Vegan Meyer Lemon Cake

I remember the first time I made this cake. One of Johann’s oldest friends and his son were visiting LA and we were having them over for dinner. I really love entertaining, especially because I get to show people how delicious and satisfying vegan food can be. 

I made some vegan lettuce cups, a Thai coconut curry (check out the recipe here) and this layered lemon cake. Truth be told, I never made it before so I was praying that it would actually come out good. I got lucky and boy was it a hit!

The cake is incredibly moist, slightly dense, and the sweetness pairs so well with the tart vegan lemon curd filling. 

I knew when I began The Saffron Stories that this was going to be one of the recipes I shared immediately. 

I would highly recommend using Meyer lemons if you can find them. They have a flavor that is so unique compared to regular lemons (although I’m sure it would still be good with regular lemons.)

Here’s a quick story about when I made this again to shoot for the blog. The morning of the shoot, I already had the cakes and curd ready. I was going to make the frosting, frost that cake and shoot. Well, for some reason the original frosting recipe I had was not cooperating with me and I started to freak out. I can’t tell you how much coconut milk I tossed because of it. So plan B, I went on a trip to the grocery store, got some more ingredients and made a different recipe for the icing, which I have to say I love! In addition, I found these gorgeous and rustic yellow flowers which ended up being my cake decorations instead of the lemon slices I had originally planned on. I guess the lesson is… when life gives you lemons, make lemon cake and calm down. 

Vegan Meyer Lemon Cake

admin I remember the first time I made this cake. One of Johann’s oldest friends and his son were visiting LA and we were having them over for dinner. I really… Desserts dessert, cake, lemon European Print This

Serves: 8-10

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tsp lemon extract
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest

Lemon Curd Filling:

• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp water
• Juice from 4 large Meyer lemons or 6 small Meyer lemons
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

Coconut Buttercream Frosting:

• 3/4 cup coconut oil (solid, not melted)
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2-3 Tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

Lemon Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Sift flower, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl
3. In another bowl, combine almond milk, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, lemon extract,  and lemon zest.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir well to combine.
5. Grease and flour (2) 8" circular cake pans with additional coconut oil and flour
6. Pour batter into each pan evenly.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a fork or toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes in pan on a cooling rack.

Lemon Curd:

1. Put water in a small pot. Add in cornstarch and whisk until it dissolves.
2. Next, whisk in lemon juice and sugar.
3. Place pot over medium-low heat an stir until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Continue to cook the curd until it gets thick, almost pudding like.
5. Turn heat to low, add almond milk and coconut oil. Stir until smooth and then remove from heat.
6. Immediate put curd into a sterilized jar and place in fridge overnight.

Coconut Buttercream Frosting:

1. Using an electric hand beater or stand mixer, blend coconut oil until smooth and fluffy.
2. Add in powdered sugar little by little and continue blending.
3. Add in coconut milk, vanilla extract and salt and continue blending until combined and smooth.

To assemble cake:

1. Remove cake from pans once cooled. Using a serrated knife, cut off tops of cakes to create an even leveled surface.
2. Put first layer on a cake plate or stand, cut side up.
3. Spread a layer of lemon curd on the top of the cake.
4. Place second layer of cake on top of lemon curd, cut side down.
5. Spread frosting on top and sides of cake.