Vegan Lemon Lime Cake with Icing

I made this for a family gathering and no one, absolutely no one suspected it was a Vegan cake. Everyone thought it was super delicious and moist. The icing specially is very yummy. It gets a little hard after an hour so it's even more enjoyable.


The texture of the cake is very moist and rich. It smells like lemon since the beginning, every one could tell it was a lemon cake because the smell was so strong (in a good way). It's light and refreshing, great for brunch.


Even though I used white flour for this one, the cake turned out tan because of the sugar. If you want a paler cake, use white sugar. It will end up with a yellowish color because of the lime and lemon.

I hope you enjoy it!

Step 1 Ingredients

For the cake:

2 large Lemons (or limes)
2 tbsp Lime Peel (2 or 3 limes)
1 1/2 cup flour (you can use whole wheat)
1 cup Sugar (I used Turbinado, but use whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp Baking Soda
5 tbsp Oil (I used Canola)
1 tsp Vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla
3/4 cup Water


For the Icing:

2 tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice
3/4 cup Confectioners Sugar

Comments

[Jackie9]

OMG! This cake is so delicious! I served it to vegans and omnivores and they all loved it! It's very moist. That's one of the things I like most about this cake because some vegan desserts can be a bit dry and too "healthy" tasting. I'm very impressed with your vegan lemon lime cake and I will definitely be making this often.

[lemonie]

Looks great, I'm a little surprised that it works without eggs, but there it is. How important is it to keep gas in the mix (step 2) - if you whisked the froth out too much the result would be more dense? L

[ShopCookMake]

I'm surprised it worked without eggs too, but it does and the taste is amazing, very moist and yummy. The Baking Soda is very important because it keeps the cake very light and fresh tasting. Don't over mix because the gluten will develop and you'll end up with a tougher cake. Mix with a hand whisk until everything is well incorporated and that's it.

[AMAZONIAbydjljwilliams]

I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian, but I do vegan and allergen free baking because my family has gluten, dairy, eggs and nuts allergies. I'm always surprised when cakes without eggs work well..our grandparents would be SHOCKED!
But some of the cakes I have baked that have no eggs..not even an egg replacement ingredient, have worked out better than ones that do. They are generally more moist, but usually a little more crumbly.
There is one chocolate mud-muffin recipe I make which is vegan, gluten, and nut free which tastes AWESOME..but smells worse than my cat's litter tray in its uncooked stage, and made hubby vomit when he licked the spoon..I sort of didn't warn him he should smell it first though! ;)

[lemonie]

OK, thanks for the feedback, it's just the sort of thing I might hav a a go at, having those ingredients usually. L

[cyber.kore]

Im really interested in baking this...
2 questions, what type of vinegar is used, malt (brown) or spirit (white/clear).
also i want to make this for a diabetic friend of mine and want to know will splender be ok to sub for the sugar.
Im from the uk and will have to convert the measurments.

thanks
cK

[ShopCookMake]

Hi, I used Apple Cider Vinegar. I don't know if using a sugar substitute will be ok. i know nothing about the chemistry of baking.

[dthal]

How long will the icing take to harden? And will it always look that white?

[ShopCookMake]

1. It won't harden completely, it takes about 2 hours to get harder.

2. It'll look white as long as the liquid you're using is white or has a clear color. Since I used lemon juice, it stayed a creamy white color. You can add food coloring if you want, to change the color.

[Amiga500]

I just made these as cupcakes (took about 15 minutes), and used coconut oil instead of canola, and key lime juice instead of the lemon and vinegar. I wanted something like a buttercream icing, so I used 2 tsp of coconut oil in that, with more sugar, to make it thicker. I added some zest to the icing, too.

These were GOOD. Like, really sharp and limey, almost buttery tasting kind of good. I'd been complaining to my mother about another orange cake recipe being sort of wimpy, even when made with lemon juice, and I think I've found my solution here. This is not a vaguely citrus-flavored cake, it's seriously citrusy, and I'm curious to see what folding in strawberry pieces and using tequila instead of vanilla would be like. I still have some limes, so I think I might just find out.

[ShopCookMake]

Please, find out about the Tequila. I'm anxious to know if it works!

