Vegan Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Syrup and Strawberry Lemon Glaze
This ultra lemon-y loaf cake is a delicious way to welcome in the warm spring weather! Bursting with tangy lemon flavors every step of the way, it’s also made with monounsaturated fat-rich olive oil, vegan, and it’s simple to make!
One of the first signs of spring is that on bright and sunny days, my brain starts pivoting away from thinking about chocolate at virtually all hours of the day and starts daydreaming of brighter, citrus-y flavors. And the first spring-y, citrus-y flavor that immediately comes to mind? The humble lemon. 🍋 It’s a classic flavor in baked goods for a reason: it’s vibrant, delicious, tangy, and usually also a crowd pleaser!
This year, I wanted to create a lemon cake that’s super accessible to make. Think: simple ingredients, easy technique, no special assembly required, etc. And what’s a more accessible type of cake than a loaf cake? There’s no layers or fancy assembly involved, and chances are that if you’ve ever baked banana bread (like, who hasn’t?), you already have a loaf pan sitting around! After settling on the shape, I decided to dress it up a bit with a lemon soaking syrup and a tangy strawberry glaze. The end result is this extra tangy, ultra lemon-y cake. While it’s tasty with the glaze, it’s also great just as a simple cake on its own or dressed up just with the lemon soaking syrup (leaving off the glaze)l! Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure cake. 😉
Why You’ll Love this Loaf Cake
The texture. The best way to describe the texture of this cake is “fluffy pound cake.” The cake isn’t super dense, like in a traditional pound cake, but it’s not ultra light and fluffy, either (for treats in that style, check out my carrot cake or pumpkin bread recipes!). It falls somewhere between the spectrum of these two textures - hence the fluffy pound cake descriptor - which works beautifully in a simple loaf cake, like this one. Trust me - it’ll make sense once you take that first bite.
3 layers of lemon-y goodness! This cake is absolutely loaded with lemon. A healthy amount of both lemon juice and zest infuse the cake with its bright, namesake lemon-y flavor. And while the loaf cake is delicious enough to enjoy on its own, topping it with a lemon simple syrup further infuses even more lemon-y goodness into it, while also adding extra sweetness and transforming the top into a moist (even slightly gooey) ultra lemon-y layer. 🤤 Those lemon syrup-soaked bits are the best part of this cake, IMO!
Finally, there’s a third top layer of lemon strawberry glaze, which adds a hint of strawberries (because strawberry + lemon = 🔥), makes the cake extra tangy and really takes the lemon flavor over the top. Although it’s delicious, feel free to leave the glaze off for a less sugar-y and simpler lemon cake - it definitely doesn’t need the glaze!
Uses olive oil as its fat source. Lemon and olive oil are a match made in flavor heaven, both in savory dishes (think lemon olive oil-based dressings!) and sweet ones, as the rich, fruity notes of olive oil balance and complement the bright and citrus-y notes of lemon. Olive oil adds a layer of flavor depth and richness that other oils simply can’t match! And in terms of baking oils, it doesn’t get more nutritious than olive oil. Unlike other fat sources like coconut oil (which is loaded with bad-for-you saturated fats) or your typical neutral oil (like canola), olive oil contains more monounsaturated fats, which are linked with increasing the “good” cholesterol and lowering the “bad” cholesterol. And while this cake is obviously not a health food (it’s cake!), it’s quite nice that the olive oil helps to incorporate more of those unsaturated fats while also enhancing the cake’s delicious flavors.
Perfect for spring. Nothing says “it’s finally late spring and the sunshine is finally breathing some life back into me” quite like a lemon cake. 😂 Dreary winter jokes aside, this lemon cake is a wonderful way to greet the springtime weather. And because it’s so lemon-y, it’s a sure way to help eradicate any leftover winter vibes! 😈
Ingredient Overview
All-purpose flour. This cake uses all-purpose flour to create its tender texture and allow the bright lemon flavor to fully shine!
Baking soda, baking powder, and salt. The leaveners, plus salt for texture and flavor balance.
Aquafaba (i.e. the liquid in a can of chickpeas!). For structural fluffiness! When beaten, aquafaba acts similarly to eggs, helping to add structure and lift into baked goods. Aquafaba is especially important in this cake as it doesn’t have any other ingredients (such as applesauce, for example) to rely on for additional lift.
Olive oil. To add moisture, this cake uses olive oil as its fat source, which is quite rich, and as a result, beautifully complements the citrus-y lemon flavor! And as an added bonus, unlike most other oils, olive oil is loaded with anti-inflammatory monounsaturated fats, which are linked with lowering “bad” cholesterol, making olive oil the most “healthful” baking oil option there is.
Cane sugar. To sweeten this cake, we keep it simple by using plain cane sugar. Just be sure to opt for the organic variety to ensure your sugar is vegan! (Non-vegan varieties are typically processed with bone char.)
Lemon zest and juice. To infuse the cake with its namesake lemon flavor, this cake calls for a very generous amount of lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. Use fresh, high-quality lemons for the best results!
