The Best Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake 

Light, soft, super moist, and jam packed full of lemon and poppy seeds, this vegan lemon poppyseed pound cake is the best! Simple ingredients and easy to make. 

Perfect for breakfast, brunch, a summer time dessert, or any fans of Starbucks Lemon Loaf cake, this vegan lemon and poppyseed pound cake is so dang delicious. Topped with a lemony icing glaze that makes this lemon pound cake better than any store bought cake. 

Pound cake has been a family staple recipe for Easter for as long as I can remember so I wanted to veganize the family recipe. To pass the test it needed three things: It has to be tall and soft, the cake had to stay moist, and it had to be full of vanilla and lemon flavor. 

After many rounds of testing, this cake passes with flying colors! I hope you and your family love this cake as much as we do. 

In the mood for more spring time desserts? Check out my classic super moist vegan vanilla cake, vegan coconut cupcakes, or my favorite carrot cake sheet cake! 

Ingredients 

Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need to make this lemon poppyseed pound cake. For the full list of ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below. 

• Plant Based Milk: My favorite to use is either soy milk or coconut milk (the kind in the carton not the cans) but other plant based milks will also work great. Just make sure that they are unsweetened and especially unflavored milks so they don’t compete with the lemon flavors. 
• Oil: A little bit of a neutral flavored oil to help keep the cake moist. 
• Vegan Yogurt: This is the secret ingredient for a good vegan pound cake. The yogurt acts a bit like an egg replacer and a bit like the oil in making the cake super soft and super moist. Use your favorite plant based yogurt, making sure that it is either plain or vanilla flavored. 
• Sugar: A bit of sugar to make it sweet.
• Vanilla: When combined with the lemon juice and lemon zest, the vanilla adds a beautiful flavor. 
• Lemon Zest + Juice: I recommend using the zest in the cake and the juice in the frosting. Lemon juice can inhibit baking powder from working, resulting in a pound cake that can’t rise fully in the oven and leaving you with a flat and sunken cake. By only using the zest you get all the flavor without the sinking risk. 
• Flour: Regular all purpose flour is all you need. 
• Cornstarch + Leaveners: The combination of cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda makes for a cake that has a super soft crumb and rises well. 
• Poppyseeds: Finally, the poppyseeds! They provide a bit of flavor and make the cake all freckled. 
• Powdered Sugar: Needed for the icing on top. 

Instructions 

Making this pound cake is super easy, even if you are a beginning vegan baker! 

Now for the other secret to making a great pound cake rise in the oven: Just before you place it in the fridge, take a butter knife and cut the cake long ways down the middle of the cake. This provides a crease so that as the cake rises, it knows where to split evenly. That means you have a perfect rise every time! 

Prep Step: Preparing the Pan and the Oven 

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and make sure that the oven rack is in the middle or lower third of the oven. This will prevent the cake from browning too quickly. 

Use a 9×5-inch or an 8×4-inch pan to make this cake. Lightly spray it with a neutral flavored cooking spray and then line with parchment paper. 

Step One: Making the Cake Batter 

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the wet ingredients of plant based milk, oil, the yogurt, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. Give it a good whisk until the ingredients are fully incorporated. 

Into the same bowl sift together the dry ingredients of all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda, salt and the poppy seeds. 

At this point I typically switch to a spatula to fully mix the batter together. 

The cake batter should be thick. 

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake! 

Step Two: Baking the Cake

Bake the cake in the oven for about 60 to 65 minutes. The length of time depends on the size, shape, and material that you make your cake in. 

For me, I use a metal 9×5-inch pan and it takes 65 minutes to bake up beautifully. 

• An 8×4-inch cake pan should take about 55 to 65 minutes. 
• A 9×5-inch cake pan should take 60 to 65 minutes. 
• If using glass, reduce time by 5 minutes. 
• For a ceramic pan, add up to 5 additional minutes and remove the cake immediately after baking. 

If the cake is browning before it is ready, you can add a little tin foil tent any time after the halfway point of baking. 

The first 30 minutes of baking is critical to the success of your cake. Don’t open the oven door to check on it or add the foil tent. The heat needs to be concentrated in this time so the cake rises. 

Finally, allow the cake to cool for at least 45 minutes in the hot pan on the countertop. It needs this time to cool and rest so that the crumb stays moist. 

Step Three: Making the Glaze

Maybe my favorite part about this recipe is making the glaze to go on top of the cooled pound cake. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. You want it to be thick but still pourable. Then, pour over your loaf cake and serve! 

How to Store 

Countertop: Keep the cake in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 3 days. 

Fridge: Honestly, I love a cold slice of lemon pound cake, so this is my preferred method of storing! Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. 

Freezing: Bake and fully cool the cake but do not ice the cake. Wrap it in plastic wrap and then foil, or keep it in an airtight freezer safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the cake to thaw in the fridge overnight before bringing to room temperature on the countertop for a few hours before icing and serving. 

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