A fluffy and moist vegan lemon cake sandwiched with silky smooth lemon buttercream, tangy raspberry jam and fresh, sweet raspberries.
I’m not the type of person who can cook under pressure.
I can recipe test the hell out out of a vegan marshmallow in my own time to create a fluffy pillow of perfection (see recipe here) but tell me I’ve got to make beans on toast for two friends by 2pm and I’ll melt into a blob like a barbie doll thrown onto an open fire.
I decided it was a good idea to make a birthday cake for my Pops’ birthday. By the time we made it to the restaurant at which we were celebrating his birthday I was a trembling mess of nerves but I made it, on time (surprising) with a cake in one piece that actually looked pretty cute (an actual miracle).
I took inspiration for the design from some of the beautiful woodland cake scenes you see online. I made a Papa bear out of gingerbread along with a family of deer and sat them atop a lemon buttercream forest floor sprinkled with ginger biscuit crumbs, rosemary trees and cinnamon stick logs. It was a little bit wonky but I think that added to the charm and I was pretty happy with my decorating efforts.
My dad seemed to like it too but he was a little bit merry by the time he saw it, and I’m not sure you can trust a man who wears slippers out for his birthday dinner, even if it was by accident #seniormoment.
I’ve made the vegan lemon cake many times since, it’s an absolute gem of a recipe and works every time. I’ve paired it here with lashings of lemon buttercream and fresh raspberries. The lads at my husband’s work have even stopped me in the street to tell me how lovely it is (they’re my chief taste testers)!
This lemon and raspberry cake is GLORIOUS. It’s:
Fluffy
Beautifully moist
With a fresh lemon flavour
A swoosh of tangy raspberry jam
A sprinkling of sweet raspberries
AND
Lashings of silky smooth buttercream
I have no doubt that you will LOVE this recipe – be sure to tag me on Instagram when you make it @aveganvisit 🙂
The Video Recipe:
The Written Recipe:
Lemon And Raspberry Cake With Lemon Buttercream
Ingredients
For the sponge:
- 400 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 220 g caster sugar
- 150 g coconut oil (melted and cooled to room temperature)
- 320 ml dairy free milk (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp vanilla
- zest of 1 lemon (optional)
For the buttercream:
- 100 g vegan margarine (*see note)
- 500 g icing sugar
- 3 tbsp lemon extract
- zest of 1/2 a lemon (optional)
Extras:
- 125 g fresh raspberries
- 150 g raspberry jam
- 25 g icing sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
To make the sponge cake:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C conventional / 350°F / gas mark 4) and line two 18cm (7") sandwich cake tins (**see note).
- Melt the coconut oil and then leave it to cool to room temperature. Take the milk out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature.150 g coconut oil, 320 ml dairy free milk
- In a large bowl, sift in your flour and baking powder.400 g self raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder
- Add the sugar and mix the dry ingredients together.220 g caster sugar
- Add the oil, milk, lemon extract, vanilla and lemon zest if you’re using it.1 tbsp lemon extract, 1 tsp vanilla, zest of 1 lemon
- Mix together with a large whisk until combined. Don’t over mix, just whisk for a few seconds until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to the two sandwich tins in equal amounts.
- Bake for 40 minutes until a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool your cakes completely in the tins (for at least 2 hours).
To make the buttercream:
- Add the margarine and icing sugar to a bowl and stir.100 g vegan margarine, 500 g icing sugar
- The buttercream will go through a stage of looking like breadcrumbs, this is completely normal – keep stirring and it’ll transform into a lovely soft buttercream in a couple of minutes.
- Add the lemon extract a tbsp at a time and beat in until combined.3 tbsp lemon extract, zest of 1/2 a lemon
Put your cake together:
- Once your cakes are completely cold remove them from the tins.
- Smooth raspberry jam on one cake sandwich and lemon buttercream on the other.150 g raspberry jam
- Add your fresh raspberries onto the jam side and then sandwich your cakes together.125 g fresh raspberries
- Dust with icing sugar and then serve.25 g icing sugar
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Emissions
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