[Amiga500]

Do it. Do it now! I cut a teaspoon of juice out, and added a TB of tequila to the batter, along with a handful of sliced strawberries. I'm not sure if adding fruit to a cupcake makes it a muffin, but whatever, I like muffins too. I made the icing with a TB of coconut oil, and just added juice and tequila to that to taste./texture Maybe a TB of juice and a tsp or two of tequila? I added about a lime's worth of zest, too, bearing in mind these are key limes, and tiny, so maybe a tsp or so of zest. Anyway, the result is subtle but tasty, more exotic than your average baked good, and I think it would work well for an adult birthday.

I also made http://www.food.com/recipe/eggless-banana-bread-177031, which is super easy to veganize. Sub a 1/4 cup of cocoa or cacao for that much flour, add a TB of espresso powder, and you've got another tasty grownup baked good. My coworkers are going enjoy both these things tomorrow, so thanks for the baking inspiration!

[kitwah]

Yum yum this was so tangy and tasty, would definately bake this again. But in my ancient oven it took more like an hour to cook, and I made the gaff of baking it in a loose bottomed tin so I lost some of the mixture to drippage...anyhow it was delicious and killed off any bugs we might of had with super vitamin C doses!

[Valayrie Sin]

when you say 350 degrees, is that in celsius?

[emmarocket]

I am not a vegan, but I had some extra lemons and limes to use up so I gave this a try and WOW! So tasty :D (Was a little weireded out by needing to add vinegar...until i put it all together and it started to foam then i panicked! I was all like oh no what did i do?! and then my 3rd grade science teacher came along and gave me an F...ok so maybe it was not quite like that...) But ya, will make this recipe again for sure, - also i made it as cupcakes (made 11 in total) and it worked out great! thanks! :)

[joymunkey]

 Hi emmarocket, was wondering how long did u bake these for when u made them in cupcake form?

[emmarocket]

Helly joymunkey! My oven runs pretty hot, but i put them in for about 12 mins and that seemed to do them just prefect :) I checked them after about 10 and they needed a scooch longer.  i used regular sized muffin tins and put paper liners in them.  i made a second batch later on that were teeny sized (had little'uns to feed and they like em small) and i did them for about 6 mins and the were good :) Give it a try hope they work out for you!

[ShopCookMake]

I was weirded out by the vinegar also, but I guess the baking soda and vinegar substitute the egg. It's supposed to foam, sorry for not mentioning that before.

[joymunkey]

 First of all, thanx for sharing this amazing recipe! i want to try this right away, I'm just wondering how much does this recipe yield? I noticed you didn't mentioned anything about what sort of pan to use when making this cake. Thank you!

[BillyHalf]

This is GREAT, having been a vegan previously i still get the craving for vegan foods all the time (though now i work as a chef which makes being vegan/veggi nearly impossible) but i love seeing alternatives for people to try, if not love, just to try to see that if they choose to remove animal products from their life they can. and its not that hard. and most of the time, its delicious. thanks

[ShopCookMake]

It's not hard at all to Vegan these days with the million options of really yummy food that's available. I guess being a chef is hard though. I hope you can go back to being Vegan one day!

[watchingcrow]

 vegi since 1965 living in San Francisco and still I am shocked at how few choices you have at some restaurants.
I still use dairy and egg but try to buy local and eco friendly. Some farms treat the land and animals with respect. I want to encourage that. When I go out I sometimes just close my eyes and pretend I don't know better. I realize that is weak, but guys just gotta get by somehow.
I just found you and will be back because Clare want Vegan when we can.

[watchingcrow]

 OH, also, my 17 year old is trying to be Vegan and she requested a vegan lemon cake for her birthday, I took the day off tomorrow just to make it for her.
She is worth it.
Cherokee Clare is the best.

[lieslieslies]

I made this last night and it is absolutely freaking delicious!!! Thank you for posting this recipe. 

