A plump, golden Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with a Lemon Glaze is what I have for you today.
After all these years of baking vegan cakes and cupcakes, I am still amazed at how easy it is to eliminate animal products like butter, cream and egg and still get a perfectly moist, airy and beautiful result. All of it minus that awful egg odor. If you don't believe me, all you have to do is try this cake.
Lemon and poppy seed are a classic combination, and just one bite of this amazing cake will tell you why. I used Meyer lemons which have a distinctive flavor and are sweeter than your average lemon, but it's perfectly fine to use regular lemons instead. You could even try substituting other fruit juices.
This is a great base recipe to create cakes of all flavors. You could, for instance, substitute the lemon juice and zest with orange and get a great orange bundt cake. Or you might try another fruit juice. This cake is very much like a pound cake, with a buttery crumb and a melt-in-the-mouth texture. I also used unbleached cake flour to get a particularly light texture. Cake flour is very low in gluten, so you don't have to worry about your cake getting tough, the way it could with higher gluten flours like all-purpose flour. If you can't get cake flour, use all-purpose but replace two tablespoons in each cup with cornflour.
You could also use whole-wheat pastry flour to make this cake. It will be darker and the crumb will be thicker, but you'd still have a great cake (and one that's slightly healthier too).
Gotta run now, but here's the recipe for my vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake. Enjoy!
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Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake With A Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
For Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake
- 2 ⅔ cup cake flour (If you don't have cake flour, all-purpose would be okay but replace 5 tablespoon of the all-purpose flour with cornstarch. You can also make this with whole-wheat pastry flour but the crumb will be thicker.)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups vegan cane sugar (or turbinado sugar)
- 1 ¾ cup almond milk (or any nondairy milk)
- 2 teaspoon vinegar
- ¼ cup lemon juice (from freshly squeezed lemons)
- ¼ cup poppy seeds (lightly toasted in a skillet. Do this over medium heat and stir frequently. It should take no more than five minutes.)
- Zest of two lemons
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegan butter (2 sticks. Butter should be at room temperature)
For the lemon glaze
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the lemon poppyseed bundt cake
- Whisk the nondairy milk and vinegar and set aside for five minutes.
- Cream together the sugar and "butter" in a stand mixer or hand mixer fitted with a wisk, until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of bowl a couple of times during the mixing.
- Mix the lemon juice, zest, vanilla extract and milk-vinegar mixture.
- Sift into a bowl the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder
- Add the flour to the butter and sugar mixture in three batches, alternating with the almond milk mixture. Mix for 20 seconds after each addition, then scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything's integrated.
- Add the poppy seeds and mix with a spatula to disperse them evenly through the batter.
- Oil and flour a bundt cake pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out dry. Let the cake stand in the bundt pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then unmold. This cake unmolds easily, but if you need help run a knife lightly and carefully around the edges.
Make the lemon glaze
- With a wisk, mix the lemon juice and sugar.
- With a toothpick, make a few holes in the warm cake and then paint the glaze onto the cake using a pastry brush. You can even just pour it on. Add some lemon zest on top, if desired.
Heidi Wise
I don't often write recipe reviews, but I HAD to take the time to sing the praises of this incredible cake! Melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Even my husband, who doesn't like cake, ate two pieces in one sitting. The whole cake disappeared in two days. I couldn't wait to make it again, and I'll be making it regularly. Thank you!
Vaishali
Heidi, I am so happy to hear that! Thanks for leaving a review. 🙂
BARBARA -San Diego
Thank you Vaishali for another great dessert. My guests and friends loved this and none of them are vegans. I chose to omit the poppy seeds and double the amount of rind for a very lemony version of the cake. All of your cakes are great. I know I can reliably bake any of your deserts and they will be a crowd pleaser.
Vaishali
Thanks, Barbara, that's lovely to hear.
dk
unsure if corn flour is meant to be corn starch...i believe in the UK they're interchangeable, but not in north america. corn flour is uncommon, whereas starch is in every kitchen...
Vaishali
It’s the same as cornstarch.
Rachel
My husband and I made this cake yesterday and it was a huge success. We subbed half a cup stevia for half a cup of the sugar and we only used about half the poppy seeds. This cake was everything I hoped for. Just amazing!
Vaishali
So happy to hear!
lisa
I like the cake!
lisa
I like the cake! -written by a young cake lover.
Vaishali
Awesome! 🙂