This vegan lemon drizzle cake is my dairy free and egg free version of an absolute classic – full of bright zesty lemon it’s beautifully light, moist and a complete doddle to make!

Vegan lemon drizzle cake holds many special family memories for me.  It’s such a crowd pleaser and just as good served warm with a dollop of ice cream as it is cooled and eaten the next day.  I’ve made it for barbecue parties, family gatherings and even when some people we’d only ever virtually met came all the way from Sweden to break bread and eat lemon drizzle cake with us.  Ahh those good old days of people gathering, warm hugs and food shared with much laughter.

We’re currently, and slooooowly, coming out of lockdown following a diabolical global coronavirus outbreak.  It’s not been as hard for us as it has for so many.  Phil is able to work from home and doing what I do and being a home body anyway life hasn’t changed that much.  But I do miss seeing family, friends and gatherings based round food and laughter.

Why almonds and banana in a lemon cake?

Now I know there’s absolutely nothing healthy about this lemon drizzle cake but using bananas = using less sugar in the cake batter.  That means I can have an extra slice right? 😉

The ground almonds are there purely for texture.  Much like these vegan blueberry muffins, the ground almonds help keep the crumb very light and moist and all round yummy.  If you have a nut allergy, omit the ground almonds and substitute for the same amount of plain flour.

How to make an easy vegan lemon drizzle cake:

There are about as many different variations to making a lemon drizzle cake, vegan or otherwise, as there are banana bread.  Some are made by creaming butter with sugar then adding the liquid, others by whisking various ingredients then carefully folding everything together.  But I can often be a (very) lazy baker and I wanted minimal effort and minimal washing up.  Most lemon drizzle cakes tend to be loaf shaped too, but ever since this (stupidly easy) vegan chocolate cake I’ve been favouring a simple square cake.  Cut into tidy, symmetrical cubes.  Just call me a lazy Martha Stewart.

Apart from a mug or small bowl to mix the flax seeds this vegan cake is made all in one bowl.  And it’s as simple as mixing together the wet ingredients then dumping in the dry to make the batter.

Because we’re using so much lemon juice it will react quite quickly with the raising agents.  So once you’ve mixed your batter, don’t hang around getting it into the tin and in the oven.  It helps to have your oven at the right temperature and your tin lined and ready do go so you’re not dangerously dashing around with scissors and baking parchment while yelling at the dog/spouse/kids to get out the way.  Not that I’d ever do that sort of thing.

I’ve opted for a simple sugar syrup on this eggless lemon cake instead of an icing.  Quite simply because I love that crunch of the sugary crystals and because I think it tastes even more lemony.  Lip puckeringly lemony.

Oh lemon drizzle cake, how I love thee.  Let me count the ways …

Don’t forget to follow us on YouTube, Facebook or Pinterest for even more recipe inspiration and chat, competitions, behind the scenes and so much more!