Vanilla extract. For added warmth to complement those citrus-y flavors!
Lemon simple syrup. To help make the cake extra lemon-y, we soak its top layer with a lemon syrup post-baking! Simply simmer together equal parts cane sugar and fresh lemon juice to make the syrup. Those lemon syrup-soaked cake bits are 100% the best part of the cake, IMO! 🔥
Strawberry lemon glaze (optional). For added sweetness and more of that ultra tart lemon-y flavor infused with notes of strawberry, you can top the cake with a strawberry lemon glaze. It only requires mixing together 3 simple ingredients: freeze-dried strawberries (food-processed first to break them down into a fine powder), powdered sugar, and lemon juice.
Tips for Baking this Cake
Use a scale to weigh the ingredients. For the best results, use the gram measurements where provided in the recipe as they are the most accurate measurements and will therefore yield the most consistent results.
Don’t have a food scale? Measure the flour using the “spoon and level” method. This will approximate the closest results and help avoid using too much flour (because too much flour = dry and dense cake!). To do this, “fluff” the flour to aerate it. Then, spoon the flour into a measuring cup until it overflows slightly, and use the back of a knife to “level” the excess flour off the top.
(PS - I highly recommend investing in a food scale - they’re cheap and incredibly useful for both baking and cooking!)
Don’t overmix. Overmixing can create a cake with tunneling (those annoying large air pockets!) or that’s tough-textured (not fluffy!), which we obviously want to avoid. So once you add in the dry ingredients, use a silicone spatula to mix them with the wet ingredients just until a batter forms - and stop there!
Bake the batter ASAP after mixing. Once the dry ingredients touch the wet ingredients, baking soda (a base) begins reacting immediately with lemon juice (an acid) to release carbon dioxide, creating little pockets that help the cake rise. This means you’ll want to work quickly to mix everything together and get that loaf into the oven to bake ASAP so you don’t lose any rising power!
Add the lemon syrup immediately post-baking. Doing so while the cake is still warm ensures that the lemon syrup will seep into the cake!
Let cool fully before eating. As with all my other recipes for cake, muffins, and quick breads, I highly recommend letting this loaf cake cool entirely before eating (approximately 2 hours). Not only does this allow its crumb to finish forming, it also really enhances its flavors (it seriously tastes about 10x better after it’s cooled!).
Glaze post-cooling. If using the strawberry glaze, make sure to add it on after your cake has finished cooling to allow it to set.
Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Syrup and Strawberry Lemon Glaze
Vegan
Yields 1 9”x5” loaf
Ingredients
For the lemon loaf cake:
240 grams / 2 cups (spooned & leveled) all-purpose flour*
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
⅓ cup aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)
⅓ cup olive oil
150 grams / ⅔ cup cane sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon zest (from about 3 medium to large lemons)
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
For the lemon soaking syrup:
¼ cup cane sugar
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the strawberry lemon glaze (optional):
13 grams / ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries
120 grams / 1 cup powdered sugar
2 ½-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions
For the lemon loaf cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 9x5 sized loaf pan with parchment paper, letting the excess paper hang over the sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to whip the aquafaba on medium speed for ~60 seconds until uniformly very foamy.
To the same bowl, add the olive oil and cane sugar and use the electric mixer to beat everything together until combined. Then, add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and continue using the electric mixer to mix until thoroughly combined.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and switch to a rubber spatula to fold everything together until just combined into a batter, being careful not to overmix. (I like to do this in two rounds, adding the second half of dry ingredients once the first is mostly incorporated.)
Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan and use the spatula to smooth out the top.
Bake until slightly golden or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes (check it ~5-10 minutes sooner if your oven tends to run hot).
Meanwhile, while the cake is baking, make the simple syrup (see directions below).
After removing the baked loaf cake from the oven, brush the simple syrup onto it, making sure to apply it generously onto the sides. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes inside the loaf pan. After 15 minutes, carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool fully, about 2 hours.
Once the cake has fully cooled, make the strawberry lemon glaze (see the directions below). Use a spatula to spread the glaze onto the cake. Slice and enjoy!
For the lemon soaking syrup:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low and simmer gently for about 60-90 seconds, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar has dissolved and a syrup has formed. Turn off the heat and set aside until ready to use.
For the strawberry lemon glaze:
To the small bowl of a food processor, add the freeze-dried strawberries and process until broken down into a fine powder (a few unpressed tiny chunks/seeds are ok). You may need to pause and scrape the food processor a couple of times to get everything processed.
Transfer the powdered strawberries to a small or medium bowl (be sure to scrape all the bits of strawberry into the bowl!). Add in the powdered sugar and the smaller amount of lemon juice and whisk together until a slightly drizzly glaze forms. Add in a bit more lemon juice, as needed, to make the glaze drizzly.
Notes:
*If you don’t have a food scale, measure the flour using the “spoon and level” method. To do this, “fluff” the flour to aerate it. Then, spoon the flour into a measuring cup until it overflows slightly, and use the back of a knife to “level” the excess flour off the top.
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