Vegan lemon yogurt cake

There are few things I enjoy more than cake and lemons, and naturally when the two are combined, I am in food heaven. This vegan lemon yoghurt cake has been tried and tested over the years, and has evolved into the full bodied recipe that it is today. It is great served up with a yoghurt drizzle, with a cashew butter cream, or -if you are not a sweet tooth- on its own.

With autumn now fully in swing, I find baking the most therapeutic thing to do indoors. Flour supplies seem to be dwindling at the supermarket, but I have a small supply and without doubt ill be remaking this vegan lemon yoghurt cake so I can get some updated photos. Yes, I have only 1 image. And it is wit heath buttercream frosting. And you cant actually see the inside of the cake. Yes, I know.

Well, anyway, lets talk about the recipe.

What ingredients do I need to make the vegan lemon yoghurt cake?

• Fresh, juicy lemons
• Coconut yoghurt
• Olive oil (light or heavy, depending on your preference)
• Sugar- coconut, rapadura or plain castor sugar all work well
• Milk
• Flour, baking powder and baking soda

A note on sugar

I use coconut sugar in this cake, which means this vegan lemon yoghurt cake will be darker and a little heavier than the traditional cake. To create a cake that looks a little more like the original, the solution is to swap coconut sugar for castor sugar. Here are a few things to note if doing that;

• Swap at a ratio 1:1
• Castor sugar is sweeter than coconut sugar meaning the cake will also be sweeter
• Pay careful attention to when the cake is ready as it may vary slightly if using castor sugar

What are the steps to make the vegan lemon yoghurt cake

You want to ice the cake? Here are two ways.

Lemon, yoghurt drizzle.

The simpler of the two, a lemon yoghurt drizzle is the traditional topping. If you want to avoid refined sugar, then skip this and head on to the next section where I show you how to make cashew butter cream.

You’ll need:

• 1/4 cup coconut yoghurt
• 1 cup confectioners/icing sugar
• 1-2 tsp lemon juice

Method

1. Sift icing sugar into a medium sized bowl, then add yoghurt and 1 tsp lemon juice. Whisk together until completely smooth, adding extra lemon juice as needed.
2. Once you have a completely cooled cake, pour drizzle over etc top and serve immediately.

Cashew butter cream

I have been making various versions of this recipe for years, based on the cashew buttercream frosting by the minimalist baker. The process is simple, albeit lengthy, and is made up of whole foods (no nasty vegan butter, yay!). I actually prefer the cake with a yoghurt lemon drizzle, but since the photo of the cake is slathered in buttercream, I will fill you in on how to make it. You could easily substitute this for coconut whipped cream, so check out my recipe here.

You’ll need a few simple ingredients, which are

• 1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked for 4-8 hours in water
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

Method

1. Drain cashews and place in a high speed blender alongside the other ingredients. Blend until very smooth (2-4 minutes), scrapping the sides as necessary. Taste, add add extra lemon for more zing, more maple for extra sweetness or extra salt for more punch.
2. Transfer the mixture to a medium sized bowl and set in the freezer for 30 minutes. After this time, remove and whisk with electric beaters for 1 minute. Place back in freezer.
3. Follow step 2.  
4. Freeze for an extra 45 minutes. Assess the texture of the frosting to make sure its semi-hard (if its not, freeze at 10 minute intervals until it is).
5. Finally, use the beaters and whisk until it has a light, fluffy butter cream texture. Allow to soften for a few minutes before using a palette knife to spread over the completely cooled cake.
6. Eat the cake, and store left overs in the fridge.

See? Simple!

How to store the vegan lemon yoghurt cake

The cake can be stored for up to a week, depending on which choice of icing you went for.

• If you have made the cake and kept it unfrosted, it will store for up to 1 week. Place cake in an air-tight container and store in the pantry or in the fridge if you live in a warm/humid climate.
• If you have added buttercream frosting, you will need to store the cake in an air-tight container in the fridge. As the cake contains olive oil (not butter) the texture will remain moist and soft under refrigeration. Consume within 5 days.
• If you added lemon drizzle to the cake, you will need to store the cake in an air-tight container in the fridge. Consume within 7 days.

I hope you enjoy my vegan lemon yoghurt cake. Let me know in the comments section if you made it, if you tried any variations or if you have any questions.

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