Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is moist and fluffy, sweet and tangy and a little nutty from the poppy seeds! It’s also covered in a rich, lemony frosting. 

As my Lemon Drizzle Cake is one of the most popular baking recipes I’ve posted, I decided to make more lemon dessert recipes, and this Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is the answer!

Why you’ll love this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake:

• it’s undetectably vegan and gluten-free
• it’s moist and fluffy
• it’s citrusy and tangy
• it’s perfectly sweet
• it’s covered in a rich, lemony frosting
• it’s easy to make
• it’s made in one bowl
• it’s refined sugar free
• it’s easily customisable
• it great for birthdays, Easter, Mother’s Day and baby showers!

How to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

• Mix together the ingredients for the cake in a glass mixing bowl.

Tip: Use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.

• Transfer the cake batter into a one-pound loaf tin.

Tip: Make sure to line the loaf tin with greased baking paper – this will make removing the cake from the tin so much easier!

• Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

• Transfer to a cooling rack to cool down before applying the frosting.

How to make the frosting

• Place the ingredients for the frosting in a food processor or blender.

• Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.

• Use a knife (or palette knife for frosting) to spread the frosting over the top of the loaf.

How to decorate this cake

I decided to decorate this cake with lemon zest and poppy seeds, but you can use whatever you like!

Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

• you can use any type of oil: coconut oil, vegetable oil, olive oil etc
• you can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc
• you can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, rice milk etc
• if you don’t need the cake to be gluten-free, you can replace the gluten-free flour with plain flour 
• the ground almonds can be replaced with ground walnuts
• for a nut-free version, use ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds, use a nut-free plant-based milk and omit the frosting or make a different frosting.

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 long does this Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake keep for?

This Lemon Poppy Seed Cake tasted best eaten on the day it was made, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days. 

More vegan lemon cakes:

• White Chocolate Lemon Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Mug Cake
• Lemon Drizzle Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is moist and fluffy, sweet and tangy and a little nutty from the poppy seeds! It's also covered in a rich, lemony frosting. 

4.33 from 52 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free lemon poppy seed cake, gluten-free vegan cake, vegan lemon poppy seed cake

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 10 slices

Calories: 356kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• 8 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (use unwaxed lemons)
• 12 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

For the frosting:

• 100 g (2/3 cup) raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice

To decorate (optional):

• Lemon zest
• Poppy seeds

Instructions

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
• Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, poppy seeds and ground almonds
• Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
• Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
• Transfer mixture into a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper (I used a one-pound loaf tin)
• Bake in oven for 45 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean
• Once out the oven, transfer the cake from the baking tin onto a wired rack to leave it to cool completely before applying the frosting

For the frosting:

• Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and lemon juice
• Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary

To frost and decorate the cake:

• Use a knife (or palette knife) to spread frosting over the top of the loaf
• Decorate with lemon zest and poppy seeds, if desired
• This cake tasted best eaten on the day it was made, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days

Notes

*You can alternatively use almond flour

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.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 356 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 7g35%

Sodium 56mg2%

Potassium 205mg6%

Carbohydrates 42g14%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 24g27%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin C 9mg11%

Calcium 154mg15%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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