With a light, spongey, SO moist texture, this vegan Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake is the most delightful citrus dessert. Gluten-free, oil-free, and easy to make too!
Lemon yogurt bundt cake!
With a light, spongey, SO moist texture and a sweet citrusy glaze drizzle. If that thought doesn’t make you swoon, who are you and where is your summer baking spirit? Okay okay, I know lemons aren’t technically a summer fruit. But lemonade has been blurring those lines for years now with it’s summery reputation, so we’re just going to piggy back on that and bake our lemon cake-loving hearts out.
I’m feeling very conflicted. On the one hand I want to slice you a piece right now because words just cannot do the loveliness of this lemon cake justice. But on the other hand I don’t want to share a single slice crumb of it. We’re going to go the words route here for practicality/postage reasons, but if you wanted to swing by…
I’ve been on a bit of a cake streak lately – carrot, then chocolate, then vanilla. If we’re being honest though, all of those recipes were a MANY batch struggle. But I think I’ve finally hit my cake stride because this lemon cake was nothing but a gem. A perfect-on-the-first-try gem.
What made the difference? Three things I think:
- Yogurt. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but I just love this stuff for baking. It yields a slightly more dense cake, but adds TONS of moisture without oil.
- Flours. I used a combination of oat flour + almond flour and WHOA. The perfect crumb – not too gummy, not too crumbly, and no need for tapioca/corn starch. I will definitely be revisiting this combo.
- Bundt pan. I can’t say for sure that this was a “game changer”, but the ring shape allows for much more even cooking than a loaf or cake pan. If you don’t have a bundt pan I suggest making cupcakes instead.
I went into this recipe thinking pound cake, but it’s really too light and fluffy to fit that title. And when a vegan cake surprises you with more fluff than expected, you just say THANK YOU and edit that name.
You’ve got options for the glaze.
Feeling lazy? Just drizzle with straight-up coconut butter (warmed up) and watch it settle into all those beautiful bundt crevasses.
Feeling REALLY lazy? Skip the glaze, it’s plenty tasty enough to fly solo.
Feeling fancy? Whisk together a citrusy glaze with coconut butter, lemon juice, maple syrup, and non-dairy milk. It’s a little tricker to work with, the key is to make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature and keep adding milk slowly until it’s smooth and drizzle-able.
Regardless of which option you choose, make sure the cake is completely cool before glazing. I actually chilled mine overnight first, that way the glaze will set upon contact and create that wonderful crackly coating that makes glaze almost as good as frosting.
A note on bundt pans! I used a 10-cup bundt pan and it only filled it about 2/3 of the way. Still worked fine, just a shorter cake than expected. A 6-cup bundt pan would probably be perfect here. Also spray the heck out of it with coconut oil if you want your cake to come out in one pretty piece.
If you love lemony desserts and yourself, I think you know what you need to do…
Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Category: cake
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
With a light, spongey, SO moist texture, this vegan Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake is the most delightful citrus dessert. Gluten-free, oil-free, and easy to make too!
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 tbsp flax meal + 4 tbsp water
- 1/2 cup (120g) lemon juice
- 1 cup (240g) non-dairy yogurt
- 1/2 cup (160g) maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) oat flour
- 1 1/2 cup (165g) almond flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Glaze*
- 1/4 cup coconut butter
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4–6 tbsp non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Whisk together the flax and water. Set aside to gel.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt, maple syrup, lemon juice, and flax eggs.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, almond flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Whisk lightly until no clumps remain.
- Add the wet to the dry, and stir to combine.
- Pour into a small bundt pan (I used a 10-cup bundt pan, but 6-cup would be better) that has been well sprayed or greased with oil.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F, or until golden around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and cool for at least 30 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack.
- Cool completely before glazing.
- For the glaze, combine the coconut butter, maple syrup, and lemon juice (it will seize up and become clumpy). Whisk in the milk one tablespoon at a time until smooth and drizzle-able.
