What can I say?
I love my friends and I love to bake!
Layer upon layer of vegan lemon cake and then vegan lemon graham cake, slathered with vegan vanilla buttercream and loads of lemon curd – truly delicious and truly fantastic!
Vegan Lemon Graham Layer Cake
Lemon Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup (8 Tbs.) vegan butter, softened to room temperature + for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 large egg substitutes (Ener-G)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
juice and zest of 2 fresh lemons
Lemon Graham Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (1 sleeve of graham crackers finely processed into a crumb)
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup (8 Tbs.) vegan butter, softened to room temperature + for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 large egg substitutes (Ener-G)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
juice and zest of 2 fresh lemons
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease four 9″ cake pans with butter. Line with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the vegan butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the egg substitute and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, add the almond milk, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix just until combined.
Repeat for the Lemon Graham Cake, adding the graham powder/crumbs.
Pour batter evenly into cake pans (two Lemon Cakes and two Lemon Graham Cakes). Bake for around 21-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
Homemade Lemon Curd:
8 Tbs.vegan butter
zest of 2 fresh lemons
juice of 4 lemons
1 cup sugar
Follow these directions for Homemade Lemon Curd. Be sure to allow the curd to chill and set completely.
Vegan Buttercream:
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 cups vegan butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and vegan butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Add the vanilla and whip until the mixture reaches a frosting texture (a little softer than traditional buttercream – due to the vegan butter).
Once the cake has thoroughly cooled (I like to freeze mine for a day or so, as it makes frosting so much easier), frost one layer of Lemon Cake with the Vegan Buttercream and then spread a thin layer of Lemon Curd a top. Stack a layer of Lemon Graham Cake and slather with frosting and Lemon Curd. Repeat for all layers (two Lemon Cake and two Lemon Graham Cake).
