This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Yogurt Cake is sweet, tangy and seriously moist. It comes together in one bowl and is refined sugar free too. It's great for dessert, but also for breakfast or brunch!
What type of yogurt should you use for baking yogurt cake?
- I'd recommend using an unsweetened plain yogurt that doesn't contain any additional flavourings.
- For this recipe, you can use any type of plant-based yogurt: almond, soy, cashew or coconut yogurt all work well.
Tips for baking with lemons
- 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.
- For optimum lemon flavour, I would recommend using fresh lemons (not ones that you've had sitting in your fruit bowl for weeks!) and use organic lemons if possible.
- 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 make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mix together all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Tip: Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure out the exact amount of plant-based yogurt!
- Transfer the batter into a 18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin lined with greased baking paper.
Tip: To prevent the sides of the cake from getting burnt, make sure that the baking paper is covering both the bottom and the sides of the tin.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool before slicing.
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 liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- You can use any type of plant-based yogurt: almond, soy, cashew or coconut yogurt all work well.
- You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you're not gluten-free.
- You can replace the ground almonds with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds and use a nut-free plant-based yogurt.
Flavour substitutions you can make
- You can add some fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries or cherries.
- You can add some dried fruit, such as chopped dried figs or dried cranberries.
How long does this Lemon Yogurt Cake keep for?
It keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
More gluten-free vegan cakes
- Red Velvet Cake
- Tropical Carrot Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Orange Cake
- Strawberry Cake
- Vanilla Cake
- Coconut Cake
- Almond Cake
- Olive Oil Cake
- Yogurt Cake
- Raspberry Cake
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 Yogurt Cake
Ingredients
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 230 ml (1 cup) unsweetened plant-based yogurt * (I used coconut yogurt but you can use any other plant-based yogurt)
- 8 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (make sure to use unwaxed lemons)
- 12 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Instructions
- 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 yogurt to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- Mix well, adding a tiny splash of plant-based milk if it’s looking too dry.
- Transfer mixture into a greased baking tin lined with baking paper (I used a 7inch/18cm springform baking tin) - make sure that the baking paper is covering the bottom and the sides of the tin, to prevent the sides of the cake from getting burnt.
- Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool before slicing.
- Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Notes
- 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.
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Hannah
Hi, thanks for your gorgeous recipes. Can this be frozen?
Rhian Williams
Thank you! And yes it can be frozen!