Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake

Plant Based Lemon Drizzle Cake with Pomegranate Seeds

5 from 6 votes

This small lemon cake packs a big flavor. Optional pomegranate seeds add a tart crunch as well as a festive appearance. It can be soy-free or nut-free depending on the type of milk or yogurt you use.

Servings: servings

Calories: 213kcal

Author: Susan Voisin

Equipment

1 Bundt pan 10-12 cup fluted cake pan
1 cake rack
1 lemon juicer
1 Strainer or sifter

Ingredients

2 ⅓ cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk at room temperature
1 5.3 ounce container non-dairy yogurt at room temperature (see note)
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zested peel of 1 lemon 2-3 tablespoons

Icing Drizzle

1 cup confectioner's sugar
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
zest of one lemon optional, see instructions
pomegranate seeds optional, for decoration

Instructions

Oil a non-stick Bundt pan and preheat oven to 350F.
Sift the dry ingredients--flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and baking powder--together into a large mixing bowl. Stir well to make sure ingredients are distributed evenly.
Mix the milk, yogurt, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon zest together in a large measuring cup. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Quickly stir until ingredients are well-combined, but do not over-mix. (See note.) Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and tap the bottom of the pan gently on the counter a couple of times to release any air bubbles. Put the pan on a rack in the center of the preheated oven.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Begin checking the cake after about 25 minutes. When you can insert a toothpick in the center and have it come out clean, the cake is done.
Remove the cake from the oven and place it in its pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Then use a flat knife or thin spatula to loose the edges of the cake around the outside of the pan and the center column. Hold the wire rack over the top of the pan and invert the pan to release the cake. Tap the pan gently until the cake releases. Let the cake cool completely on the rack before icing.

Icing Drizzle

Put the powdered (confectioner's) sugar in a small bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and slowly add more lemon juice until you have an icing that is thick but still runny enough to drizzle down the cake. If you all too much juice, add a little more sugar until you get the right consistency. If you want to boost the lemon flavor, add some lemon zest to your icing.
When the cake is completely cool, drizzle the icing over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down the sides. If you want, you can decorate it with pomegranate seeds immediately after icing.

Notes

Plant-Based Yogurt: I used Silk Soy Vanilla Yogurt, which comes in 5.3-ounce containers. You can use other dairy-free yogurts, instead; just measure out a slightly heaping 1/2 cup or weigh out 5.3 ounces. You can also substitute apple sauce.
Be sure your dry and wet ingredients are well-combined before you mix them together. Once you pour the wet into the dry, mix quickly and well for no more than 30-60 seconds. Over-mixing will develop the gluten, making the cake tough, and will knock out some of the bubbles that are beginning to form, causing the cake to be shorter and denser.
Your cake will rise higher if the wet ingredients are at room temperature before you add them to the dry.
Nutritional info uses these exact ingredients: cake flour, Silk Vanilla Yogurt, and Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. Changing these or any other ingredients will change the nutritional content.

Traditional Lemon Drizzle Glaze

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons.) When you have removed the cake from the pan, place a plate under the wire rack to catch any drips, and spoon the glaze over the top of the warm cake. Let the cake cool before serving. The lemon flavor in the glaze will sink into the cake leaving crunchy sugar on top.

Nutrition