A Pound Cake that is so rich and decadent no one will believe it’s vegan. It is topped with a lemony glaze for a delightful sweet morning or midday snack.
Christmas is less than a week away!
And that means I’ve got just 2 more recipes before the end of the year.
After that, it’s time for some 30-day cleansing. So before that happens, I have to sneak in at least one more decadent recipe this holiday season. And decadence is just what I’ve got for you. This Vegan Pound Cake is a remake of one of my first recipe for the blog. The original recipe was an Orange Poppy Seed Pound Cake. I have since re-tested and updated the recipe to make it easier, tastier, richer, and overall better.
If you came here looking for the Orange Poppy Seed Poundcake, you can still access it here. But I think you’re going to love this new and improved vegan pound cake recipe. I omitted the commercial egg replacers, switched oils, adjusted the leavening agents, and pumped up the flavor so that you get a rich, vibrantly lemon, buttery, decadent vegan pound cake that makes the perfect dessert or snack at the last of your upcoming holiday parties.
Let’s take a closer look.
How to Make Vegan Pound Cake [Video]
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Traditionally pound cake is made from combining equal parts butter, flour, sugar, and eggs. Over time the ingredients in a pound cake have gotten more complex. It is now common to add extracts (such as lemon or vanilla) and/or fruit, swap out some of the butter for sour cream, and even add a few teaspoons of baking powder to make the cake lighter and less dense.
My modern take on a pound cake has made many of these adjustments.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour – I have also made this recipe with 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Baking Blend with great success.
- Baking Powder – Typically pound cake does not use a chemical leavener like baking powder or soda. Rather it relies on eggs. However, for this vegan pound cake, I recommend a combination of baking powder and vegan sour cream for the perfect texture and rise.
- Salt
- Vegan Butter – Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- Granulated & Powdered Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
- Lemon Juice & Zest
- Vegan Sour Cream – This is used as the egg replacer in this recipe. It adds moisture and a delicious tangy flavor. There are a lot of vegan cream cheeses and sour creams on the market. I suggest looking for Daiya or Tofutti brands. You can also make homemade sour cream.
- Coconut Oil – You could also use vegetable oil or olive oil. However, olive oil will add a slight savory taste.
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, I recommend a stand-up mixer. These make whipping, beating, and blending so much easier. However, they are pricy and if they are not in your budget, you can make cookies with by hand or with a handheld mixer.
You will also need a loaf pan, mixing bowl, and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Pound Cake
Step One: Mix the Ingredients
Mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. That’s the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a stand-up mixer beat together the vegan butter, sugar, and lemon zest.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Slowly add the sour cream. At this point, the batter might curdle a bit and that’s okay. It will come back together when the flour is added. Finish the cake by alternating the dry and wet ingredients into the batter.
Step Two: Bake the Cake
Pour your batter into a greased 9×5 loaf pan and smooth top.
Place the cake in the oven and bake until the top is golden brown (about 50-55 minutes). To check for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. When it comes out clean, your cake is done!
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely before topping it with lemon glaze.
Serving And Storing
Serve immediately or place it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Store for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This cake can also be store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, simply pull out and let thaw at room temperature.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t over-mix the batter. By alternating the dries and wets into the batter, we are ensuring the batter does not get over-mixed and gummy.
- Generously spray your loaf pans. We do not want any of this delicious cake sticking to its edges.
- Do not open the oven door while the cake is baking. This causes the structure to fall leaving you with a dent in the middle of your cakes. You can check for doneness after 50 minutes.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the cake starts to get dark around the edges, you can cover it with tin foil to bake the last 10 minutes.
- Let the cake cool at least 30 minutes in the loaf pans before turning it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Alternate Wet and Dry Ingredients?
By alternating we are making sure the batter stays as tender as possible. By adding all the liquid ingredients first, the butter would start to separate from everything. Yet, adding all the dry ingredients first would cause the batter to get thick and require over-mixing in order for it so even out. And, as we know, over-mixing results in a gummy glutenous texture – not what we’re looking for in a cake.
Can this recipe be made in advance?
Yes! This cake can be made in advance. To do this, bake the cake according to the instructions. Once the cake is cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. This cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to frost, let the cake thaw at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
Can this recipe be gluten-free?
Yes. I have had a lot of luck with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. (<<affiliate link). That is the only gluten-free flour I’ve tried for this cake but I’m sure other 1:1 ratio flours would work as well.
More Vegan Quick Bread Recipes
- Healthy Vegan Banana Bread
- Classic Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Vegan Zucchini Bread
Vegan Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
Vegan Pound Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
- 1 cup vegan sour cream
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 1 loaf pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine coconut oil and lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a stand-up mixer or an electric handheld mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. With the motor running, add vegan sour cream, scraping down the sides as necessary. The mixture will appear to have separated at this point, but it will come back together.
- Alternating wets (oil and lemon juice) and dries (flour mixture) add in three batches, scraping down the sides as needed, ending with the flour mixture until it just comes together. Do not over-mix.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown (about 50-55 minutes), and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Flip out onto wire racks and allow the loaf to cool completely.
