Eggless Lemon Cake Recipe

Moist, soft and fluffy lemon cake loaded with fresh vibrant citrusy flavour is perfect for tea time snack or small celebrations. It is egg-free, vegan, vegetarian, and made with simple pantry ingredients.

The lemon loaf cake is topped with 2-ingredient sweet & tangy glaze made with powdered sugar & lemon juice which makes it more tasty and irresistible. It is a perfect addition to your afternoon tea, high tea, picnic, potluck or as a summer dessert with its bright, zesty notes.

This cake recipe uses both lemon juice & zest for maximum lemony flavour. It is so easy to make, barely takes 15 min to whip up the batter, tastes incredible with its tender crumb & citrus flavours. You’ll need following ingredients to make it-

Flour: Use plain flour, also known as all purpose flour or maida, for the perfect airy texture. To remove any lumps from it, we sieve it with other dry ingredients which also incorporates air in it.

Milk: It is the only dairy ingredients in the recipe and can easily be substituted with plant based milk like soy milk or almond milk. Make sure the milk is at room temperature before you start working with it and not chilled.

Leavening agents: This lemon cake recipe uses only baking powder as leavening agent. I tried it with baking soda also but I felt it reacts with acids in lemon juice too early and thus reduces its flavour. Before you start baking, check for its expiry date and effectiveness.

Flavouring: I have added little bit of vanilla extract. If you wish to intensify lemon flavour, use lemon extract. For bakery style yellowish tint in the cake, add 1-2 drop of food grade yellow colour.

Optional Add-Ins: You can make different variation of this lemon cake loaf by adding handful of poppy seeds or blueberries. Lemon & blueberries is such a classic pairing, I even used it in my lemon blueberry muffin recipe.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• All Purpose Flour (Maida)- 1 + 1/2 cup (190 g)
• Baking Powder- 1+1/2 tsp
• Salt- A pinch
• Milk / Soy Milk- 3/4 cup (180 g)
• Granulated Sugar- 3/4 cup (160 g)
• Olive Oil- 1/4 cup (55 g)
• Lemon Zest- 1 tbsp (of 1 large lemon)
• Lemon Juice- 3 tbsp
• Vanilla / Lemon Extract- 3/4 tsp
• For Lemon Glaze:
  • Icing Sugar- 3/4 cup
  • Lemon Juice- 1 tbsp

Notes:

1. Measuring cup used: 1 cup = 240 ml
2. Make sure all ingredients used are at room temperature.
3. Instead of vanilla extract, you can use lemon extract for stronger citrusy flavour.

Directions:

Step 1:
Set the oven for preheating at 180°C (356°F). By the time it is preheating, let’s prepare the batter.

Step 2:
Place a sieve over a bowl. Add flour, baking powder and salt to it. Sift the dry ingredients together by gently tapping the edges of sieve. Keep this bowl aside.

Step 3:
Take a large bowl. Add milk & sugar to it. Whisk for 2-3 min. Add olive oil, vanilla, lemon juice & zest. Whisk well once again for 8-10 min till all the ingredients are mixed properly & the mixture becomes bubbly. Keep it aside.

Step 4:
Prep the loaf pan of (9″x 5″) or (23×11.7×5.5 cm) by lining it with parchment paper. Brush oil inside it for easy de-moulding later.

Step 5:
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently to make a smooth cake batter. Avoid over-mixing.

Step 6:
Transfer the batter to prepared loaf tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for 40-45 min till the skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Step 7:
Let the cake cool down in tin for 10 min and then transfer over a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 8:
Whisk together icing sugar and lemon juice to make smooth flowing, lump-free glaze. Add lemon juice gradually and adjust the quantity depending on how thick or thin you want the glaze to be.

Pour this glaze over cooled down lemon cake. Zest some more lemon on top. You can slice the cake straightway or wait for 30-40 min until the glaze sets completely.

Tips:

1. Directly zest the lemon in the wet ingredients bowl to get the maximum flavour out of it.
2. Make sure the leavening agent you are using is not expired as otherwise the cake will not rise and may turn out dense.
3. Instead of lemon glaze, you can top up the lemon loaf with the cream cheese frosting we made for these red velvet cupcakes.
4. Keep an eye on cake after 35 min as oven performance can vary. If you see sufficient browning on edges, check its center with skewer. If you see wet batter on its tip, bake for more time.
5. The cake stays fine for upto 2 days in an airtight box on kitchen counter. However if it is summers or you want to store for 3-4 days, keep it in fridge.
6. If you have extra lemons, do try out these other recipes like  lemon posset or lemon garlic pasta.

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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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