- Drizzle the glaze onto the cake, and then refrigerate until set. It just takes a few minutes.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
*You can also just use straight coconut butter that has been warmed up to a drizzle-able consistency. Or skip the glaze and just enjoy the cake plain, it’s delicious without!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 223
- Sugar: 10g
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7h
Keywords: vegan, gluten-free, cake, summer, healthy, dessert
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Oooh! Hi Natalie, could I use dates to sweeten, and if so, how much?
I really don’t recommend dates here, they will completely change the texture and moisture balance and it’s impossible for me to predict how or how much without trying it myself. Maybe try this date-sweetened cake recipe with lemon juice in place of some of the water instead: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/healthy-vanilla-cake-chocolate-fudge-frosting/
Hi Natalie,
I was wondering if you can do this cake without almond flour? Maybe double the amount of oat flour?
I used almond flour here since it is higher in fat and keeps the cake moist without the need for oil. So you can use all oat, but it will be more dry and have a less well defined crumb. Hope that helps!
Hi Natalie,
This looks like a fantastic recipe! I don’t have issues with gluten – if I were to sub these gf flours for wheat flour, how much would you recommend using?
Thanks so much!
Elise 🙂
It’s really hard for me to say without trying it especially since I don’t actually bake with wheat flour often, but I’d try 1.5 cups. Good luck!
I’m so excited to try this! I’m curious about using a vanilla flavored almond yogurt and honey. Is honey an acceptable swap for maple syrup? Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!!!!!
Both will work and be delicous!
I am so excited! Thank you so very much!!!!! You’re simply amazing
Hi!
Can I use regular white flour instead of almond and oat flour? Can I sub regular sugar for maple syrup?
Thanks,
Larissa
★★★★★
You can try it, but I haven’ tested this recipe with all purpose flour so I can’t say for sure what the texture will be like. It is much lower in fat than the almond flour though, so the cake may be a bit dry since it’s oil free. Sugar instead of the maple syrup should be fine though!
Since I don’t have a bundt cake pan, is it possible to use a square pan? Thanks in advance.
Yep, that will be okay too! I don’t recommend a loaf pan though, a 9×9″ square pan will be best 🙂
Hello!
What an amazing recipe 🤩!! I also have a question related with the flours, do you think it’s possible to substitute the almond flour for something like coconut or buckwheat flour? Or even maybe coconut and buckwheat?
Thanks a lot!!
Both coconut flour and buckwheat flour are very low in fat and dry, so neither will give the cake the same moisture as almond flour. Since this recipe is oil-free, you really need the almond flour so the only subs I can recommend would be another nut flour like cashew flour. If you want to try it I’d recommend buckwheat over coconut, coconut will not work. Hope that helps!
“when a vegan cake surprises you with more fluff than expected, you just say THANK YOU and edit that name” AHAHAH thanks for always making me laugh Natalie – this is so relatable!
Hehe thanks for reading Shivani and appreciating my silly sense of humor😊
Your recipe looks delicious. I can’t wait to make tomorrow. If I were going to substitute Maple syrup instead of the sugar, do I measure out the exact quantity? Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. I’m excited to make this one as well.
To use granulated sugar in place of the maple syrup, by volume it would be the same 1/2 cup, but the weight measurement would be quite different (around 70g). Hope that helps and I hope your comes out PERFECT🤗🤗
I am in love with everything about this recipe. Non-dairy yogurt is such a beautiful thing, as are every one of these photos. I’m thinking it will be extra tasty with mulberries or blackberries, but honestly, I don’t care when or how this is served to me – I will dig right in! And I may have to go the cupcake route simply so I don’t have to wait for a bundt to bake and cool for so long 😉
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BLACKBERRIES😮😮 You fruit combining genius you!! That sounds like an incredibly combo…guess I’ll just have to make another batch😉 Hehe they would be super cute cupcakes, although with cupcakes I couldn’t help but dollop some creamy frosting on top💜
Can I use a load or plumcake pan instead of the one for bundt cakes?
