Lemon Poppy Seed Cake – Vegan

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

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 gluten-free option. (This post contains step-by-step pictures).

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 1 loaf

Author: Bianca Zapatka

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)

• Preheat oven to 355˚F (180˚C). Grease a 9,8-inch (25cm) loaf pan 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“. 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 mix 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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