Dairy-Free Lemon Cake

Written by
Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams is a restaurant professional and workshop instructor with a specialty in dairy-free cooking and baking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Ashley Adams
Tested by
Tracy Wilk Reviewed on 12/26/20 by
Tracy Wilk is a professional pastry chef, recipe developer and chef instructor, and, most importantly, a firm believer in sprinkles.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Recipe Testing Panel
Tracy Wilk
Updated 07/11/21
Dairy-Free Lemon Cake

The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Cool Time: : 40 mins
Total: 85 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
390 Calories
20g Fat
49g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 390
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 25%
Saturated Fat 3g 17%
Cholesterol 74mg 25%
Sodium 127mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 49g 18%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 31g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 6mg 32%
Calcium 72mg 6%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 70mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This cake is a rich, tangy, sweet treat that is absolutely phenomenal with a light, dairy-free icing​ of your choice or simply with a dusting of powdered sugar and goes well with a cup of strong black coffee or tea.

1:24

Click Play to See This Dairy-Free Lemon Cake Come Together

Featured Video

"If you think dairy-free means flavor-free, this recipe will prove you wrong! This cake is incredibly moist, light, and full of flavor. The lemon adds a nice zing, and you won't miss the dairy. Although this cake does have eggs, you can serve this for a kosher meal or to anyone that is lactose intolerant." —Tracy Wilk

Dairy Free Lemon Cake Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 4 large eggs

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons almond milk, or other nondairy milk

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 6 tablespoons soy margarine, melted

  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced

  • 1 cup unsifted confectioners' sugar, or dairy-free frosting

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

    Dairy-Free Lemon Cake ingredients

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  2. Lightly oil a 9-inch cake pan. Lightly flour the pan, tapping out the excess flour, and set aside.

    oil and flour cake pan

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

    In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until the mixture is pale yellow in color.

    whisk together the eggs and sugar

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  5. Add the non-dairy milk alternative of your choice, olive oil, melted soy margarine, lemon juice, and zest, whisking until well combined.

    Add the non-dairy milk alternative of your choice, olive oil, melted soy margarine, lemon juice, and zest to the egg mixture

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  6. Add the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.

    add wet and dry ingredients together

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.

    baked cake on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  8. Immediately turn the cake out onto a wire cooling rack and allow the cake to cool completely, right-side up.

    cake on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  9. Dust with powdered sugar, or frost with a dairy-free frosting of your choice.

    Dairy-Free Lemon Cake

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger