cake recipe I wanted to try and recreate them because
1) they looked relatively easy and fast to make
2) ” ” absolutely amazing!!!!
And so I did and it was a hit, my mums friends really liked the freshness of the lemon and the fluffyness of the cake itself and ESPECIALLY the frosting!
All in all my experience with this recipe was easy, fast and veeeeeery tasty!
Shoot! In my first comment I forgot to rate the recipe before sending the post! 5/5!
I’m sooo happy that you like it too! It’s one of my favs! Thank you! 🙂
My mum has never been a good baker and when she told me that she would not be serving any cakes at her birthday party, literally in the morning on the day of her party – I knew exactly what I wanted to do lol.
Ever since you posted this recipe and the carrot cake recipe I wanted to try and recreate them because
1) they looked relatively easy and fast to make
2) ” ” absolutely amazing!!!!
And so I did and it was a hit, my mums friends really liked the freshness of the lemon and the fluffyness of the cake itself and ESPECIALLY the frosting!
All in all my experience with this recipe was easy, fast and veeeeeery tasty!
I’m sooo happy that you like it too! It’s one of my favs! Thank you! 🙂
Simple ingredients, simple preparation in almost no time. That’s what i want from a vegan recipe!
Thank you! 🙂
Super lecker. Es hat der ganzen Familie geschmeckt. Schnell und einfach zu backen!
Das freut mich so sehr zu hören! ?
Vielen Dank und liebe Grüße,
Bianca
This cake is so beautiful! I especially love the frosting! 🙂
Thank you, Ela! <3
This recipe is just amazing! Had to sub the lemon zest with orange zest, and made just basic powdered sugar+lemon juice+oat milk frosting due to not having vegan cream cheese on hand… But it was still a hit! When I brought a piece at 10pm to my vegan friend to taste it, she just had to make her own rightaway 🙂
So glad that you liked this recipe! Thank you! Your frosting sounds delicious too <3
Bianca, this cake looks incredible, and your photography is wonderful! Take care, Dee xx
Thank you so much, Dee! Lots of love to you 🙂 <3
I loveee anything lemon poppy seed!! Such a beautiful cake Bianca! xo
So happy that you like it! Thank you, Jess! <3
This vegan lemon cake looks so light and fluffy! I love that it can be made gluten-free.
I would love to bring it to a picnic 🙂
So glad that you like it! Thank you! <3 ?