Gretchen's Vegan Bakery

Easy Lemon Cake Recipe

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Not be to confused with the difficult lemon cake recipe!

seriously I do have another Lemon Cake Recipe here on my website
but that one is more time consuming and technical and requires a mixer whereas this one is a one bowl mix!

Easy Lemon Cake

 

This easy lemon cake recipe is another one bowl mix method and I am literally obsessed!

Finely textured crumb that is the perfect canvas for a cake soak!

easy lemon cake recipe

I recently used this cake as the star of my Strawberry Lemon Lavender Cake 

And let me tell you, from a die hard chocolate lover this could possibly be my new favorite cake!

Strawberry Lemon Lavender Cake

 

You may be interested to see the science behind converting this one

From the original Orange Cake recipe to this Lemon Cake
And why it didn’t work!

WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE

easy-lemon-cake-recipe

 

No affiliation with any product or company linked below, solely for visual reference

Notes for Success:

This easy lemon cake recipe makes 3- 8″ cake layers

You can also divide the batter evenly between 4-7″ pans, 1 -9″ x 13″ layer, 1 -12 cup capacity bundt pan or 36 cupcakes
Or turn this batter into Lemon Twinkles like I did here!

Mixing in the food processor for a cake recipe like this is not necessary I only did that for the video 
It can all be mixed by hand in a large mixing bowl with a whisk
But if you are using a food processor it must be 14 cup capacity or it will not fit

Freshly squeezed lemon juice is always the best option for best results

Additionally lemon extract is a non negotiable for me
It really adds the lemon flavor that is unmatched!

A viewer of this recipe has told me she tested this recipe multiple times with gluten free flour and it does NOT work!
However another viewer commented: “I tried the recipe with gluten-free 1:1 Bob’s Red Mill.
I substituted half of the oil for 120g apple sauce and used half of the lemon juice and the rest plant milk and it worked out lovely!”

Although I am not an avid gluten free baker I have learned that by allowing the batter to sit for about 30 minutes before baking will help the final texture
As well as baking for an additional 10 to 20 minutes longer than the recipe specifies *this time is dependent upon the size of the pans you are using

Easy Lemon Cake

Easy Lemon Cake Recipe

Throw it all in a bowl & whisk! That's how easy it is to make this fluffy lemon cake recipe!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 14

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ cups Granulated Sugar 300g
  • 12 Tbs Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice 180ml
  • 2 Tbs Lemon Zest
  • 2 cups Plant Milk 480ml
  • 14 Tbs Vegetable Oil 210ml
  • 4¼ cups All Purpose Flour 530g
  • 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1¼ teaspoons Baking Soda
  • ¾ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Extract *see notes

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F & grease & parchment line your cake pans *see notes for pan sizes
  • Wash then zest your lemons then squeeze out all the juice to make 12Tbs
  • Combine all of the dry cake ingredients including the sugar into a large mixing bowl & whisk by hand to distribute evenly
  • Add all the liquids & whisk to a smooth batter approx 40 strokes
  • Divide the batter amongst your prepared cake pans & bake immediately for about 30-35 minutes or when the cakes are springy to the touch when you gently press the centers (check all sizes at 18 minutes to gauge bake time)
  • Cool the cakes in the pan until you can safely turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way.
  • Ice with your choice of icing

Video

Notes

Be sure to read all the notes for success section above the recipe!
Storage These lemon cake layers can be frozen wrapped well for up to 1 month or use them right away to build your layer cake creation! 
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Gretchen

      Hi Bonne, I have not tried this recipe with GF~ I really am not a GF baker, but many people have said my recipes work great with a 1:1 GF mix like Bob’s Red Mill~ that said I can’t guarantee it will work with this one! If you try, please let me know!

    • Alissa

      I just made a wedding cake with this and it was fantastic!
      Also made a gluten free version with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, used half the oil and did not replace the rest, used about 1/3 of the lemon juice and made it up with more soy milk, and added some powdered lemon flavoring. Had to bake the gf one extra but it turned out well!

  2. Susan

    Hi Gretchen,
    Do you think your recioe would come out ok if I subbed the oil, with aqua faba or apple sauce??? I don’t use oil. Or maybe avocado for oil? Thank you! ????

  3. Sam

    Hi Gretchen,

    I tried the recipe for gluten-free cakelets, because I’m stubborn. I substituted half of the oil for 120 g apple sauce and used half of the lemon juice. I used a cup for cup gluten free flour. It worked and they are lovely! Thank you for sharing your recipes!

  4. Michelle

    Please clarify amount of flour & sugar. I made this and it flopped. Edges rolled inward, never rose. I used cups (measured each 1c flour @ 120g, and sugar 1 c @ 198g. After 40 mins it completely pulled away from the sides and was browning. It was very jelly like and flat.

    • Gretchen

      Hi Michelle! I did not see this notification! But Melanie from Virtual Vegan alerted me to this! I’m going to mix this one up real quick to see what the heck I did wrong, but I suspect it was a conversion error since 530g flour is 4½ cups not the 2¼ as written in the cups measure!
      Since someone recently told me they had great results, I am assuming this was because she measured with a scale and did not get affected by my error in cups measure!
      At any rate I have to test this NOW to make sure my assumptions are correct! I’m so sorry for this terrible waste of your time & ingredients! It’s horrible!

      Addendum::: Just took this recipe out of the oven~ it was exactly as I thought! I did not double the cups measure portion of the recipe! uggggh!! I’m so sorry! I;ve emailed you at the email you have attached to this comment

  5. Kerstin

    Made this recipe today and it turned out so wonderfully! Completely flat, no mountains I have to move 😉 thank you Gretchen! I love your recipes and also your book!

  6. Monica A Kyle

    Will this cake be sturdy enough for a 2 tier (9″ and 6″ round) wedding cake or do you suggest your other lemon cake recipe or should I add lemon zest and extract to your white wedding cake recipe? I do plan to have a lemon curd filling and your Italian butter cream.