[MuffinLuver]

I, unfortunately, am not a vegan (I'm a little too young. Growing bones and what-not), but I love to bake anything and everything vegan! This cake looks delicious and I can't wait to try it! Although, as you can probably tell from my name, I would love to try this in cupcake form. I find it easier if the icing is stiff so I was just wondering if I leave this icing out long enough (or stick it in the fridge, if that's possible) will it become thick enough to ice a cupcake with a knife instead of pouring it on? Thank-you!

[Lizzio]

Can't wait to make this. I had cupcakes that were similar at a vegan restaurant recently and have been dying to replicate the experience! Thanks for the recipe :)

[SydneyJohnston]

I tried this with whole wheat flour and lime (no lemon) and it is great! FYI: you don't need eggs for baking. You can buy egg substitutes (I like Bob's Red Mill) and it lasts forever. Another possibility is 1/2 teaspoon baking powder plus 1 tablespoon vinegar plus 1 tablespoon liquid (for baking use only). As for eggs, Dr. Robert Young says every egg has about 1800 different parasites, bacteria, etc. Is he right? I don't know but since I'm vegan I don't eat them anyway. I am vegan partly because to protest our treatment of animals and partly for my health. All animal products are very acidic and I had a long list of symptoms that vanished when I started becoming more alkaline.

[ShopCookMake]

Thanks for the info!

[scoochmaroo]

To keep this recipe vegan, the kind of sugar you use is important.

Refined sugars do not contain any animal products, and so by an ingredients-based definition of vegan, refined sugar is vegan.

However, some refined sugar is processed with animal bone char. The charcoal is used to remove color, impurities, and minerals from sugar. The charcoal is not 'in' the sugar, but is used in the process as as a filter.

Thus by a process-based definition of vegan, refined sugar may not be considered vegan.

I figure since there are so many alternatives available these days, there's really no reason to take the risk when cooking vegan foods.

[ShopCookMake]

The sugar issue is very important. I never mention that in the recipes because for non vegans is very confusing. Vegans are supposed to know what kind of sugar they should use. I make sure mine is completely vegan by doing some research. I use turbinado for baking but sometimes I like regular white sugar.

[heathbot2000]

I've tried making this twice and both times, after baking at 350 for 25 minutes, the cake has risen plenty but remains a sad, soupy mass. I'm pretty new to vegan baking so, mea culpa, I could just be screwing up something so fundamental that you don't even mention it in your instructions. Any ideas on what's going wrong? Should I just bake it much longer?

[ShopCookMake]

I'm sorry this recipe is giving you so much trouble. Are you using the same kind of baking dish? I used a loaf pan, the kind you use to make bread. I cooked the cake in a small counter top oven. Maybe that's making a difference. Try baking it longer. Bake it normally for 25 minutes until the top is golden, then cover loosely with a piece of aluminum paper and check every 10 minutes. Just place the aluminum paper on top, don't put it tightly. Hope that works.

[Brother_D]

I'm confused, is there a difference between vegetarian and vegan?

[ShopCookMake]

Yes, there is. A Vegan is someone that doesn't eat meat or animal products like: milk, eggs, cheese, butter or honey. Absolutely no animal products.

[Brother_D]

I don't understand why not. Eggs make sense, but dairy products and honey don't make sense to me. Maybe you could explain the reasoning behind this. And do vegetarians eat things like that? Is it a health thing or a belief thing or an animal rights activist thing?

[ShopCookMake]

There are a million reasons to become a Vegan. For me it's health reasons. I do care about the animals, because what goes in them goes into my body. I don't want to bring disease, growth hormones, abuse, slavery or suffering into my life. That's why I avoid animal products.

[Brother_D]

Oh, I see. Thanks for clearing that up.

[NailedtotheV]

As a vegan, I'd just like to say that dairy and eggs are often times gotten about in inhumane ways. Moreover, I would argue that humans using living, breathing, feeling things as factories is immoral and inhumane in and of itself. I don't mean to start argument, just to give you a very common belief.

[Brother_D]

Well, also not meaning to start an argument, I don't think the cows mind being pumped or the chickens mind having their eggs harvested. But, then again, we have no way of knowing for sure. It seems to me as if the animals' goods are harvested in a very humane way.

[lemonie]

Out of interest, do you not use prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals also? (not yet met anyone that does, vegan or otherwise) L