Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Layer Cake (Gluten-Free)

A slice of vegan lemon poppy seed layer cake on a plate with a fork

Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Layer Cake (Gluten-Free)

This Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Layer Cake is moist and fluffy, sweet and tangy and a little nutty! It's covered in a rich, lemony frosting that tastes like cream cheese.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

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

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 15

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 444kcal

Author Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the cake:

60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
180 ml (¾ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
8 tablespoons (8 tablespoons) lemon juice
2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) lemon zest (use unwaxed lemons)
12 tablespoons (12 tablespoons) maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
Pinch (Pinch) salt
3 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) poppy seeds
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 (2 heaped teaspoons) baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

For the frosting:

400 g (14 oz) tinned coconut milk (full-fat)**
2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) lemon juice

To decorate (optional):

Lemon peel
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 between two small greased baking tins lined with baking paper (I used two 7inch/18cm tins).
Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Once out the oven, immediately remove cakes from baking tins and transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

For the frosting:

You’ll need to keep your tin of coconut milk in the fridge overnight for the rich creamy bit to separate from the watery bit at the bottom. Make sure it is full-fat coconut milk, otherwise this separation won’t happen and you won’t be able to make this cream!
Open the tin upside down – the coconut cream will be at the bottom and you can just pour off the watery liquid (save this for adding to soups, curries or smoothies).
Place the thick, creamy part into a bowl.
Add the maple syrup and lemon juice.
Use an electric whisk (or a manual one and a lot of elbow grease) to whip up the coconut cream until light and fluffy.

To frost and decorate the cake:

Once the sponges have cooled completely, place one sponge on a large plate or cake stand, and cover with half of the frosting - for best results, use a palette knife to do this.
Place the other sponge on top and use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
Decorate with lemon peel 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.

**You can alternatively use a thick coconut yogurt.

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