This post may contain affiliate links for which I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more info please check out my Disclosure Policy. Appreciate your support!
Introducing the best Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake. This deliciously moreish, cake is almost too good to be true! Using just 7 ingredients it will be the easiest, tastiest Free-From Lemon Drizzle you’ve tried.
Recipe Difficulty – Easy!
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
It’s a totally vegan lemon cake which means it is dairy-free and egg-free too. Trust me, you really have to give this recipe a go, it’s fluffy inside and an absolute winner!
This recipe is seriously easy to make! You can prepare it in under 10 minutes and I can guarantee you’ll be making it time and time again. It’s the perfect accompaniment with a cup of tea in the afternoon or as a dessert as it’s so light and moist, plus the lemon is really refreshing!
I wanted to create another refreshing recipe using fruit/veg as my as my Carrot Cake Cupcakes were so popular. This lemon drizzle loaf uses 7 easily found vegan ingredients, most of which you will probably have in your cupboard at home already! Plus, it can be stored for a few days and even frozen if you wanted to prep ahead for a special event!
It’s so good that I have also added it into my collection of 21 Gluten Free Easter Recipes, my best 33 Vegan Desserts and 35 Gluten Free Desserts round up!
Ingredients to make Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Almond milk – adding milk to cake recipes generally makes the texture lighter and stronger.
- Lemon – the key ingredient in this Lemon Drizzle Cake! I love their zingy, refreshing, citrusy taste! Don’t waste the lemon zest, add it into my Homemade Rosemary Salt. If you have some lemon juice spare then add it into my Sweet Chilli Salmon Fishcakes.
- Baking powder – this helps the lemon drizzle cake to rise.
- Coconut sugar – I like using coconut sugar because of its low glycemic index. It works very similarly to brown sugar and make the batter a lovely rich brown colour. If you have some spare to making my Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts.
- Coconut oil – a great substitute for butter and adds a subtly nutty/coconutflavour
- Ground almonds – these help to create moisture in the cake. They also add a great texture and flavour too. I also use ground almonds to bind my Vegan Meatballs together as it works so well.
- Flour – I’ve used gluten free self raising flour, which I found in my local larger supermarket, however standard self raising flour would also work well if you aren’t gluten free.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Ground almonds – If you don’t want to use ground almonds you could swap these for either coconut flour or oat flour, which is essentially blitzed oats!
- Almond milk – You could swap this for another plant-based milk.
- Baking Powder – You could swap this for bicarbonate of soda aka baking soda.
- Coconut oil – I used coconut oil to help keep the Lemon Drizzle Cake moist, however you could use any other flavourless oil e.g. vegetable oil if you prefer.
- Coconut sugar – I enjoy baking with coconut sugar, but you could substitute it for brown sugar instead.
- Flour – I have used gluten free self raising flour, but if you aren’t gluten free, standard self raising flour would also work well in the lemon cake. If you’re not gluten-free or vegan and looking for a more traditional recipe then check out this Lemon Drizzle Cake recipe.
Variations
- Kid friendly – I think this is a great recipe to get kids involved in! If you want to make it extra special for them then opt for topping with icing sugar instead.
- Deluxe – to turn this delicious Lemon Drizzle Cake into a show stopper, top it with finely grated lemon zest and fresh lemon slices! In my opinion there is nothing better than serving this with a good ol’ cup of herbal tea, but if you really want to take this Lemon Drizzle Cake to the next level, then try it with my Christmas Hot Chocolate recipe, it’s insanely good!
How to make Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake
Step 1: Firstly, preheat your oven to 180C / 360F / gas mark 6 and line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper. Then whisk melted coconut oil and coconut sugar together in a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Then add almond milk, lemon zest and juice and stir in the sieved dry ingredients.
Step 3: Carefully pour the cake batter into a lined 900g loaf tin and bake in the oven at 180C / 360F / gas mark 6 for 35 minutes.
Step 4: Meanwhile, whilst the cake is baking prepare the lemon drizzle sauce mixture – just mix together some coconut sugar, lemon zest and juice – ready in 30 seconds!
Step 5: Once cooked, leave the baked cake in the tin for 30 minutes, then carefully use the paper to lift it out. Make some small holes in the top – I used a chopstick but a skewer or small pointed knife will work too, and drizzle over the tangy lemon syrup sauce to guarantee a maximum lemon hit.
Step 6: Afterwards, top with a few lemon slices for a finishing touch.
Leftovers
The best thing about this gluten free Lemon Drizzle Cake is that is can be frozen. To freeze, simply slice and freeze separately. Allow to defrost at room temperature for a few hours and you’ve got yourself an effortless afternoon snack! Equally this Lemon Drizzle Cake will store in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature.
Other Vegan Cakes
If this lemon drizzle cake isn’t right for the occasion then try baking my Gluten Free Victoria Sponge Cake instead.I also have a decadent Chocolate Cake or Carrot Cake.
Recipe FAQs
You can easily swap normal flour for gluten-free. I also like to use ground almond when baking gluten-free cakes as it gives moisture, flavour and texture too.
I personally like to use a chopstick! However, there are plenty of other ways you can create the holes such as using a cocktail stick, the prongs of a fork, a skewer or even gently scoring with a knife would work.
