Lemon Cake of my Dreams with Lemon Buttercream

I will never look for another Lemon Cake recipe again. It is moist, lemony & one of the best cakes I've made vegan or otherwise. I love the sugared lemon peel as a garnish. It's super simple but really adds to the finished cake.

I adapted this from a recipe by Nora Cooks. I  used a different method in order to get a 6 inch  cake with 3 layers (method below). It requires an extra few steps but it is simple. If you can't be bothered with all of that, just use 2 x 8 inch cake rounds and call it a day. I like the 3 layer cake because it looks impressive. You will need one 6 inch high sided spring form cake pan and a sheet of acetate paper (available at craft, baking or office supply stores)

**This recipe calls for Aquafaba. It's an ingredient you might not be familiar with unless you do a lot of vegan baking. Don't let it stop you from trying this cake because it's so easy. Just open a can of chickpeas, strain and reserve the liquid. (the liquid is called Aquafaba!) It whips up just like egg whites, and is also the base of many vegan mayo recipes. I will usually just whip up a batch of hummus with the chickpeas. 

Recipe : 3 Layer Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream 

Ingredients:

Lemon Cake 

• 1/2 cup vegan butter (room temp) (I use earth balance)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• zest from 1 lemon
• 2 tsp lemon extract
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup oat milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup whipped aquafaba (see method below for details)
• 2 3/4 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder

Lemon Buttercream

• 1 cup vegan butter (room temp)
• 4 cups icing sugar
• 3 T lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla

Sugared Lemon

• 2 lemons
• a couple tablespoons of white sugar

Method:
Lemon Cake

1. Mix oat milk with apple cider vinegar in small bowl & let sit.
2. Cream together vegan butter and sugar in a large bowl 
3. Mix in lemon zest, lemon extract & vanilla
4. Mix in Oat milk & cider vinegar mixture
5. Mix in 1/2 cup of whipped aquafaba (just use a hand mixer to whip the strained liquid from can of chickpeas until it looks like whipped egg whites. Measure 1/2 cup and discard the rest.  You could always make meringues as a fun garnish for the cake to use up the rest)
6. Add flour, baking powder & salt to the bowl. Mix until just combined. 
7.  Line a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with parchement paper. Brush with vegetable oil. Pour batter in and bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. 

Lemon Buttercream

1.  Mix icing sugar 1 cup at a time into vegan butter. 
2.  Mix in vanilla, and add lemon juice 1 tbsp at a time until icing is a spreadable consistency

Sugared Lemon

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel strips from 2 lemons. (avoid the white pith)
2. Using a chefs knife, cut peels into thin julienne strips.
3. Place in a small bowl, and massage in a couple tablespoons of white sugar. Let sit for an hour  or so, the sugar will dissolve and the lemons will be slightly candied and ready to garnish the cake. 

Assemble the cake (3 layer 6 inch)

1. The first step is to get yourself a 6 inch high sided springform cake pan.
2. Then, take your sheet of acetate paper, and cut it in half length wise. You are simply going to use this to extend the height of the cake pan so that the cake stays in place better while it sets. All you need to do is form a circle around the inside of the cake pan by overlapping the two halves and taping in place. This will give you an extra few inches of height. 
3. Now cut a circle out of parchment paper that will line the inside of your cake pan. You can use this as a stencil. With the cake on a cutting board, cut out two circles with a sharp knife using your stencil as a guide. These will be the top two layers of your cake.
4. Place the parchment paper in the bottom of the cake pan. Now take your scraps of cake left over from cutting the circles, and simply press them into the bottom of the pan to form your first cake layer. Don't leave any spaces, it doesn't have to look pretty just has to cover the whole surface. 
5. Add a thick layer of icing, then repeat with your other two cake layers. Finish by icing the top layer and then put your cake in the fridge to set overnight, or for a few hours. 
6. Once it's set you can take it out of the mould and put it on a cake stand. You can either keep this as a "naked cake" with minimal frosting spread along the sides. (it's a current cake trend if you aren't familiar with the term) or use remaining frosting to ice the sides. 
7. Top with sugared lemon peel & serve.