I don’t recommend this one in a loaf cake, the center won’t cook through properly since its so much thicker, but a regular 9×9″ cake pan (round or square) will work!
Lemon cake! Oh you know I love me some lemon cake…lemon cookies, muffins…milkshake..haha. Summer rolls around and I’m all about the lemons! And Omg, lol, every single comment is asking to sub the ingredients, ahhhhh!! Anyways, I love lemon cake, orange cake, all things citrus, especially during the summer. It’s just so light and refreshing. And I’m so with you there on the almond flour and oat flour combo. It was the first flours I finally had success with when I started baking gluten-free years back with cakes and muffins that I found to work and taste yummy and always be reliable….unlike you know how some gluten-free flours leave a nasty taste or texture that make you chunk the whole thing in the trash, LOL! But this looks definitely the opposite of trashville, but straight-to-my-mouth-ville, ha! I love every ingredient in this and love almond flour in bundt cakes because they do bake up so perfectly! Loaf pans really are so much trickier aren’t they?! It just looks so delicious Natalie!
Annnnnd now I want a lemon milkshake! That sounds so good, why have I never had/made one? Haha oh yes, I know you know the substitution question struggle all too well too. Although I wouldn’t mind testing a few of them personally just for an excuse to eat more cake😉 I have been trying to find a GF blend that I really like that doesn’t need a starch (trying to avoid one group of sub questions and jumping right into another😆) and I am amazed with this almond + oat combo. Bahahaha I’m cracking up at “trashville” part😂 Yup, I know just the gummy rubbery kind😜 I am so over loaf pans, use them for ice cream chilling and stick to cupcakes and bundt for baking. And maybe banana bread😊 Happy weekend Brandi!
Will definitely give this a try! Can I use an egg instead of flax meal? Thank you!
I haven’t tested it with real eggs, but should be fine!
Hi Natalie, This looks amazing! I’m making it for my mom’s birthday tomorrow and I just found out I can’t get flax meal from my grocery. Yikes! Can I make flax meal at home (I can get flax seeds) – say by grinding it? Or she can have eggs, so subbing in an egg? So excited to try this!
Thanks!
Jennifer
You can definitely make your own flax meal by grinding up the whole seeds in a blender, I do that all the time! Or a coffee or spice grinder to get it really fine if you have one. A couple of regular eggs would probably be okay too, but I haven’t tested it so I can’t guarantee. Happy baking and I hope she (and you!) loves it🤗
Oh my! Just like Brandi I was cracking up and feeling frustrated on your behalf about all of the people wanting to substitute this for that and that for this. People sometimes (oftentimes) want to tweak recipes to suit their own preferences/needs and I get that. But still! One after another after another! I for one would like to say that your cake looks like a citrusy wonder of moistness and I wouldn’t want to change a thing, even though I don’t eat a gluten-free diet. And your videos (sigh)… I’m reminded yet again of how fab they are and I delight in watching them. (Okay, “drooling over them” is a much more appropriate phrase here so let’s go with that.) Thank you for brightening my inbox with a feast for the eyes time and time again. Maybe one of these days I’ll actually make a recipe. I just checked and I’ve been subscribed to Feasting on Fruit since April of 2017. I know, I know, I’m a fruit loop! Of course, now I’ve got so many fab-looking recipes in my “Feasting on Fruit” e-mail folder I’d have a hard time choosing which one to make to start. Deliciousness overload! Okay, okay, before this message turns into a novel (I’m not known as the E-mail Queen for nothing!) let me end with a repeat of my gratitude and best wishes for a happy, relaxing, active, whatever-you-want-it-to-be weekend. 🙂
Victoria!! Reading your message was such a lovely way to start my saturday, thank you for the kindness and the smile💕 Hehe “email queen” I love it, and can totally relate with the–I don’t even want to know how many thousands of words I’ve typed to various friends over email😆 Ah yes, so many sub questions. I can’t help but tweak just about every recipe I make from someone else so I get it, but I have to admit sometimes I just want to be like I CHOSE THESE INGREDIENTS FOR A REASON THOUGH haha! Well I very much appreciate your over a year now of support and reading all my sweet/silly emails😊 But please please please give one of these treats a go one of these days! For you and your tastebud’s sake, of course😋 You don’t have to be GF to enjoy GF goodies, just like I don’t have to be vegan to enjoy all the vegan cakes! Much love and a very very happy weekend to you too❤️ xo
I love using both oat and almond flours, so I’m excited to try them together in a recipe! 🙂
I always pick one or the other too, but duh use them together! Idk why I haven’t tried this before, but IT WORKS🙌 Happy baking!