This Lemon Drizzle cake will store in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature. However, it can also be frozen. To freeze, simply slice and freeze separately. Allow to defrost at room temperature for a few hours and you’ve got yourself an effortless afternoon snack!
The reason this lemon drizzle cake doesn’t look traditionally ‘white’ is because I have used coconut sugar in the recipe. I enjoy baking with coconut sugar because its had a low glycemic index and isn’t refined, I also love the taste it gives!
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
Tried this Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake recipe? Please leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and let me know how you get on. Hearing positive feedback is one of the best parts of creating recipes so please review it below and leave a comment!
P.S Never miss a new recipe! Get more healthy recipes sent straight to your inbox weekly – Subscribe and receive a free recipe eBook!
Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- sieve
- 900g loaf tin
- baking paper
- chopstick or utensil to create a small hole
Ingredients
Lemon Drizzle Cake
- 100 g coconut oil, melted (roughly 7 tbsp)
- 150 g coconut sugar
- 200 ml almond milk, (unsweetened)
- 2 lemons (zest of 1 and juice of 2)
- 225 g gluten-free self raising flour
- 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 150 g ground almonds
Lemon Drizzle Sauce
- 1½ lemons (zest of 1 and juice of 1½)
- 30 g coconut sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/360F/gas mark 6 and line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper.
- Now, in a large mixing bowl add 100g of melted coconut oil and 150g of coconut sugar and whisk until smooth.
- Add 200ml almond milk, zest of 1 lemon and juice of 2 lemons and whisk.
- Into the bowl sieve 225g gluten-free self raising flour, 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder and 150g ground almonds (some ground almonds won't go through the sieve, just add them into the bowl).
- Mix until it forms a smooth batter and pour into the prepared tin.
- Bake in the oven at 180C/360F/gas mark 6 for 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the lemon drizzle sauce. In a small bowl, mix the zest of 1 lemon, the juice of 1½ lemons and 30g coconut sugar.
- IMPORTANT Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin, for at least 30 minutes, this helps it to firm up a little more inside.
- Once the cake has cooled, in the tin for 30 minutes, carefully lift it out, using the paper. Then, with a chopstick, create holes across the top and pour over the lemon drizzle sauce. Top with lemon slices, if using and slice.
A lovely moist cake/loaf! Adding the lemon drizzle on top of the cake, at the end, completes it!
I didn’t have coconut sugar; used golden caster as a substitute which gave it a nice caramelised touch.
It only lasted a day!
Awesome Lorna, so pleased you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing feedback 🙂
So easy to make and totally delicious. Can’t remember the last time I was able to have this cake. Well Worth the wait. Thanks James
Thank you Cathy 🙂
I have never made a lemon drizzle before but this was so easy to make and tastes delicious !! I will 100% be making this again soon. Thanks James for yet another fabulous recipe <3
Thank you Naomi 🙂
I’m a gluten free vegan who is not the worlds best baker, but I’ve always loved lemons so thought I would give this cake a go. I had all the ingredients except coconut sugar so had to wait until my weekly essential food shop and managed to get the only packet in the supermarket..phew! It’s expensive, but worth it as it does give a lovely caramelly taste to the cake. I found the recipe easy to follow and to make and my husband and son both loved it too. Super lemony! Make sure you use us waxed lemons for all that zest.. the zest in my sauce stayed on top which looked rather nice, I thought. Thank you, I think this will become a staple in our house 🙂
Thanks for the great feedback Alison 🙂 pleased to hear you found it easy and tasty!
Loved this recipe & cake , I was worried when the coconut oil went hard after adding the milk but all was ok after adding the flour , I used normal Self raising flour not GF. Would definitely make again
Thank you for the great feedback Michelle 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I’m not a baker but it was so easy to make & turned out perfect! Kids enjoyed it too. Will definitely be making it again very soon…Thank you for another 5-star recipe!!
Thank you Danae 🙂 so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
This cake was super easy to whip up! No bad fats, healthier sugar, no dairy or gluten, what’s not to like? Couldn’t resist having a piece after waiting the 30 or so minutes and it tasted amazing…..Kind of caramel like probably because of the the coconut sugar. I didn’t make the drizzle as I am trying to reduce my sugar intake, but it was insanely delicious without it anyway. I gave a few pieces away, a bit is on the side and the rest is in the freezer to stop me eating it all!
Thank you for the great feedback Ingrid 🙂
As always, James comes up with a delicious recipe again, this time, one of my old time favorites: lemon drizzle cake. It’s just delicious, few ingredients, few utensils, and most ingredients we have in cupboard/fridge. Gf, vegan and refined sugar free. James gives alternatives too so that everyone can have their cake and eat it
Aww thanks Yvonne 🙂
I made this lovely cake today, exchanged self raising flour for oat flour and was still amazing! Thank you James for the flour substitute advice and for this gorgeous recipe!
Thank you Emilia, glad to hear you still enjoyed it with oat flour 🙂
Delicious! So easy to make as well. I had to swap the coconut sugar for soft light brown sugar as that’s all I had in and it still worked perfectly. Thank you another great recipe
Thanks Jo 🙂 pleased to hear you enjoyed it!