Deliciously refreshing and light yet decadent vegan lemon blueberry cake that’s topped with an easy vegan blueberry buttercream frosting! The perfect gluten free vegan cake recipe!
So the secret that I’ve been keeping from everyone since January of this year…is that I wrote a cookbook!
Ah I keep pinching myself! Like is this real life?! Back in September of 2019, the wonderful and talented publishers of Victory Belt Publishing contacted me asking if I’d be interested in writing a healthy baking cookbook and I actually thought they had made a mistake!
Me?!
Of course, I quickly found out they were not joking and I was indeed being offered one of the biggest dreams I’ve had since starting my blog (literally at that point, only 9 months into blogging- this goes to show you that truly anything is possible when you believe).
So for the past few months, I’ve been working with my incredibly talented team at Victory Belt to put together the best vegan baking cookbook you’ve ever seen.
Testing and retesting all of the recipes, shooting every single photo in that book (yes, including the ones of myself!), it still all feels surreal, but at the same time I’m just so filled with gratitude.
It’s jam-packed with healthier allergen-friendly vegan treats, including this vegan lemon blueberry cake, which just might be my all time favorite recipe in the entire book!
So we decided, let’s give you a little preview of what’s going to be in the book š And if you’re interested in preordering Baked With Love, you can head on over to the amazon page here!
How to make a vegan cake moist
One of the tricks that you’ll learn in this cookbook is how to make a vegan cake recipe incredibly moist and tender.
There are a few tricks here, but the first tip I want to mention is the importance of using cake flour over all purpose flour. Of course, if you’re gluten free, you can use 1:1 gluten free baking flour, but just be sure to sift it twice; this ensures that it resembles cake flour!
The second tip to getting that incredibly moist and tender texture that you see in more traditional cakes is by using applesauce in your vegan cake recipes!
Applesauce locks in a ton of moisture while also giving the cake structure, much like how one uses eggs in a regular cake recipe. However, this is a vegan and gluten free cake, so we want to keep it that way š
Ingredients for a vegan blueberry cake:
As mentioned above, you’ll need cake flour and applesauce for this vegan lemon blueberry cake, but you’ll also need:
- coconut sugar
- dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar (used to create a buttermilk texture)
- coconut oil
- blueberries & lemons
- vanilla extract
- leavening agents
- vegan buttercream frosting
The ingredients for this cake recipe are actually quite simple and straight forward! Nothing out of the ordinary here, just amazingly simple plant based ingredients š
How to make a vegan lemon blueberry cake
I absolutely adore the process of making cakes (and I would hope so, since there’s at least 12 cake recipes in Baked With Love!).
For this lemon blueberry cake, you’ll start by whisking together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add in the wet ingredients and combine the batter until it’s consistent and there are no clumps of dry ingredients left.
Fold in the blueberries and distribute the cake batter into cake pans to bake.
Once the cakes have been baked, allow them to cool completely before frosting. This note is crucial because we do not want your vegan cakes slipping and sliding everywhere after being frosted!
Homemade vegan blueberry frosting
This might sound silly to some, but truly, the frosting is where it’s at. I mean, I could eat the cake part alone (which speaks to how good this cake is, because I’m not one to eat cake without frosting), but this vegan blueberry frosting is spoonable.
To make this frosting, you’ll need a batch of my strawberry jam, but use blueberries instead. Next, you’ll also need a batch of my easy vegan buttercream frosting (which I also use in my irresistible vegan vanilla cake).
Basically, you’ll just make the vegan vanilla frosting, then add in the blueberry jam (once it’s cool!), then frost your vegan lemon blueberry cake!
The color is just absolutely magnificent. It’s full of beautiful and radiant plant based purples and pinks- of course, all colored naturally from the blueberries!
I truly hope you love this vegan cake recipe and thank you so much for being such a big supporter of the Banana Diaries! I am over the moon to share Baked With Love with everyone!
Just a quick note, whenever you pre–order a physical item displaying the āPre–order Price Guaranteeā message on the product detail page, the price we charge when we ship it to you will be the lowest price offered by Amazon.com between the time you placed your order and the end of the day of the release date.
I cannot wait to hear what you think of the book and this recipe! If you make this vegan lemon blueberry cake, let me know down below in the comments section.
As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
And remember to always bake with love š Happy baking!
More Healthy Vegan Cake Recipes:
Ultra Rich Paleo Vegan Chocolate Cake
Flourless Paleo Vegan Chocolate Cake
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make something from The Banana Diaries, I would love to see your creations! Make sure to leave a review inĀ comments section, as well asĀ giving it a ratingĀ so that others may find the recipe. Also, follow along with me onĀ Instagram,Ā Pinterest,Ā YouTube, and FacebookĀ for more vegan recipe inspiration!
