This Vegan Lemon Naked Cake is a simple spring layer cake that is perfect for any celebration! Light and fluffy, this easy dairy free lemon cake is perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day.
If you’re looking for more spring cakes, check out my Strawberry Shortcake, Vegan Strawberry Carrot Cake, or my Eggless Coconut Sheet Cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This simple spring layer cake is an easy dairy free lemon cake! This light and zesty cake is perfect for any spring celebration, such as Easter or Mother’s Day. This Vegan Lemon Naked Cake is moist, fluffy, and bursting with zesty lemon flavor.
This is a lemon cake along with lemon frosting for the ultimate lemon cake experience. I frost this cake naked style because it makes it so incredibly simple to make, yet it’s stunning! This simple spring layer cake would make an amazing addition to your Easter table!
How to Make a Vegan Lemon Naked Cake
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three cake pans with parchment paper.
Step 2
Make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cane sugar, canola oil, coconut milk, lemon flavor, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar and mix together.
In a separate bowl, add the cornstarch and water and mix together. Add the cornstarch mixture to the sugar mixture and mix to combine.
Add the pastry flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, sea salt, and lemon zest and mix to combine into a smooth batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pans evenly, weighing about 368 grams each.
Step 3
Bake the cake: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pans.
Step 4
Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the shortening, powdered sugar, lemon flavor, and coconut milk. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high and mix for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. If your frosting seems stiff, you can add a bit more coconut milk to your liking.
Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #864.
Step 5
Frost the cake: On a cake stand or plate, place the first cake layer. Pipe frosting around the edge of the cake and spiral into the middle. Place the second cake layer and repeat this process.
Ingredients for Vegan Leon Naked Cake
Costco Kirkland Organic Cane Sugar
La Touranglle Organic Canola Oil
Real Coco Organic Coconut Milk
Frontier Co-Op Organic Lemon Flavor
Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
Frontier Co-Op Organic Cornstarch
Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour
Organic Lemon
Spectrum Organic Vegetable Shortening
Wholesome Organic Powdered Sugar
FAQ’s
What if I don’t have pastry flour?
You can use cake flour in place of pastry flour, and I have a very simple recipe for Homemade Cake Flour, should you run out of that too!
Why is both pastry flour and all purpose flour used?
Cake is all about texture. And flour is all about protein content, which translates to the texture of your finished baked goods. Most cakes will call for cake flour or pastry flour, as it’s a light flour with a delicate crumb, making it perfect for cake. However, when you remove eggs from a cake, it can be difficult for the cake to stick together. So, I add a little of all purpose flour along with the pastry flour here to create more structure for this cake.
Can I use another kind of vegan butter for the frosting?
Yes, if you want to use the Miyoko’s Vegan Butter sticks you can do that as well! These are my two favorite options for vegan butter.
Can I use another kind of tip for the frosting?
Yes, absolutely! You can use any kind of decorative tip you prefer. Or, if you don’t want to use a tip you can just spread frosting on top of each layer and go for a more rustic naked cake as well.
How should I store this simple spring layer cake?
This cake is moist and fluffy, and because it is frosted naked (meaning no frosting on the sides) it can dry out if it’s not in a cake dome! A cake dome is key for naked cakes as it keeps them moist. If you don’t have a cake dome, then cut the slices and store in Tupperware or wrap in plastic wrap to keep them fresh.
Why Organic
Why use organic ingredients in this recipe? You all know I’m a huge organic advocate, and I bet you may be thinking sometimes, Why would I even bother to use organic ingredients in something that is so sweet and indulgent? But, that is the exact reason why you should use organic ingredients! Sweet things need to have flavor in order to be good, otherwise they are just sweet and they don’t taste like much else. Organic ingredients are more pure than conventional ones, therefore they actually have more flavor than the non organic options. Say it with me, organic means more flavor! And not just more flavor but a more true and pure flavor. And organic ingredients are much healthier for you to eat in general as they do not contain GMOs or anything artificial. Plus, you are being environmentally friendly when you choose organic ingredients!
So, I highly recommend that you buy the best organic ingredients for this recipe! You can also shop my Amazon Storefront for all my favorite organic ingredients here. Tip – hover over each ingredient to see the name. And if you want to learn more about organic foods and the difference, read my post here on Food Labels and What They Mean.
Ingredients
- Batter
340 grams (1 1/2 cups) organic cane sugar
3/4 cup organic canola oil
1/2 cup organic coconut milk
1 teaspoon organic lemon flavor
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons organic apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons organic cornstarch
6 tablespoons water
212 grams (1 1/2 cups) organic pastry flour
191 grams (1 1/2 cups) organic all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Zest of 1 lemon
- Frosting
226 grams (1 cup) organic all vegetable shortening
454 grams (3 cups plus 3 tablespoons) organic powdered sugar, sifted
1 to 2 tablespoons organic coconut milk
2 teaspoons organic lemon flavor
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three cake pans with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cane sugar, canola oil, coconut milk, lemon flavor, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar and mix together.
- In a separate bowl, add the cornstarch and water and mix together. Add the cornstarch mixture to the sugar mixture and mix to combine.
- Add the pastry flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, sea salt, and lemon zest and mix to combine into a smooth batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pans evenly, weighing about 368 grams each.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pans.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the shortening, powdered sugar, lemon flavor, and coconut milk. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high and mix for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. If your frosting seems stiff, you can add a bit more coconut milk to your liking.
- Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #864.
- On a cake stand or plate, place the first cake layer. Pipe frosting around the edge of the cake and spiral into the middle. Place the second cake layer and repeat this process.
- Store in a cake dome for up to 3 days.
Notes
- High Altitude – Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag @mimibakescookies and @mimibakesphotos on Instagram!
Did you like this post?
Make sure to check out my Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Cookies recipe, which I’m sure you’ll love too! And, share it with someone who you think may also like it!