- To make the lemon glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and pourable. Pour over the cooled loaf pan. The glaze will harden as it cools. Keep at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 days. This cake can also be stored in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Video
Notes
- Don’t over-mix the batter. By alternating the dries and wets into the batter, we are ensuring the batter does not get over-mixed and gummy.
- Generously spray your loaf pans. We do not want any of this delicious cake sticking to its edges.
- Do not open the oven door while the cake is baking. This causes the structure to fall leaving you with a dent in the middle of your cakes. You can check for doneness after 50 minutes.
- Let the cake cool at least 30 minutes in the loaf pans before turning it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Why Alternate Wet and Dry Ingredients? By alternating we are making sure the batter stays as tender as possible. By adding all the liquid ingredients first, the butter would start to separate from everything. Yet, adding all the dry ingredients first would cause the batter to get thick and require over-mixing in order for it so even out. And, as we know, over-mixing results in a gummy glutenous texture – not what we’re looking for in a cake.
- Can this recipe be made in advance? Yes! This cake can be made in advance. To do this, bake the cake according to the instructions. Once the cake is cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. This cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to frost, let the cake thaw at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
- Can this recipe be gluten-free? Yes. I have had a lot of luck with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. (<<affiliate link). That is the only gluten-free flour I’ve tried for this cake but I’m sure other 1:1 ratio flours would work as well.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Mrs. Worthy says
Made this for the first time and it came out great!!! Will definitely be adding to my arsenal! Thanks for this recipe.
Arlene says
This is by far one of the BEST vegan lemon cake recipes I’ve ever tried!!! Simply DELICIOUS!!! Thank you so much for this recipe! I had followed the recipe but had to substitute coconut oil with grapeseed oil and it came out moist and fluffy. Just note that the batter will appear too thick once you’ve added the flour…but don’t worry, if you’d followed the recipe as given, it should turn out great! Thanks again!
Tara says
Hi,
can I substitute the coconut oil for vegetable oil?
Amber says
Just made for my family! So very yummy. Thank you!
Kathleen says
I needed an eggless pound cake, not vegan so used regular unsalted butter and sour cream. Very moist and full of flavor!
SC says
Can I make this as a round or sheet birthday cake? What changes would I need to make to give it a vanilla taste?
Tamara Scott says
Hey!
Does this recipe make enough to fit into a Bundt cake pan?
Juakeen says
I am not a baker AT ALL! This was actually my first time ever making a baked good. But my obsession with pound cakes made me try. Let me start by saying the cake came the closes to my grandmothers homemade pound cake! My family and friends called my grandmothers cake a drug because it was so good! This cake was as good as that! Unfortunately, I did not wait long enough (didn’t wait at all) before attempting to place on the cooling rack so it broke in two. No worries, I got the second part out and put it back together. I will definitely make this cake AGAIN and AGAIN!
Thank you so very much!!!!
Stephanie Hazard says
Hi!
I LOVE these vegan cakes so much, but I need your help. When I make them exactly how the recipe instructs, however, the cakes fall in the middle during baking. I tried adding a little baking soda, but it didn’t help. Any advice?
Either way, they taste SO good; I just wish the looked like yours and weren’t so sunken in. Thanks!!
Haz
Mona Bennett says
For anyone out there that might want a larger cake… I 1 1/2 ‘ed the recipe and used a 10″ tube pan with excellent results! It was just a moist and yummy as the loaf pan. No alterations needed on the time. One hour was perfect! Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe!!!!! Now you don’t need to find a use for 4 oz of left over sour cream… the 12 oz tub was just what I needed!
Ecfinn says
I made this tonight. I did convert it to vanilla, instead of lemon. Like another commenter said, it was very thick when I followed the directions as instructed. I think this because of two issues: the Tofutti sour cream I used was not as liquidy as yours and the second issue is that there’s less liquid when omitting the lemon juice, so I added a little more oil and a little more sour cream until the batter looked like yours did in the video. It turned out delicious! I’m going to use it to dip in chocolate fondue.
Stephanie Hazard says
Hi!
I LOVE these vegan cakes so much, but I need your help. When I make them exactly how the recipe instructs, however, the cakes fall in the middle during baking. I tried adding a little baking soda, but it didn’t help. Any advice?
Either way, they taste SO good; I just wish the looked like yours and weren’t so sunken in. Thanks!!
Haz
Renee Ray says
Thank you for a wonderful and delicious recipe. I struggle with baking now that I am a vegan. However you recipe was so easy and delicious. My family (who is not vegan ) loved it! Thanks again.
Mona says
Really great pound cake consistency. Great taste. I followed the recipe as written. Next time I will add more lemon zest and perhaps some lemon extract. I like it lemony!
L says
If i don’t have vegan sour cream, what other substitutes are there ? (besides making it)
Nina says
Can I use a Bundt pan? Or would I have to double the ingredients?
Sarah McMinn says
You can and you should double the ingredients in that case.
Nina says
Thanks much for the quick reply! Fingers crossed!
Priscilla says
Can you add blueberries to this to make it a lemon blueberry pound cake?
Deb Z says
If I use the bundt pan and double the recipe what amount of time to bake? The same?