This vegan lemon pound cake is seriously the best ever. Also known as vegan lemon loaf, it is moist and rich and topped with a deliciously tangy lemon glaze.
Ever since making our vegan pound cake recipe, I have wanted to make a vegan lemon pound cake.
After doing all the heavy lifting of figuring out how to even make a pound cake when I made our original pound cake, this one was a total breeze and a complete pleasure to make.
Topped with a delicious lemon glaze it is total lemony perfection.
The lemon flavor in the cake is subtle and comes from a little lemon extract and some lemon zest.
And the frosting is a simple mix of powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract.
And if you love lemon desserts then you’ll also love our vegan lemon cake.
How To Make Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add vegan butter and white granulated sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream them together until well mixed. Add vanilla extract and lemon extract and mix in.
- Prepare vegan buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it curdle.
- Add the vegan buttermilk to the mixer and mix it in with the vegan butter and sugar mix. It will look curdled but this is fine.
- Sift the all purpose flour into a separate mixing bowl, add baking powder and salt and mix together.
- Add the dry ingredients in with the wet and mix into a batter with a spoon. Be careful not to overmix.
- Add lemon zest and mix in. The batter will be thick.
- Transfer the batter to a 9×5 loaf pan (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with parchment paper so that there is overhang on either side) and smooth down.
- Place into the oven to bake at 350°F for 60 minutes.
- At the 40 minute mark, bring it out and tent the top with foil so that the foil makes a tent shape over the top. Return it to the oven to bake for the final 20 minutes.
- Lift the cake out using the parchment paper overhang and place it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before adding the lemon glaze.
- To make the glaze, mix powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract in a bowl.
- Spoon the glaze onto the cake and spread it around the top evenly. Allow the glaze to set in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing and serving the cake.
Tenting with Foil
This cake bakes for an hour, which can lead to excessive browning on top. So the trick is to bring it out after 40 minutes and tent it with foil and then put it back in for the last 20 minutes.
You simply wrap the whole loaf pan in foil so that there is a tent shape on top, this is so that the foil doesn’t press down on your cake from the top, but protects it from getting overly browned.
Bringing it out at the 40 minute point doesn’t effect the rise of the cake or cause any sinking effect (as it would do if you opened the oven at an earlier point) because all the rising has already happened at this stage and it’s close to done.
Why This Recipe Works
Texture. The cake is quite dense, which is what you want in a pound cake. It’s not super light and fluffy, but it’s not meant to be. It’s still probably lighter than a traditional pound cake, but you can see from the photos that it has a fairly tight crumb.
Moisture. The moistness in this cake comes about from the vegan butter and homemade vegan buttermilk.
Rise. The lift comes from 3 teaspoons of baking powder, which is the maximum amount you can use in this recipe, any more and you’d have it rising too high for the structure to support and then you get sinking in the middle.
Result. The result is a lovely vegan lemon loaf with a delicious lemon flavor that really pops with the addition of the lemon glaze.
Serving Suggestions
This cake is divine served as is, but if you wanted to serve it with something else like a scoop of vegan lemon ice cream, that would be divine too! Pound cake really works well served alongside other things.
Make It Gluten-Free
If you’d like to make this lemon loaf gluten-free then my recommendation would be to use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. I haven’t tested it with this recipe, but that is usually what works best.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay fresh for 3-4 days or covered in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
More Lemony Vegan Desserts
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Lemon Pie
- Vegan Lemon Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Bars
- Vegan Lemon Curd
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Lemon Pound Cake:
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (200g)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Extract
- 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (240ml) 1 Tbsp lemon juice + soy milk up to the 1 cup line
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Zest
For the Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar (120g)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- ⅛ teaspoon Lemon Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray and line it with parchment paper, letting the parchment paper hang over the sides so that the cake can be easily lifted out. Set aside.
- Add vegan butter and white granulated sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream them together until well mixed. Add vanilla extract and lemon extract and mix in.
- Prepare vegan buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it curdle.
- Add the vegan buttermilk to the mixer and mix it in with the vegan butter and sugar mix. It will look curdled but this is fine.
- Sift the all purpose flour into a separate mixing bowl, add baking powder and salt and mix together.
- Add the dry ingredients in with the wet and mix into a batter with a spoon. Be careful not to overmix.
- Add lemon zest and mix in. The batter will be thick.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared 9×5 loaf pan and smooth down.
- Place into the oven to bake at 350°F for 60 minutes. At the 40 minute mark, bring it out and tent the top with foil* so that the foil makes a tent shape over the top. Return it to the oven to bake for the final 20 minutes.
- Lift the cake out using the parchment paper overhang and place it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before adding the lemon glaze.
- To make the glaze, mix powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract in a bowl.
- Spoon the glaze onto the cake and spread it around the top evenly. Allow the glaze to set in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing and serving the cake.
Notes
- Weigh your flour for the most accurate/best results or use the ‘spoon and level’ method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into the cup.
- 2 Tablespoons of lemon zest is what you’d get from about 2 small lemons.
- Tenting with foil stops the cake from browning too much on top.
- Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay fresh for 3-4 days.
I love this recipe and I have changed it ever so slightly. I bake them in mini loaf molds and if I’m not feeling the simple glaze I make your vanilla buttercream recipe and pipe with a large circle nozzle some buttercream on top and then sprinkle a few little bits of fresh thyme on top- the pairing is wonderful!
That sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing and the awesome review Carla!
I’d creamed the butter and sugar, made the buttermilk and reached for the flour, oh no the plain flour was all gone and there was only self-raising flour or whole wheat bread flour. What to do?! I took a chance, used the self-raising with one teaspoon of baking powder. I’d no idea what to expect, however the result was a delightful, fluffy, lemony cake pleased and relieved to say. My best friend became crazy for this pound cake and promptly ate the lot, without waiting for it to cool, minus a small amount for me!
Thank you.
SO happy it worked out perfectly, that was definitely the right move! Thanks for sharing and the awesome review!
Love this recipe. The flavour and texture is amazing! However the cake always sinks in the middle, it happens after 20 minutes already in the oven although I don’t open up the oven. What could be causing this? Should I buy a pan with higher edges? Or do I use too much baking powder? I use 15 grams which is about 3 teaspoons.
Hi Angela, so happy you like the recipe! Sorry to hear about the sinking in the middle though, since this recipe doesn’t use too much baking powder and you’re not opening the oven too early, my guess is it could be related to the temperature of your oven. I highly recommend using an oven thermometer to dial that in, if the oven is too hot or too cold it can also cause these issues. All the best! 🙂
This cake is absolutely amazing!!! So delicious!! Perfectly moist and nice and dense like a pound cake should be! The lemon flavor is perfectly balanced and I’m always looking for more things to put that lemon glaze on! However, I keep having problems with the middle of the cake falling! It’s rising perfectly in the oven, but after I open the oven to tent the cake with foil, it falls. It’s not an awful problem to have though since the glaze pools into the middle and it’s like an extra space for delicious!
Hi Emily, it may be that you’re opening the oven too early, try it without tenting with foil (the worst that will happen is a bit of over-browning on top) and see if that solves it. Usually if it sinks it’s because it wasn’t properly ‘set’ by the time the oven door opens, causing it to sink in the middle. So glad you love the cake though! And I agree, even if it sinks, it’s just extra space for glaze! 🙂
Hi Allison,
Here’s a weird question for you. I always bring a lamb cake for Easter made using pound cake, in a traditional lamb cake mold. Do you think this recipe would work?
It seems every year another family member goes vegetarian but I do have a sister who is truly vegan and I try to make things that she can enjoy.
Terry
Hi Terry, I think it would hold up perfectly, it is a sturdy cake with a great pound cake texture. However, always a good idea to test it beforehand so you don’t end up stressed out on the day. All the best! 🙂
Incredible. So moist and delicious. The glaze is perfect for people who like lemony glaze, but the cake could be still excellent without it! The lemon extract changes the game! Baked it exactly as instructed, plus a little more time in the oven (just keep an eye on it). The crumb was so consistent all the way through, and it wasn’t overly dense at all while still being so moist!!! 10/10.
That’s so awesome to hear Brooke! Thanks so much for the amazing comment and review!
Naturally it doesn’t look a thing like the pictures but came out well. I added blueberries (note use fresh instead of frozen, the cake may stick together better), and made a slightly lavender flavored glaze. Too bad I cannot add photos. I also didn’t have white sugar son-in-law Darien and didn’t notice a difference in taste or prep.
Hi there! This looks amazing. If I can’t get my hands on lemon extract, what do you recommend substituting with? Thanks!
You can just use lemon juice.
I made this tonight. It is out of sight! I used gluten free flour as that’s all I had. It worked beautifully!
So happy to hear that Irene! Thanks for the great review!
Can you use cake flour for this recipe?
I never test any of our recipes with cake flour since it’s not available where I’m living. You can always try it if you like, but it may be more crumbly.
Made this and took it camping with us, went down a treat! Very moist and tasty, will definitely be a favourite in our house now.
So glad you enjoyed it Clare! Thanks for the great review!
This cake is very good, 11/10 would make again. Extremely simple to make, even my class (eventually) found a way to do it over zoom.
Oh that is awesome news! Thanks so much Joe!
This was absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it. Have you ever tried making it in mini muffin form?
Awesome Liz! I haven’t tried it as mini muffins but I think it would work!
I am trying it today. I’ll let you know how they come out. Going to be tricky figuring out how long to bake them.
Can’t wait to try this! Could the recipe be doubled and baked in a bundt pan?
Hi Debbie, I’m not sure if the recipe would need to be doubled, I would try it as is in a bundt pan and see how it goes.
So delicious and easy! This dessert is moist and the crumb is not too cake-like. I used 2-3 tbsp of lemon juice rather than lemon extract and would have preferred it to be a bit more tangy, but im still very satisfied. Swapped the lemon glaze for some strawberry glaze/icing and it was a dream!
So glad you enjoyed it Camille! The lemon extract definitely dials up the tanginess so if you make it again I think you will like it even more with the lemon extract.