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A close up shot of a moist slice of my lemon poke cake which is topped with a cream cheese frosting.
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5 from 3 votes

Lemon Poke Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Vegan)

This lemon poke cake recipe is delicious if you love a cake with lots of moisture. Lemon cake, lemon frosting. What more could you want?
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Lemon Poke Cake
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 385kcal
Author: DJ

Ingredients

For the 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 lemons

For the filling:

  • 320 g vegan condensed milk or store bought
  • 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon soy milk

For the lemon cream cheese frosting:

  • 100 g vegan cream cheese room temperature
  • 65 g vegan butter block room temperature
  • 250 g powdered sugar
  • 0.25 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preparation:

  • Preheat your oven to 177 Celsius (350F).
  • Grease an 8-inch, square cake tin with vegan butter and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Make your vegan ‘buttermilk’ by mixing the apple cider vinegar into the soy milk. Set aside and let it curdle for 8 minutes.

Make the lemon cake batter:

  • In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • Pour in the curdled buttermilk, the canola oil, the vanilla, the lemon juice and finally, add the lemon zest. Fold your lemon cake batter, without over-mixing.

Bake the cake:

  • Pour your lemon cake batter into the lined tin carefully. Bake in the center of your oven for 20 minutes. A skewer will come out of the cake clean when it is ready.
  • Let the lemon cake cool inside the tin for 15 minutes then transfer it over to a cooling rack so that it can cool completely. 
  • Use the bottom of a wooden spoon to poke holes into the cake in about 1-inch intervals. Poke about ¾ of the way down into the cake.
  • Mix the filling ingredients and pour over the cake. Spread it around with a spoon or a palette knife, making sure the holes are filled.

Make the lemon cream cheese frosting:

  • Place the whisk attachment onto a stand mixer. Cream together the vegan cream cheese and vegan butter until creamy on a high speed.
  • On a medium speed, add your powdered sugar gradually until you have added it all.
  • Finally, pour in the vanilla and lemon zest. Let it continue to combine for a few more minutes on a high speed.
  • Spread the lemon cream cheese frosting over the cooled poke cake. Use a palette knife again to smooth it out. Slice and serve.

Video

Notes

  • I like to use the end of wooden spoon to poke the holes into the cakes. Place each hole approximately 1 inch apart. This means that the holes are close enough in proximity to create a nice, moist texture.
  • Make sure that you pour the condensed milk mixture in while the cake is warm. This way the liquid will infuse into the cake more when it is warm, creating better flavours. It sinks deep into the crumb of the cake. Trust me with this one!

Nutrition

Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 336IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 1mg