Simple.
Moist.
LEMONY.
This vegan lemon loaf recipe or vegan lemon cake recipe is bursting with lemon taste, whereas nonetheless sustaining a young crumb and comfortable texture. It’s a scrumptious dessert after a great meal, a wonderful breakfast companion to your espresso, or the right strategy to punctuate particular events. And although I haven’t had the Starbuck’s model in years, I can inform you from reminiscence that this straightforward vegan lemon loaf cake is SO MUCH BETTER than theirs. TRUST ME!! Just like the Lemon Pepper Pasta recipe, I developed this utilizing the beautiful, massive lemons my neighbor gifted me from her yard. And let me say, they did NOT disappoint!
Let’s get into it!
Disclaimer: A few of the hyperlinks on this put up could also be affiliate hyperlinks for merchandise I take advantage of and love. When you make a purchase order after clicking a type of hyperlinks, I could earn a small affiliate fee, maybe sufficient to purchase some further gochujang or gochugaru 🙂
The place Did Lemon Loaf Come from?
As you might need guessed, lemon loaf is a descendent of the ever-present “pound cake,” which might be why lemon loaf is typically known as lemon pound cake. So, this vegan lemon pound cake borrows closely from the idea of normal outdated pound cake, which, should you’re a vegan baker, you already know is a problem with out eggs! Pound desserts (and thus lemon desserts) had been fashionable in 18th century Europe, notably as a candy addition to tea time. When contemporary lemons turned extra accessible, the usual pound cake took on the citrus twist.
As of late, made fashionable by Starbucks, the lemon loaf is usually coated with a candy lemon icing and sliced into thick, simply transportable items–making it the right cake to associate with your espresso! The principle elements of a standard lemon loaf (i.e., non-vegan lemon loaf) embody flour, fats (normally butter), sugar, eggs, and a few sort of liquid. And for the lemon taste, each lemon zest and lemon juice come into play. Some lemon loaves are additionally soaked in a lemon syrup, however for this vegan lemon cake recipe, I’m utilizing a lemon icing to offer it that brilliant, tart end.
KEY INGREDIENTS AND NOTES ON SUBSTITUTIONs For This Lemon Loaf Recipe.
The next are the key substances for this vegan lemon loaf recipe:
Lemons.
YUP, you’re going to want lemons for this vegan lemon loaf recipe! Imagine it or not, if I don’t say this type of factor up entrance, somebody will indubitably ask me, “I’m allergic to lemons can I substitute?” to which I must say, “Why sure, there’s a substitution for the entire recipe, it’s referred to as my banana bread recipe??” 🤣
Anyhoot, what sort of lemons? As we mentioned with the lemon pepper pasta recipe, Meyer lemons can be nice. They are usually sweeter and fewer acidic than the common lemon, thus making them excellent for this nice recipe. They’re additionally prettier (💅) than common lemons (in my view) as a result of their rinds are darker yellow. However, should you solely have common lemons, these will do superb. I made this recipe utilizing each common lemons and Meyer lemons, they usually each turned out nice!
Additional Virgin Olive Oil.
Pound cake normally incorporates butter, however for this vegan lemon loaf recipe, I actually wished to let the lemon taste shine. Butter could be a bit overpowering and I believed that further virgin olive oil would do a a lot better job of conserving the lemon loaf moist, whereas complementing the prevailing taste profile. I believed instantly of the tender olive oil cake and nixed the vegan butter for olive oil. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to substitute with melted butter should you’d desire that buttery taste. You can even substitute with any impartial oil you may have readily available.
Dairy Free Yogurt (Ideally Hello-Protein).
When you’ve made any of my more moderen desserts, you then’ll already know that my most well-liked egg substitute is dairy free yogurt, ideally with a excessive protein rely. This not solely helps with binding the lemon cake batter, it’s going to additionally present a lot wanted construction within the cake, yielding a young crumb (and never a dense loaf). Whereas you need to use an everyday vegan yogurt for this vegan lemon loaf recipe, a high-protein one gives you the very best outcomes. I actually like Silk’s line of high-protein Greek type yogurt.
Thyme.
Yup, thyme, you learn that proper. I do know, a inexperienced herb might be not what you had been anticipating on this vegan lemon loaf recipe. However I actually suppose thyme provides one thing to this recipe within the very BEST manner. It doesn’t add a ton of taste (we don’t use quite a bit), but it surely marries with the lemon on this vegan lemon loaf to offer it what I name “that somethin’ somethin’” (kinda just like the coriander in my blueberry muffins). I’m not taking credit score for it–many individuals earlier than me have added thyme to their lemon loaf. Mine simply occurs to be vegan!
Dairy Free Milk.
I initially tried to make this vegan lemon loaf recipe with none liquid, relying completely on the vegan yogurt and lemon juice. Nevertheless it actually sank. So, I added a plant milk to the recipe and it turned out completely–fluffy, mild, and nonetheless filled with taste. I used oat milk (I at all times go together with Chobani’s Additional Creamy Oatmilk), although soy milk would even be nice given its increased protein content material. However in case you have neither of those, any non-dairy milk ought to do.
