Have you ever tried a vegan chocolate lemon cake before? Although it's not your typical flavor combination, they taste so amazing together with the zesty notes of the lemon and the cozy sweetness of the chocolate!
This easy cake takes less than 30 minutes to make in total. It's moist, super light and perfect for sharing with family and friends.
Whether it's lemon meringue pie or a homemade lemon cheesecake, you just can't beat a good old lemon-flavored dessert. I really hope you enjoy this one.
If you're a lemon cake super fan, you should totally try my eggless lemon cake loaf, vegan almond lemon cake and vegan carrot cake with lemon curd which are just a few of my most delicious ones.
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Why You Will Love This Cake
- Amazing Texture - Once you try this cake, you'll understand why I love the consistency so much. It's so fluffy and the buttercream frosting adds a beautiful creaminess to it. Also check out some more cakes like this like my vegan snickerdoodle cake and my vegan black forest cake.
- Strong Flavors - Due to real lemon juice and zest being used in this recipe, the flavors are tangy and powerful. The chocolate frosting creates a beautiful contrast and completes the recipe.
- Easy to Make - In order to make this loaf cake, all you need to do is make the cake batter, pour it into the two loaf tins, bake inside the oven and decorate once the cakes have cooled.
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This chocolate lemon cake recipe is fully vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Apple cider vinegar – By adding this vinegar to the soy milk, you can make yourself a dairy-free buttermilk. This will react with the leavening agents to create a gorgeous and airy cake texture.
- Canola oil – Also known as rapeseed oil, this important ingredient gives the cake most of it's moisture.
- Lemons – Zest and juice the lemons before adding them to the cake batter. Always use real lemons, instead of artificial or concentrated alternatives which don't have as much flavor.
- Vegan butter block & Powdered sugar – These will be used for the buttercream frosting. I also made a similar frosting for my vegan chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and vegan oreo cake using the same methods.
- Cocoa Powder - Add this to your frosting to make it chocolatey. Use a high-quality cocoa powder for a richer-tasting buttercream.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you love the sound of the lemon cake but you're not as enthusiastic about the frosting, you can skip that step and only make the cake. Although, I personally love the chocolate buttercream frosting, it isn't for everyone. You'll still enjoy the cake on it's own, just like my simple vegan flourless chocolate cake can be.
- You can also make this cake gluten free easily by replacing the regular all-purpose flour with a baking-specific, 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour. I haven't tested it in this recipe and the texture is likely to be more dense than the regular recipe.
How To Make a Chocolate Lemon Cake
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Mix the vinegar to the soy milk together and wait until it curdles into a buttermilk.
2: To a large mixing bowl, add all of your dry ingredients. Make sure that they are completely combined.
3: Next, pour the dairy-free 'buttermilk' into the dry mixture.
4: Add in all of the remaining wet ingredients.
5: Now, fold your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients without mixing as this will overwork the gluten. Continue to fold gently until all the flour is combined.
6: Pour the folded cake mixture into the prepared cake tins and bake inside the oven.
7: Remove your cakes from the oven and let them to cool before applying any frosting.
8: Decorate the lemon cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. Use half for the filling and half for the topping.
Expert Tips
- Use real lemons - Always use real lemon juice and zest, as opposed to artificial lemon juice as this was always give you bursting, strong flavors.
- Always fold the batter - Never over mix your cake. When the gluten is over worked the cake texture becomes dense. Fold the mixture gently over itself until all the flour pockets are combined.
- Every oven is different - Many older ovens will state temperatures which are inaccurate. Always keep an eye on your cakes. If a toothpick or a skewer comes out clean, it's done.
Recipe FAQs
This will could be because you added to much baking powder or baking soda. Add something sweet to the cake to counteract the taste.
The most common reason for this is because the oven door has been opened before the cake has set.
Store the lemon cake inside an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. If you wish, you can also refrigerate the cake for up to 4 days (also in an airtight container).
More Vegan Lemon Cake Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Chocolate Lemon Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Easy Chocolate Lemon Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 200 ml soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 200 g all-purpose flour sifted
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 50 ml canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 50 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice* see notes
- Zest of 2 medium lemons
For the chocolate buttercream:
- 225 g vegan butter block
- 240 g powdered sugar
- 35 g cocoa powder
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 177 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit). Grease two 20cm x 10cm loaf tins with vegan butter. Set aside.
- Firstly, make your vegan buttermilk by mixing the soy milk and the apple cider vinegar together. Set the buttermilk mixture aside for 7-8 minutes until it has curdled. Measure out your other cake ingredients while you wait.
For the lemon cake:
- To a large bowl, add the dry cake ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt). Mix until they're combined.
- Now, pour in the wet ingredients (curdled soy milk, oil, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest). Don't mix the lemon cake batter at all. Using a wooden spoon, fold the batter together by folding it over itself unless all the flour is combined.
- Equally pour the batter into the two greased loaf tins. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes. A skewer will come out clean when it's ready.
- Remove the two cakes from the oven and let them cool in the tins for 15 minutes. Following the initial cooling period, remove the cakes from their tins and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool fully.
For the chocolate frosting:
- Add the vegan butter block to a stand mixer or a large bowl. Cream with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes on a medium speed.
- Next add half of the powdered sugar and continue to beat the frosting on a medium-low speed until it is fully combined and has began to thicken. Continue on a medium-low speed and add the rest of the powdered sugar. Beat again until the frosting is nice and thick.
- Finally add the cocoa powder. Mix until it is combined with the buttercream frosting and the color is completely chocolatey brown.
- Spread half of your chocolate buttercream frosting in between the cake halves and spread the other half on top. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Never over mix your cake. When the gluten is over worked the cake texture becomes dense. Fold the mixture gently over itself until all the flour pockets are combined.
- Always use real lemon juice and zest, as opposed to artificial lemon juice as this was always give you bursting, strong flavor.
- Many older ovens will state temperatures which are inaccurate. Always keep an eye on your cakes. If a toothpick or a skewer comes out clean, it's done.
Anonymous says
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