The fruity and summery lemon and raspberry flavors go really nicely together in this vegan lemon raspberry cake. It's quite an underrated combination which is definitely underrated.
The Amazing thing about this loaf cake recipe is that it takes less than 30 minutes to make. That includes both baking time and decorating time!
The cake itself is a moist and delicious lemon cake, topped with a bright pink raspberry glaze. The raspberry theme doesn't end there. The cakes are also filled with juicy fresh raspberries too.
If you love lemon and raspberry treats as much as I do, be sure to also check out my vegan almond raspberry cake, vegan raspberry muffins, vegan lemon drizzle cake and my vegan lemon poppy seed muffins.
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Why You Will Love This Cake
- The Flavor Combination - Although a lemon and raspberry flavor combination is certainly unorthodox, it is one of my favorites when the weather gets warmer. The sweetness, combined with the sourness is a winner and I can't wait for you to try it!
- The Color - The bright pink glaze on top of the loaf cakes is the thing that initially attracts people to this recipe. It makes the cake super fun and enjoyable. Some other colorful cakes that you'll enjoy include my vegan cranberry orange cake and my vegan chocolate raspberry cake.
- The Best Texture - If you love your cakes to be moist, these loaf cakes are what you need in your life. They're so heavenly and soft, plus the glaze on top makes them even tastier.
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan lemon raspberry cake recipe is wholly vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Apple cider vinegar - This is a super important ingredient When it is mixed into the soy milk, the liquid will curdle into a vegan buttermilk. This will then react with the leavening agents to create an amazing cake texture.
- Canola oil - This is another name for rapeseed oil. It is by far my favorite oil for baking cakes, as it helps to give them an unforgettable moisture texture.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice - Avoid using artificial lemon juice at all costs. It hardly has any of the strong, tangy flavor that real lemon juice has. As a result the cake would taste quite plain.
- Zest of 2 medium-sized lemons - This really enhances and deepens the cake flavor. If you'd like your cakes to be completely infused by lemon like my vegan lemon blueberry muffins and vegan lemon cookies, don't skip this ingredient.
- Fresh raspberries - I prefer to use these over frozen raspberries, simply due to the fact that they're more straightforward to use. Thawed frozen raspberries can be difficult to handle.
- Powdered sugar - This is for the topping. Make sure that the one you use is vegan, as some will contain bone char.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If raspberries aren't your thing, you can recreate this cake with a fruit of your choice. Perhaps, you prefer blueberries, strawberries or blackberries and that is fine! Add them to the cake and the glaze just like in this recipe and you'll end up with something similar to my vegan blackberry lemon cake.
- If you wish, you can easily make this cake gluten free. Simply swap out the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking flour blend and you'll be well on your way to having two delectable gluten-less loaf cakes.
How To Make Vegan Lemon Raspberry Cake
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Firstly, grease the loaf cake tins with vegan butter.
2: Make the vegan buttermilk by mixing the soy milk with the apple cider vinegar.
3: Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4: Pour in the wet ingredients.
5: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then fold in the raspberries separately.
6: Pour the cake mixture into the cake tins.
7: Bake the cakes and let them cool.
8: Make the raspberry glaze and apply it to the cooled cakes.
Expert Tips
Dust the raspberries with flour - This is totally optional, but if you want to stop the raspberries in the cake batter from sinking, lightly dust them with flour first.
Don't over-mix the cake batter - Over-mixing your cake batter will cause the cake to become heavy and dense. Therefore, it will taste unappetizing. Fold the batter instead of mixing it if you can so that the gluten isn't overworked.
Recipe FAQs
As the cake rises in the oven, the raspberries become 'slippery' in the batter. Dust them in a little flour before adding them to the batter and this will be resolved.
Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
This could be due to a number of factors such as, the oven temperature being wrong, the cake batter being over-mixed and the incorrect egg-replacers being used.
More Vegan Lemon Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Lemon Raspberry 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!
Soft Vegan Lemon Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Cake Batter:
- 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 rapeseed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 50 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Zest of 2 medium-sized lemons
- 150 g fresh raspberries
Raspberry Glaze:
- 160 g powdered sugar sifted
- 5 teaspoons water
- 12 g raspberries squashed with spoon
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 177 Celsius (350F).
- Grease two 20cm x 10cm loaf tins with cold vegan butter. Set aside.
Make the cake:
- Make the vegan buttermilk by mixing the vinegar into the soy milk. Let the buttermilk curdle for 8 minutes. Measure out the other cake ingredients while you are waiting.
- Add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl. Mix well.
- Add the curdled soy milk to the dry ingredients along with the canola oil, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest. Fold until almost all the flour is combined. Then finally, fold in the raspberries. Dust them in a little flour if you wish to stop them from sinking inside the cake.
- Pour the lemon cake batter into the loaf tins. Bake the cakes in center of your oven for 20 minutes. A skewer will come out of the cakes clean.
- Allow the two loaf cakes to cool down in the tins for 15 minutes. Then take the cakes out of the tins and place them on a cooling rack to cool fully.
Make the glaze:
- Add the powdered sugar to a bowl. Next, add the water a teaspoon at a time. The glaze should have a thick consistency.
- In a separate small bowl, squash the raspberries with a fork until they become juicy. Mix the raspberries into the glaze. It will become bright pink.
- Spoon the glaze over the lemon cakes.
Video
Notes
- This is totally optional, but if you want to stop the raspberries in the cake batter from sinking, lightly dust them with flour first.
- Over-mixing your cake batter will cause the cake to become heavy and dense. Therefore, it will taste unappetizing. Fold the batter instead of mixing it if you can so that the gluten isn't overworked.
LYNDA says
I just made this and completely messed up. Can out super gooey! I’m totally not used to those MEASUREMENTS! I’ve never seen those odd measurements. So I guessed at it. Nope. UGH! Can you please break it down for those of us the back of the room. Please! Thank you!
DJ says
Hi Lynda, there is a feature on the recipe card which allows you to switch between the metric and imperial measurement systems. (UK & U.S)
Marita Ferreira says
I made this cake and it’s delicious! Spongy and moist. I used frozen raspberries and strawberries and it worked well. I also made one round cake instead of two smaller cakes, I just baked it for longer (35 mins). Best prepared a day in advance if it’s for an event.
DJ says
So glad you enjoyed it, Marita. Awesome that you adapted it to make one larger cake!
Embri says
Can you make these measurements into cups instead😅 I realllyyy wanna make this tomorrow
Marita Ferreira says
I had the same problem! I googled it and it’s 1.6 cups of flour, 0.5 cups of sugar, about 1 cups of raspberries.
DJ says
All recipes are being adapted so that they all have cups measurements one by one. Eventually they should all be converted 🙂
Dan says
One of the nicest vegan cakes I’ve ever tried! How can I make the glaze a little thicker?
Vegan Treats Blogger says
Thank you! Just add 1 or 2 teaspoons less water 🙂