All Goal Flour.
This vegan lemon loaf recipe requires all function flour. Are you able to make it gluten-free? I haven’t examined it with gluten-free flour, however it’s best to be capable to substitute in your favourite gluten-free flour mix, one-for-one. The crumb, nevertheless, could also be dense and/or a bit fragile, since there aren’t any eggs to assist preserve all of it collectively.
Natural Cane Sugar and Icing Sugar.
This vegan lemon loaf recipe incorporates each natural cane sugar or white sugar, in addition to icing sugar or powdered sugar. I’ve not examined the recipe with sugar substitutes, and given the methodology, it could be fairly troublesome. You may be capable to use caster sugar for the icing, however the cake, itself, requires the coarseness of cane sugar.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda.
With out eggs, this vegan lemon loaf depends on each baking powder and baking soda to supply the “elevate.” Be certain that yours are contemporary and able to go!
Step-by-Step Directions For Making This Vegan Lemon loaf recipe.
Step 1: Launch the Oils!
Preheat your oven to 350° F and put together your loaf pan by greasing it with oil or vegan butter and lining it with parchment paper. To a big bowl, add your sugar, lemon zest, and thyme. Utilizing your fingers, therapeutic massage the thyme and zest into the sugar. The sugar crystals will “reduce” your zest and thyme, releasing their oils. It will assist maximize taste.
Step 2: Add Moist Components.
Subsequent, add olive oil, vegan yogurt, contemporary lemon juice, vanilla extract, and non-dairy milk to the bowl with the sugar. Whisk the contents for a great 2 to three minutes, till they don’t seem to be simply well-combined, however clean.
Step 3: Mix Dry Components.
To a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk collectively to take away any lumps. Then, add to the bowl of moist substances. Combine collectively till simply mixed (guard towards over-mixing). Then, pour the batter into your ready pan and bake for about 48 to 55 minutes, till the highest is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clear.
Step 4: Make the Lemon Icing.
Permit the lemon loaf to chill contained in the baking tin for about 10 minutes. Then take away it and place it on a wire rack or plate to chill utterly for about 20 minutes. Whereas the vegan lemon loaf is cooling, make the lemon icing by whisking collectively the icing sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle excessive of the cooled vegan lemon loaf. Sprinkle with slightly lemon zest and thyme. Get pleasure from!
Regularly Requested Questions.
Can I make this vegan lemon loaf recipe gluten-free?
I’ve not examined this vegan lemon loaf recipe with a gluten-free flour mix; nevertheless, it’s best to be capable to substitute all function flour one-for-one with one thing like King Arthur’s All Goal Gluten-Free Flour. You could not obtain the identical texture, however it’s going to nonetheless be bursting with lemony taste.
What do I do with leftovers?
Leftovers may be positioned in an hermetic container and saved within the fridge for as much as every week.
Recipe Card.
Vegan Lemon Loaf
This vegan lemon loaf recipe is moist, straightforward to make, and bursting with lemon taste–with no lemon extract crucial! Only one lemon! It is the right strategy to finish a meal or begin your day (together with your favourite breakfast beverage), or have fun an important day (Valentine’s Day anybody?). It comes along with substances you may seemingly have already got in your pantry right now, so let’s get to baking!
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Preheat your oven to 350° F and put together your loaf pan by greasing it with oil or vegan butter and lining it with parchment paper. To a big bowl, add your sugar, lemon zest, and thyme. Utilizing your fingers, therapeutic massage the thyme and zest into the sugar. The sugar crystals will “reduce” your zest and thyme, releasing their oils. It will assist maximize taste.
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Subsequent, add olive oil, vegan yogurt, contemporary lemon juice, vanilla extract, and non-dairy milk to the bowl with the sugar. Whisk the contents for a great 2 to three minutes, till they don’t seem to be simply well-combined, however clean.
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To a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk collectively to take away any lumps. Then, add to the bowl of moist substances. Combine collectively till simply mixed (guard towards over-mixing). Then, pour the batter into your ready pan and bake for about 48 to 55 minutes, till the highest is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clear.
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Permit the lemon loaf to chill contained in the baking tin for about 10 minutes. Then take away it and place it on a cooling rack or plate to chill utterly for about 20 minutes. Whereas the vegan lemon loaf is cooling, make the lemon icing by whisking collectively the icing sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle excessive of the cooled vegan lemon loaf. Sprinkle with leftover lemon zest and thyme. Get pleasure from!
Energy: 277kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 4gFats: 10gSaturated Fats: 2gPolyunsaturated Fats: 1gMonounsaturated Fats: 7gSodium: 155mgPotassium: 46mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 9IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 2mg
Notice: Dietary info is offered in your comfort. It ought to solely be thought of an estimate that may differ enormously relying on a mess of things (e.g. additions, subtractions, quantity and kind of oil used, and many others.)
