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Perfectly sweet cake with fresh, juicy blueberries and hints of lemon, this Vegan Blueberry Lemon Cake is a perfect snack/dessert for all occasions!
I’m usually the kind of person who chooses chocolate flavour over berry one. But, you know, everything has exceptions. And when it comes to blueberry lemon cake and chocolate cake, I admit I will hesitate for quite a while. (And then decide to have both! :9)
To be honest, I’ve wanted to make this cake for a long time. It’s just that we (as Taiwanese) don’t usually have fresh blueberries in the market. If there are, they are usually very expensive. So when I came to the UK, one of many things I want to make is blueberry lemon cake. And now it is!
Watch How to Make It – Vegan Blueberry Lemon Cake
Ingredients You Need
- White spelt flour: Here I’m using white spelt flour because I have a lot of them. You can also use all-purpose flour (plain flour) or gluten-free plain flour if you prefer.
- Almond flour: It adds texture and a little nutty flavor to our cake. You can also use almond meal but make sure it’s ground finely.
- Baking powder & Baking soda: They are both essential to make our cake fluffy, not dense.
- Salt: A pinch of salt is kind of a must in most of my recipes.
- Organic sugar: Here I recommend using organic sugar to give this cake a pure sweetness.
- Extra-virgin coconut oil: Coconut oil will make this cake moist and very, very tasty! Trust me.
- Maple syrup: aka my favorite liquid sweetener. I know it’s not cheap but it’s really worthwhile for the amazing flavor. And please don’t use honey.
- Plant-based milk: Any type of non-dairy milk works. I usually use soy milk or oat milk.
- Fresh lemon: We are going to use both the juice and the zest, so grab the one that’s juicy and fragrant.
- Fresh blueberries: They are the hero of this cake! I know you won’t/can’t skip them.
One optional ingredient is desiccated coconut, which I just add on top of the batter to make it even prettier and more flavorful.
How to Make Vegan Blueberry Lemon Cake
It’s quite simple to make. What you will do is mostly stirring. The following is the simplest version to give you a general idea of what you’re going to do:
- Preheat the oven. Prepare the cake tin by lining the bottom of the cake tin only.
- First, add the dry ingredients (except for blueberries) to a big bowl. Mix them together.
- In another bowl, add the wet ingredients. Whisk them together.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry one. Whisk them together until fully incorporated.
- Transfer about half of the batter into the cake tin. Sprinkle about half of the blueberries on top of the batter, then pour the rest cake batter over them.
- Smooth the top and add the test blueberries. Sprinkle the desiccated coconut on top if you’ve prepared.
- Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Use a knife or cake tester to test if the cake is fully cooked.
- Let the cake cool in the tin on a wire rack to cool down for at least 20 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the tin. Slice, and enjoy!
How to Store Vegan Blueberry Lemon Cake
Once the cake is cooled, carefully transfer it to an air-tight container and store it in the fridge. It should be fine for 3~5 days. If you want it to last longer, put it in the freezer. It should last 1~2 weeks.
If you want to put the cake into the freezer, I will recommend cutting them into slices before freezing. This way you can easily take out a slice and let it defrost only without the need to defrost all of them every single time.
Questions You Might Have
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of white spelt flour?
Yes, you can use all-purpose flour to replace white spelt flour.
How can I make it gluten-free?
It’s super simple. All you need to do is to substitute white spelt flour for gluten-free flour. I personally like this gluten-free flour mix.
Are there other substitutions for coconut oil?
Yes, you can use vegan butter to replace coconut oil. Though I personally prefer the coconut oil version.
Can I use frozen blueberries in this recipe?
I will recommend using fresh blueberries because the frozen ones can “color” the batter very easily and they tend to release more juice. Still, you can use them. I’d recommend keeping them in the freezer right before you’re about to use them so they won’t thaw to color the batter.
How can I turn this recipe into a 6″ or an 8″ cake tin?
If you want to make it in a 6″ cake tin, double the whole recipe. If you want to turn it into an 8″ cake, triple (multiply 3 times) the whole recipe. You will need to prolong the baking time for both cases. I’ll suggest keeping an eye on it when it’s been in the oven for about 30~35 minutes. Use a knife or cake tester to test if it’s done. If not, bake another 5~10 minutes. This really depends on every single oven.
Final Words
That’s it! This blueberry lemon cake is really amazing and not so sweet as the common version. (I mean, it’s already vegan so I guess it’s not common at all in the first place.) It’s soft and fluffy, and the sweetness from blueberries and lemon definitely brings it to the next level.
I shared this cake with a professional colleague and she also loved it! So I guess it could serve as a testimony. I hope you will love this blueberry lemon cake as well!
More Vegan Recies:
- Easy Vegan Strawberry Shortcake (Gluten-free)
- Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-free)
- Vegan Brownies with Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse Frosting (Gluten-free)
Vegan Blueberry Lemon Cake (w/ gluten-free option)
Ingredients
- 80 g white spelt flour, or gluten-free plain white flour
- 60 g almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 15 g organic cane sugar
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin coconut oil, melted*
- 35 g maple syrup
- 100 ml plant-based milk, room temperature**
- 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 60 g fresh blueberries, ***
- 1 Tbsp desiccated coconut, decoration on top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Line the bottom of a 4″ cake tin with parchment paper. If your tin is not non-stick, brush some melted coconut oil on the sides of the tin to make sure it won’t stick.
- In a big mixing bowl, add spelt flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and zest from 1 lemon. Mix them all together evenly.
- In another bowl, add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, plant-based milk, and lemon juice. Whisk them together.
- Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture. Whisk to incorporate all ingredients. Make sure no lumps can be seen.
- Pour about half of the cake batter into the prepared cake tin. Drop half of the number of blueberries on top, and then pour the leftover batter over them.
- Smooth the top with a spatula. And put the rest blueberries on top of the batter evenly. Sprinkle the desiccated coconut on top if you’ve prepared.
- Bake on the middle rack or the lower 1/3 rack of the oven at 175°C/350°F for 28~33 minutes. The cake should be golden on top. Use a small knife or a cake tester to insert into the center of the cake. If no batter sticks to it, it’s done.
- Transfer the cake with the tin onto a wire rack to cool down for at least 20 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the tin. Slice and Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- *Extra-virgin coconut oil: You can also use vegan butter if you really don’t have coconut oil at hand. But I personally prefer the taste of the one with coconut oil.
- **Plant-based milk: You can use any kind of non-dairy milk such as soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, etc. It’s best to use the one at room temperature so the coconut oil will not solidify because of the drop in the temperature.
- ***Fresh blueberries: In my personal experiences, it’s best to use fresh ones because frozen ones tend to color the batter very quickly. Still, you can use them. I’d recommend keeping them in the freezer right before you’re about to use them so they won’t thaw. But if you don’t have blueberries at hand, you can also try to use other berries. Though it won’t be blueberry and lemon cake in that case.
- Storage: Store the cool cake in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3~5 days or 1~2 weeks in the freezer. If you want to put them into the freezer, I will recommend cutting them into slices before freezing. This way you can easily take out a slice and let it defrost only without the need to defrost all of them every single time.
