Moist, bursting with lemon flavor, topped with a sweet-tangy glaze and crunchy toasted almonds – this cake is pure perfection!
The Inspiration 🍋
This recipe was inspired by Chef Joel, whose YouTube channel sends me 30 amazing recipes every month. I love the concept – a single email packed with inspiration, like a little digital cookbook full of creative ideas to try.
When I saw this lemon cake, I knew immediately I had to make it! A soft, fluffy loaf cake with yogurt and olive oil, topped with a luscious lemon-sugar glaze and toasted almonds.
The Easiest Cake Ever!
🥄 Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl.
🥛 Mix all the wet ingredients in another.
🥣 Combine, pour into a pan – and bake!
💡 How I Veganized It:
✔ Replaced regular yogurt with plant-based yogurt.
✔ Swapped eggs for almond butter.
✔ Adjusted ingredient ratios for the perfect texture.
The Result? A Dreamy Lemon Cake!
🍋 Moist and ultra-lemony.
🍯 Perfectly soft, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
🍰 A zesty glaze that takes it to the next level.
💡 Pro Tip:
Let the cake cool completely before glazing – this ensures the perfect soak and texture!
✨ Go make it & enjoy every bite! 🍋😋❣
RECIPE
Vegan Lemon Cake With Yogurt and Olive Olive
Dry Ingredients
- 1¼ cups white spelt flour, or all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan plain yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon almond butter or tahini
- ½ cup sugar
- zest from half a lemon
- juice from one lemon about 3-4 Tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Topping
- 3-4 Tablespoon Toasted blanched sliced almonds
- ½ cup powdered sugar* see note
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice* see note
- ¼ teaspoon lemon or lime extract optional
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius - 356 Fahrenheit
- Grease the pan, sprinkle with flour, and shake off excess. Next, cut a strip of baking paper that will fit the bottom of the pan (put the pan on a baking sheet, and draw a line around the pan to mark it).
- Sift the flour into a wide bowl, add baking powder and salt and mix with a whisk. Set aside.
- Put the wet ingredients in a separate bowl: yogurt, almond butter, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla; mix well; add olive oil and mix well.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix until combined without lumps. Avoid over-mixing.
- Pour gently into the mold and level with a spatula.
- Transfer to the center of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Put baking paper on the work surface. Place a wire rack over the baking paper. Remove the cake from the oven and put it on the rack to cool completely.
- When the cake has completely cooled, turn it over on the wire rack. Remove the mold and the baking paper. Turn the cake over again - face up.
Topping
- Toast the sliced almonds in a pan until golden, set aside.
- Mix powdered sugar, lemon juice* (see note), and lemon extract in a small bowl until you get a smooth mixture. Pour it on the cooled cake and spread it with a spatula. Allow the mixture to drip down the sides; it's part of the chic 🙂 Using a spoon, collect the glaze accumulated on the paper and drip it onto the cake.
- While the glaze is still liquid, generously sprinkle the toasted almonds. Allow the glaze to harden before serving.
- To get a snow-white glaze, use powdered sugar without vanilla beans. If you make powdered sugar at home according to the recipe in the blog - omit the vanilla in the recipe.
- Please note: the less lemon juice you add to the powdered sugar, the whiter and harder the glaze will be, so it's better to add the lemon juice gradually.
- Olive oil makes the cake taste delicious without any trace of olive oil flavor. It also keeps the cake fresh and moist for a longer time.
- Based on a recipe by Chef Joel. 🙂
Sheila says
Delicious cake with a beautiful soft yet satisfyingly dense texture. It sliced really well too.
Sara Dagan says
Thank you, Sheila
Glad you liked the recipe :),
Ana says
Hi. Do you reckon a gluten free mix with some xanthan gum will work?
Many thanks 🙏🙂
Sara Dagan says
Hi Ana,
I believe it will work. However, I am not sure about the amount of liquids, maybe you will have to increase the quantity.
Ana says
Many thanks Sara for you fast response. Do kind of you.
Will try to do this one.
And I'll post here the result. 🙂
Sara Dagan says
Thank you, Ana 🙂 I would love to hear how it turned out 🙏❣🌻