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Vegan Lilac Lemon Cake
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Vegan Lilac Lemon Cake

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Cooling Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 216kcal
Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick vegan butter (56g or 1/4 cup), softened at room temperature
  • 120 mL (1/2 cup) unsweetened plant-based milk (I used oat milk), at room temperature
  • 60 mL 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 60 mL (1/4 cup) aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)
  • 56 g (1/4 cup) neutral-tasting oil such as sunflower oil, or extra virgin olive oil
  • 120 g (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) Lilac Sugar (or organic cane sugar)
  • 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (1 medium-to-large lemon)
  • 210 g (1 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Toppings (optional): Lemon Glaze (recipe below) and lilac flowers

Instructions

  • Take the butter out of the fridge to soften and take the plant-based milk out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line a 9x5-inch (23x13 cm) or 8x4-inch (20x10 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper.
  • Zest the lemon(s) to get 1 tablespoon of zest (1 medium-to-large lemon). Set aside.
  • Make the vegan buttermilk. Combine the plant-based milk and lemon juice and stir. Set aside to curdle.
  • Prepare the aquafaba. Pour 1/4 cup liquid from a can of chickpeas into a small bowl. With a handheld electric mixer (or stand mixer), beat the aquafaba on medium speed until it‘s foamy throughout, 45-60 seconds.
  • Cream the wet ingredients. Add the softened butter, oil, and Lilac Sugar to a large bowl. Using the mixer, beat until the ingredients are well incorporated and starting to get fluffy, 60 seconds or so. Add in the vegan buttermilk, whipped aquafaba, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Mix until just combined, 15-20 seconds.
  • Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder to a medium bowl and whisk well to ensure the leaveners will be evenly distributed throughout the cake.
  • Add half of the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, beating on low speed until just combined, taking care to not over beat. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until mostly smooth, then switch to a silicone spatula to finish combining. Once the cake batter is mostly evenly combined, stop mixing! Overmixing can cause the cake to become dense or dry. The batter should be fluffy and a bit bubbly at this point.
  • Pour into the prepare loaf pan, and smooth the batter out on the top using a silicone spatula.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the tops/center comes out clean and the top is golden. If the top starts to brown early, loosely tent it with foil. I baked mine for exactly 40 minutes, and it was perfect.
  • Transfer cake to a wire rack and cool for 15-20 minutes. Then use the parchment paper handles to lift the cake out of the pan and onto the wire rack. Once cooled, drizzle with the lemon glaze. If desired sprinkle some lilac flowers (shake them first to make sure there are no bugs hiding) on top.

Video

Notes

I include lilac flowers as a topping on the cake primarily for presentation. When ready to serve, I pick most of them off, as eating too many raw flowers at once will detract from the taste/texture of the cake. The flavor of lilac will come through with the lilac sugar.