Moist & Fluffy One Bowl Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake (Gluten Free Option)
This moist and fluffy vegan lemon blueberry cake is bursting with fresh blueberries and zesty bright lemon flavor, and is so easy to make in just one bowl! With a vibrant, lush blueberry buttercream made with real blueberries, this blueberry lemon cake is a favorite layer cake!
If you’re a lover of blueberries and lemon, and cake of course, then you need to try this cake.
Even if you DON’T love fruity desserts, I can guarantee that you’ll love this unbelievably vegan cake.
This cake is beyond stellar, and even rivals my 5-star rated vegan vanilla cake.
So let me tell you about this gorgeous cake. We have a fluffy and deliciously moist cake that’s speckled with fresh blueberries and lemon juice and zest to create the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
The texture is light, and the crumb is so soft and lovely. Plus, the cake batter only needs one bowl and can be mixed all together with just a whisk!
Then we have a homemade BRIGHT vegan blueberry buttercream made with fresh blueberry jam (though you can absolutely use store bought jam! I will say, the color is magnificently pink with fresh blueberry jam. There are absolutely NO food colorings in this frosting!) and topped with even more sweet and juicy blueberries!
And if you love berry-flavored cakes: you need to check out my fresh strawberry cake, vegan almond raspberry cake, and easy blackberry lavender sheet cake!
This unbelievably vegan blueberry lemon cake is truly the best cake for beginners and seasoned bakers alike because the results are just incredible- no one will know just how easy this cake was to make, and with such an incredible taste, they’ll think it came from a bakery!
Oh, and did I mention that this cake can be made entirely gluten-free too? Yep, it’s truly a master piece.
And if you’re into vegan and allergy-friendly baking, then you definitely must check out my cookbook! 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!
This vegan cake recipe is in there, and is only a taste of what else is in those pages!
Learn how to bake *unbelievably* vegan desserts in 5 steps!
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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:
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. I love using King Arthur gluten-free measure for measure flour.
- Organic granulated sugar: I’ve also tested this recipe to be refined sugar free with coconut sugar and maple sugar. All three work!
- Dairy-free milk: When mixed with apple cider vinegar (ACV) or lemon juice, this creates the vegan buttermilk. I recommend using soy milk or almond milk, as those non-dairy milks will curdle best, but the results will still work with oat milk or cashew milk.
- Vegan butter: You can also use coconut oil here!
- Applesauce or dairy-free yogurt: Our vegan egg substitute here!
- Blueberries & lemons: Of course, we can’t have a vegan lemon blueberry cake without the two! However, this recipe will also work with other berries too, like blackberries or raspberries.
- Vanilla extract
- Leavening agents: This is your baking soda and baking powder.
- 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 🙂
Overview: 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. You can also use store bought blueberry jam, but again, the color will not be as bright!
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!
How to prevent blueberries from sinking in cake:
If you’re worried about your blueberries sinking in your cake, not a problem.
Simply toss them with 1 tablespoon of flour before folding into your cake batter!
You are just going to 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!
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 😉 Happy baking!
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🌟MADE THIS RECIPE & LOVED IT?🌟I’d love it if you’d like a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below! This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
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Moist & Fluffy One Bowl Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake (Gluten Free Option)
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This moist and fluffy vegan lemon blueberry cake is bursting with fresh blueberries and zesty bright lemon flavor, and is so easy to make in just one bowl! With a vibrant, lush blueberry buttercream made with real blueberries, this blueberry lemon cake is a favorite layer cake!
Ingredients
Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake:
- 3 2/3 cups (440 g) all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour*
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups (360 mL) dairy-free milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 g) unsweetened applesauce or dairy-free yogurt, room temperature
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 2 tsp lemon extract
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 batch vegan blueberry frosting
Instructions
To make the cake:
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two 8-inch nonstick cake pans with parchment paper. (If you don’t 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.)
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.
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In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the dairy-free milk, coconut oil, applesauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
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Fold the wet mixture into the dry until combined, making sure there are no clumps of the dry mixture left.
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Fold in the blueberries.
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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.
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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.
To make the frosting:
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Use a hand mixer to mix the buttercream with the blueberry jam until well combined. Cream the vegan butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, mixing in between. Spoon in the blueberry jam, along with the vanilla, and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is looking like it could start to split, add in another cup of powdered sugar.
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When ready to frost, place one cake on a cake plate or stand. Evenly spread about ⅔ cup of the blueberry frosting on the top of the first layer. Place the second cake on top and frost the top with about ½ 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.
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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 you’re ready to frost the next day.
Notes
Gluten free: I really only recommend using King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten Free Flour or a similar blend with xanthan gum that also weighs 125 g per cup. Please note that Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF Flour will NOT work here.
Coconut sugar makes cake slightly darker than when made with regular granulated sugar, but still delicious!
