This vegan lemon pound cake tastes like pure sunshine! It's the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. The cake is moist and tender and the fresh thyme adds subtle interest.
This dessert is simply bursting with flavor. Yum!
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- baking powder
- vegan butter - it's best to use a stick butter because the ones that come in the tub tend to have a higher water content.
- sugar
- lemon zest and lemon juice
- fresh thyme - if you don't have fresh thyme skip it because dried won't cut it for this recipe.
- unsweetened vegan yogurt - I used So Delicious coconut yogurt for this recipe
- olive oil - this could be substituted with melted coconut oil or vegetable oil
Step By Step Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan by coating the bottom and sides with oil.
Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
In a small bowl stir together the olive oil and lemon juice. Set aside.
In separate bowl or mixer, beat the butter until fluffy and then add in the sugar until creamed together.
Mix in the yogurt and lemon zest on medium speed. At this point, the batter may look a bit curdled, but that's ok. Add in half the lemon juice mixture and beat on low until combined.
Once you start adding in the flour it's important not to overmix so that the cake doesn't become too dense. Add in ½ the flour mixture and beat on low just until incorporated. Then add in the remaining lemon juice mixture followed by the rest of the flour.
Fold in the thyme and then spread the batter into the prepared pan using a spatula to smooth the top.
Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake should start to get a bit golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge and transfer to a cooling rack.
To make the glaze, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice together vigorously with a fork until smooth.
Drizzle the glaze over the top of of the still warmish cake and allow to run down the sides. Before the glaze hardens, you can sprinkle additional thyme leaves on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are like me and never remember to take butter out of the fridge ahead of time, you can put it in the microwave on 30% power for 15 second intervals until it softens. Be careful though because you don't want to melt it.
Nope. This cake is still flavorful without the thyme. You could substitute with lavender instead for a fun twist.
Storing
Store the cake at room temperature for up to four days in an airtight container.
Related Recipes
If you like this vegan lemon pound cake, you may be interested in these related recipes.
Recipe
Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan lemon pound cake tastes like pure sunshine! It's the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. The cake is moist and tender and the fresh thyme adds subtle interest.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 Tbs baking powder
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tsp lemon zest
- 1 cup vegan yogurt
- 2 Tbs fresh thyme leaves
For the Drizzle
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat: Your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan by coating the bottom and sides with oil.
- Dry: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.
- Wet: In a small bowl stir together the olive oil and lemon juice.
- Mix: Use a mixer to beat the butter until fluffy, then add in the sugar to cream together. Add in the yogurt, lemon zest and half the lemon juice/olive oil mixture and beat on medium speed until combined. The batter will look a bit curdled at this point. Mix in half the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Then add in the rest of the lemon juice/olive oil followed by the remaining flour mixture only until the flour is just mixed in. Don't overbeat!
- Fold: in the fresh thyme.
- Bake: Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Glaze: To make the drizzle glaze, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice with a fork until smooth. Drizzle this over the still warmish cake and allow to run down the sides.
- Garnish: Before the glaze hardens, sprinkle the top with additional thyme leaves.
Notes
- Don't substitute dried thyme for the fresh. This cake still tastes great without it.
- You can soften the butter in the microwave by zapping it at 30% power for 15 second intervals, but be careful not to melt it.
- Category: desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 262
- Sugar: 24.3
- Sodium: 134
- Fat: 10.3
- Saturated Fat: 2.7
- Carbohydrates: 41.6
- Fiber: 1.2
- Protein: 2.2
Keywords: vegan, lemon cake, pound cake, dairy-free
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
I've never tried thyme in a dessert before, but I have a lemon thyme plant that would work perfectly with this recipe!
★★★★★
Patrice | Cardamom Magazine says
Such a beautiful cake! I love anything with lemon and being vegan is a bonus.
★★★★★
Kris says
Thank you! It really does taste as good as it looks.
neat pete says
Yum! I can't wait to try this recipe. It sounds like a very delicious and interesting combination. Thank you!
★★★★★