Hi,I followed the instructions completely but failed somehow. The texture
was not fluffy and somewhat gummy. I used both almond and oat flour. I
also used coconut yogurt instead of cashew. Do you think it was too much
liquid or yogurt? It was basically uncooked batter. Please let me know what
you think. Thanks. I appreciate it.
So sorry to hear that Marie! The coconut yogurt should be fine unless it was REALLY thick/high fat (like the Coyo brand). What kind of pan did you use? If you make this in a loaf pan it will need to cook for a LOT longer, and still may not cook through properly, so if you don’t have a bundt pan I’d recommend cupcakes or a cake pan. Also did you measure by weight or volume? The weight measurements will be much more accurate. Could either of those be the issue?
Hi Natalie, thanks for replying. I’m not sure what went wrong but I did use a bundt
pan. I used So Delicious coconut yogurt and I measured by volume since I don’t have
a scale. Do you think if I reduced the amount of yogurt it may be less gummy? Or reduce
the oat flour and increase the almond flour? Not sure. I’ll have to test it.
Hi Marie. Hmm sounds like it all should’ve been fine then. I would recommend decreasing the yogurt to 3/4 cup and actually less almond and more oat would be better since it was too moist. Almond flour has a higher fat content so if it was too moist it won’t help as much. Or maybe an extra 1/4-1/2 cup of both flours since too much oat flour can make things more gummy–ah so tricky. But I hope that helps!
Thanks for your help. Will try your suggestions.
Loving this recipe already! I was thinking of making cupcakes instead of a cake. Do you think I need to adjust the time and/or temperature to ensure these babies come out perfect? Thank you so much in advance! 🙂
★★★★★
It won’t be too different, 30 minutes at 350 should be perfect! Happy baking 🙂
Hey Natalie! I ended up making cupcakes from this recipe for my Mom’s birthday. Instead of lemon juice and lemon zest I subbed in orange juice and orange zest to make it into a orange yogurt cake and I made your cashew chocolate frosting. Trust me it tasted AMAZING! I’m a lacto- vegetarian so another change I made was I used regular dairy yogurt instead of non-dairy. The only problem was that the cupcakes rose in the oven perfectly but a minute or two later the center of each cupcake completely deflated. I used a toothpick to make sure the dough from the bottom wasn’t still undone so I left them in for about 5 minutes more to cook just in case. I just put a big dollop of frosting in the center of each cupcake after they cooled and you could never tell that there was an indentation lol! Otherwise everything from the texture and taste was on point 🙂 This is the first time an eggless non-chocolate cake actually worked out pretty well for me. Almond flour and oat flour mixed does wonders indeed 😀
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OH. MY. GOODNESS. Orange yogurt cake with creamy chocolate frosting?? Your mom is a VERY lucky lady, that sounds like the best bday cake ever🍫🍊 So as for the sinking problem, sounds like they weren’t cooked through completely even though you toothpick tested. Was the center gummy/unbaked once you sliced in? I would leave them even longer next time, a great way to check is to light press the center with your finger and if it sinks or feels mushy or doesn’t bounce back leave them another 5 until it does. Ovens vary, measurements vary, you just never know. I don’t think the dairy yogurt was the problem though. I hope that helps and thank you for sharing this very yummy variation–I gotta try it now too🤗