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.)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 418
- Sugar: 48.8 g
- Sodium: 221.9 mg
- Fat: 12.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 72.3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I’ve already made it several times because it’s so delicious and absolutely foolproof!
Best regards from Germany 🙂
I made the cake and the frosting for use tomorrow will it hold from 7am to 12pm if I frost in the morning or would I be better off frosting at lunch time?
If you can frost it later, I would! Or you can just refrigerate the cake 🙂
I am not a baker by any means but this recipe was just perfect! Just finished putting the icing on for my daughter’s 1st birthday tomorrow! So proud of myself for making this vegan, GF cake for my family to all enjoy with us! Thank you for the recipe🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼
Oh my goodness!! THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!!! And what a wonderful treat!! Happy birthday to your daughter, and enjoy! Thank you for the review!
Hi there! I am just getting back to baking after a long hiatus and this looks like the perfect recipe! I was wondering if white whole wheat flour would work here for this cake? Either way, can’t wait to try this!! Thank you!
Hi Pooja! Oh I can’t wait for you to try this recipe!! SO I wouldn’t recommend using any other flour other than all-purpose four or a gluten free flour blend- a whole wheat flour will leave the cake too dry. I hope this helps! Can’t wait for hear what you think!
Delicious cake!!! And absolutely wonderful icing, the colour is amazing.
I used a flax seed egg as I didn’t have either option in the recipe and it still worked beautifully.
That’s so wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed 🙂 Isn’t the frosting is awesome!? My absolute favorite, especially for that vibrant color! Enjoy and thank you!
For someone who is scared of baking, this was rather therapeutic and straight forward, as well as delicious. I don’t know if it was the size of my cake pan, but it came out quite dense, but still delicious.
I’m also shocked how easy it is to make jam! The only issue was that the frosting was a bit gritty, which I feel I did something wrong. How would I remedy this in the future?
Thanks for such a fool-proof and yummy cake recipe!
This is so wonderful!! Your frosting looks absolutely GORGEOUS!! And I love the flower on top 🙂 From the look of the frosting, it definitely doesn’t look gritty- do you mean that it split? Perhaps the blueberry jam felt a bit gritty? I sometimes notice that with wild blueberries, but those look like fresh whole blueberries! Another thing that could cause grittiness is lumpy powdered sugar, which just needs to be sifted through beforehand!
The flavor and texture is beautiful. I have to say though that I screwed up royally and iced at 30 minutes. This wasn’t long enough. I put the cake in the fridge and when I went to take it out, the top layer had split and caused a cake avalanche. RIP.
Hi! I made this cake just now and it really did not work. It’s super dense and very floury. I did reduce the amount of sugar by 50g, but not sure that was it. I only had one 26cm spring form pan, so I placed the whole batter in it and thought if cutting in half later.
Maybe the lack of appropriate utensils made it not work great but would appreciate your insights! I’ll still frost it tomorrow and think it should take okay.
Looks beautiful thought
Hmm I’m wondering, it sounds like your leavening agents might not have been good! That can sometimes happen if we haven’t changed them out after a while and would result in a dense, stodgy cake. It sounds like you were using a scale so I’m sure you didn’t measure too much flour. Were all of your wet ingredients room temperature, especially the dairy free milk?
This is absolutely gorgeous and looks delicious too! Perfect for Easter brunch next month… Do you think the recipe would work as cupcakes? Our family celebrations are fairly large (with kids) so I usually convert my cake recipes to cupcakes. Thank you!
Hi Luna! Absolutely!! You can definitely make this recipe as cupcakes 🙂 They’ll bake much quicker- about 18-20 minutes filled about 3/4 of the way up, but they’ll be delicious!
Thought I commented earlier, but I guess not : ). This recipe is a huge hit for my family. Made for my 2yr old’s bday, but I cut sugar out and used fresh blended dates instead. Insanely good. nb the icing recipe is too sweet for my taste, so I use my own vegan butter cream recipe, otherwise a knowck-out recipe. Keeping in my repertoire. Thank you, Britt!
Omgsh!! This is so wonderful!! SO happy you all love it!! And love the recipe tweaks too, thank you so much for sharing them, that’s so helpful for other readers!! Enjoy, and thanks for being here! 🙂
Not sure if you’ll see this, but could you tell me how much dates you used please! And did you soften them in hot water first? I also want to make this for my toddler’s third birthday and would also prefer to use dates! Ty!
One of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever tasted. I only bake recipes from Banana Diaries. In love with this cake, it’s so moist and the flavors are so perfectly balanced.
This is so wonderful!! I’m so honored, thank you so much!! Enjoy 🙂
This was so good! I’ve made it twice and everyone has loved it! I used dairy yogurt instead of vegan yoghurt and it worked fine.
This is so wonderful!! So happy to hear it 🙂 Enjoy!!