PrintVegan Lemon Blueberry Cake
Deliciously refreshing and light yet decadent vegan lemon blueberry cake that’s topped with an easy vegan blueberry buttercream frosting! The perfect gluten free vegan cake recipe!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Lemon blueberry cake:
- 3ā cups cake flour or sifted gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour
- 1Ā½ cups coconut sugar or granulated sugar (see Note)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1Ā½ cups dairy-free milk, room temperature
- Ā½ cup coconut oil, melted
- Ā½ cup unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Ā½ cup fresh blueberries
Blueberry frosting:
- 1 batch Vegan Buttercream Frosting
- Ā½ cup berry jam, made from blueberries
For garnish:
- Fresh blueberries
- Thinly sliced lemon wedges
Instructions
To make the cake:
-
Preheat the oven to 350Ā°F and line two 8-inch nonstick cake pans with parchment paper. (If you donāt have nonstick cake pans, grease the pans with cooking spray or coconut oil, then use about 1 tablespoon of extra flour per pan to lightly flour them.)
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.Ā
-
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the dairy-free milk, coconut oil, applesauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
-
Fold the wet mixture into the dry until combined, making sure there are no clumps of the dry mixture left.
-
Fold in the blueberries.
-
Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and place them in the oven to bake for 33 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. The cakes should be completely set and bounce back at a light touch.
-
Remove the cakes from the oven and carefully invert them onto a cooling rack, then turn them right side up. Let the cakes cool completely; this should take about 30 minutes.Ā
To make the frosting:
-
Use a hand mixer to mix the buttercream with the blueberry jam until well combined.
-
When ready to frost, place one cake on a cake plate or stand. Evenly spread about ā cup of the blueberry frosting on the top of the first layer. Place the second cake on top and frost the top with about Ā½ cup of the blueberry frosting. Use the remaining frosting to generously frost the edges and sides of the cake (you may have some frosting leftover). Garnish with fresh blueberries and lemon wedges.
-
Slice and serve. Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to a month; store any leftover frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
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To prepare this cake a day ahead, complete Steps 1 through 7. Then place the cooled cakes on separate plates, cover them with plastic wrap, and store at room temperature until youāre ready to frost the next day.
Notes
Coconut sugar makes cake slightly darker than when made with regular granulated sugar, but still delicious!
Ā
To make this nut-free, use a nut-free dairy-free milk (coconut milk or oat milk are good choices) and follow the nut-free options for the Vegan Buttercream Frosting. (Note: If buying oat milk, and you require it to be gluten-free, be sure to buy a brand certified gluten free.)
Ā
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Britt, this is fantastic! My copy has been pre-ordered ā¤ļø! Can not wait to receive it.
★★★★★
Aw my goodness!! Norma! Thank you so so much!! This means the absolute world to me!!
Hi!
This looks so good I’m going to make it as a birthday cake. I am wondering – if I wanted to use egg instead of applesauce, would it just be one egg in place of the applesauce? Do you think it would still turn out ok? I never bake sorry if this is a dumb question š
Aw thank you so much!! I’m so happy to hear it! NOT a dumb question so don’t worry! I have not tested this with eggs, but typically, it’s 1 egg for every 1/4 cup of applesauce, so I would use 2!
Hi! I have a question about size of cake pan.
Which size do you use?
Since I am small family, I am going to make to use just 12cm(4.7 inches) across size of cake pan.
Thanks!
Hi there! I typically bake this in either a 6″ or an 8″ cake pan- you can also use a 9″ cake pan! I haven’t tried it with anything smaller, but I might then halve the recipe since you’ll have a lot of leftover batter! And keep an eye on the cake, because it will bake faster in a smaller pan š
I haven’t tried this yet but just wondering if two flax eggs would be a suitable substitute for the applesauce?
Hi Christina! So I would recommend sticking with the applesauce here, only because I think it yields the best result. 2 flax eggs would work and you’ll still get a beautiful cake, but for the best moist blueberry cake, use applesauce if you can!
I was feeling extra motivated and made this cake alongside a non-vegan one (butter, etc.) Through blind taste test, this recipe was preferred over the butter-filled one! This is an incredible recipe! So glad I found it.
★★★★★
Oh my goodness!! What a review! Truly thank you so much!!! I do love the vegan butter one as well š
The cake looks perfect and fabulous to bake for a special day. Yes, its definitely the best blueberry cake. Lovely!!
★★★★★
Aw thank you so much!! I so appreciate it!
Can you do this recipe as cupcakes? And how many do you think it will yield?
Hi Jess! Yes you can definitely make this as cupcakes! It will probably yield between 20-24 cupcakes.
Hi, I was just wondering is plain flour could be used instead of cake flour for this recipe? Looks amazing, Iām planning on making it for my birthday cake š
Hi Rose! Aw that’s wonderful!! Yes, you can use all purpose flour instead of cake flour! Just be sure to add in 1 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch for the texture! You can whisk that into the flour. And happy early birthday!