This Strawberry Lemon Cake recipe from scratch is the perfect dessert for summer! It’s a moist and delicious layered vegan lemon cake with homemade blackberry jam and strawberry frosting!
Strawberry Lemon Cake Recipe
Today is mother’s day! So I came up with the idea to make a pink lady-like cake with beautiful strawberries and blackberries for this special day. I think it’s always a good choice to surprise your loved ones with something that is homemade. Don’t you agree? Anyways, I find this fresh strawberry lemon cake is perfect for any occasion in the summer season. So I am happy to share the recipe with you!
Easy Layer Cake
While this strawberry lemon cake consists of multiple components, like cake layers, strawberry cream frosting, and blackberry jam, I can assure you that it’s not difficult to make. You can easily prepare the vegan lemon cake and the blackberry jam one day in advance. Then, on the second day, you just need to whip up the strawberry frosting and assemble the cake. Sounds pretty simple, right?
How to make a layer cake step-by-step instructions
I’ve already shared a detailed process on how to assemble a layer cake in the recipe for my Chocolate Raspberry Cake which is a 3 layer cake. However, I find pictures say more than words, so I took some pictures again, showing you how to assemble this 4 layer strawberry lemon cake.
How to make strawberry lemon cake from scratch
First of all, bake the cake. Simply prepare 2 cake pans and combine the ingredients for the batter as instructed in the recipe box below. Then divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake until they’re done. Let the baked cakes cool completely or, preferably, refrigerate overnight, because a chilled cake is easier to cut into layers.
How to assemble a layer cake
When your vegan lemon cake layers are completely cooled, cut each cake horizontally into two equal layers. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread 1/3 of the blackberry jam over the cake. Then spread 1/4 of the strawberry frosting over it. Top with the next cake layer, and repeat this process for the second and third layer.
Strawberry Frosting
Finally, when you place the fourth layer on top, spread the remaining strawberry frosting over the entire cake, creating a naked cake style on the sides.
Layer Cake decoration
Now you can decorate the lemon cake however you would like. I used fresh strawberries, blackberries, and flowers to decorate the top of the cake. Since our garden is full of these beauties, I love using them for food photography and styling! Especially pink, purple and white flowers, they’re my favorites.
I hope you’ll like this strawberry lemon cake from scratch! This vegan layer cake is:
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Eggless
- Can be made gluten-free
- Moist
- Soft
- Fruity
- Filled with homemade blackberry jam
- Layered with strawberry frosting
- So delicious!
- The perfect recipe for summer!
Homemade blackberry jam
By the way, the blackberry jam takes only 5 minutes to make and it’s so delicious! You can make it with any kind of berries, and it’s also perfect serve with other foods, such as pancakes, Crêpes, and waffles! I really love and enjoy having it for breakfast, just on toast or on top of my oatmeal or overnight oats. The great thing about making homemade jam is that you can adjust the sweetness to your taste. I usually make mine not so super sweet, so it’s also healthier than store-bought jams often are.
If you’re looking for more Vegan Layer Cake Recipes, you may also like my:
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Snickers Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Cake
- Vegan Black Forest Cake
- Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Strawberry Cream Cake
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
Recipe Video
If you try this Vegan Strawberry Lemon Cake Recipe or maybe another of my Vegan Cake Recipes, please leave me a comment below sharing how it goes! And if you take a picture of your recreation and share it on Instagram, please don’t forget to tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka, to make sure I won’t miss your post! Happy baking! 🙂
Vegan Strawberry Lemon Cake with Blackberry Jam
Author:You do not have a fitting cake pan at hand right now? Try my Cake Pan Conversion Calculator!
Ingredients
Lemon cake
- 1 ¼ cup non-dairy milk 300ml, or yogurt
- ¾ cup lemon juice 180ml
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour 420g
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ cups sugar 300g
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup oil 120ml
- ⅓ cup melted vegan butter 80ml, or add ¼ cup more oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp turmeric for yellow color (optional)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Blackberry Jam
- 14 oz blackberries 400g, frozen or fresh
- ¼ cup sugar 50g, or to taste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 3-4 tbsp water
Strawberry cream frosting
- ¾ cup freeze dried strawberries 14g, ground until to 1 tbsp powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter 225g, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese 225g, softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar 180g
- 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
*Note: Check out the recipe video + step-by-step pictures above!
Vegan Lemon Cake
- Combine non-dairy milk with lemon juice and set aside until it curdles and becomes vegan buttermilk. (If you don't want to make vegan buttermilk, you can simply add non-dairy yogurt + lemon juice or milk in step 4).
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch (20cm) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
- Stir the oil, melted vegan butter, vanilla and lemon zest into the vegan buttermilk. Then pour it into the flour mixture and mix everything just until the ingredients are combined. (Please don't overmix or your cakes will get dense).
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Please don't overbake or your cakes will get dry.)
- Let cool completely. (Optionally, wrap each cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours until well chilled because this makes them easier to cut evenly.)
Blackberry Jam
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the blackberries are soft and the mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Let cool to room temperature. (It will thicken more as it cools.)
Strawberry Frosting
- Mix the soft vegan butter with a handheld mixer until creamy. Then add the softened cream cheese and mix again. Lastly, sift in powdered sugar, dried strawberries and a squeeze of lemon juice and mix again until creamy and well combined. (If it’s too firm and not spreadable, stir in more lemon juice. Or if it is too soft, add more powdered sugar).
Assembling the Cake:
- Cut each cake horizontally in two equal layers.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread 1/3 of the blackberry jam over the cake. Then spread 1/4 of the strawberry frosting over.
- Top with the next layer, and repeat this process for the second and third layer. Place the fourth layer on top and spread the remaining lemon frosting over it.
- Chill 3-4 hours in the fridge before decorating and serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- To make this cake gluten-free, I recommend using a gluten-free flour blend 1:1.
- Instead of cream cheese, you can use very firm coconut cream. Simply refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight. Then scoop out the solid part from the can which should have the same consistency as cream cheese.
- If you don’t want to make the blackberry jam, you can use store-bought berry compote or jam. Or just fold some berries tossed in a bit of flour into the batter.
- You can use any kind berries of you choose.
- Store leftover cake covered in the fridge, for up to 3 days, or freeze the un-frosted cake.
- Please read the text above for further information about this recipe.
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Hello Bianca,
I made this cake and it turned out fabulous! The sponge was moist and flavors melted superbly! I went the GF route besides it being vegan. Thank you so much for a great recipe.
Great! Thank you so much!
This was my first time trying a recipe from your website and oh my goodness, it was amazing!! The flavours are perfect and the sponge is so soft yet moist – everyone loved it!
Awesome! I am happy to hear that it was amazing. Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Will the consistency change if I do not use vegan milk or butter?
No, I don’t think so! 😉