Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.

You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.

You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.

You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.

For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds.

You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.

If you're not into blueberries, you can replace them with raspberries, blackberries or cherries.

If you can’t get hold of coconut milk for the frosting or are feeling lazy, you can use a thick coconut yogurt instead, which adds a lovely fermented flavour reminiscent of real cream cheese, as well as a ton of gut-friendly probiotics!

Tips for making this Lemon Blueberry Cake

Make sure to use the right amount of baking powder – 2 heaped teaspoons! Use too little baking powder and your sponge won’t be fluffy, too much and it’ll have a bitter taste.

Adding the lemon juice is crucial as it’s acidic, which means it reacts with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to create a bubbly batter, and fluffy sponge. If you can't get hold of lemon juice, add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar instead.

Make sure to use an all-purpose shop-bought gluten-free flour blend (or a homemade gluten-free flour blend), as opposed to just using any type of gluten-free flour you can find (such as almond flour, coconut flour, buckwheat flour etc).

Tips for baking with lemons

For optimum lemon flavour, I would recommend using fresh lemons (not ones that you've had sitting in your fruit bowl for weeks!) and organic ones if possible.

You have to be careful when baking with lemon juice as the acidity and lemon flavour can really vary depending on the lemons you use.

I would recommend tasting the lemon juice you're using and adjusting the amount of lemon juice you use accordingly.

For the lemon zest, make sure you use unwaxed lemons.

How-to and tIPS FOR MAKING the “CREAM CHEESE” FROSTING

Keep your tin of coconut milk in the fridge overnight (or for at least 12 hours) for the rich creamy bit to separate from the watery bit at the bottom.

Make sure you use full-fat coconut milk, otherwise this separation won’t happen and you won’t be able to whip it up.

Open the tin upside down – the coconut cream will be at the bottom and you can just pour off the watery liquid.

Save the watery liquid you pour off for adding to soups or smoothies.

Place the thick, creamy part into a bowl along with the other ingredients (maple syrup, lemon juice and vanilla extract).

Use an electric whisk (or a manual one and a lot of elbow grease) to whip until light and fluffy.

Make sure the cake has cooled completely before applying the frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt!

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN LEMON BLUEBERRY CAKE:

glass mixing bowl – for mixing the cake batter.

measuring jug – for measuring out the plant-based milk.

18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin – for baking the cake.

baking paper – to line the baking tin.

cooling rack – to leave the cake to cool on before applying the frosting.

electric whisk – for whipping up the coconut cream to make the vegan “cream cheese” frosting.

palette knife for frosting – to effortlessly apply the frosting.

HOW LONG does this LEMON Blueberry Cake KEEP FOR?

Although this cake does taste best when fresh, it does keep well covered in the fridge for up to a few days. For super fluffy frosting, you should make it fresh just before serving, but the frosting will retain its shape and texture for a good few days.

More Gluten-Free Vegan Cakes:

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Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake