Lemony French Cake
this cake is my dream cake!
it is best when prepared a day ahead of time, to let the flavors develop.
1 cup (240 g) plain or vanilla soy yogurt
1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pure lemon extract + zest of one small lemon
1 1/2 cups (185 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Grease your cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. [note: I used a 6″ x 4″ round cake pan, so you might have to check your cake after 35-40 minutes to see if it’s done, if you use a different pan size. dip a toothpick in the center of the cake, and if it does not come out clean, add another 5 minutes, and check again. repeat until toothpick comes out clean.]
In a large bowl, whisk soy yogurt, sugar, oil, extracts, and zest.
Sift flour and baking powder on top and stir until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Leave in pan for 1 hour on a cooling rack before attempting to remove. Chill overnight.
Serve cold, with a simple icing.
if you want a fair amount of frosting…
lemony cream cheese frosting:
2 ounces tofutti cream cheese (quarter of a tub)
1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon (14 g) margarine
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract
Place cream cheese, margarine, and lemon extract together in a bowl, mix until smooth.
Add sugar little by little, beating (with a handheld mixer or in a stand mixer) for a few minutes, until fluffy and completely smooth.
if you want just a small amount of icing…
simple lemon icing:
1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at the most
Mix sugar and droplets by droplets of lemon juice until extremely well blended. You want the icing to be thick enough to stick to the back of the spoon, so go slowly when adding lemon juice.
Prepare just before decorating the cake so that the icing doesn’t harden.
recipe index « have cake, will travel! said,
August 12, 2007 at 4:59 am
[...] lemony french cake “coconut has a date” granola molta cioccolata tapioca Crème à la Pumpkin Frozen [...]
johanna3 said,
August 12, 2007 at 1:06 pm
looks very good, thanks for the recipe.
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Hilary said,
August 12, 2007 at 9:15 pm
this would win my mom over anyday, and not to mention me, but she loooves anything lemon.
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Celine said,
August 13, 2007 at 4:44 am
I hope she will love it! :)
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Hilary said,
August 18, 2007 at 3:51 am
Celine, i made it today! and she LOVES it. she went back for thirds. haha. not to mention, i love it too.
thanks! :)
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Celine said,
August 18, 2007 at 4:08 am
I am so happy to “hear” this, Hilary!!!
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Arine said,
August 25, 2007 at 1:19 pm
OMG! This (I’m typing this with my mouth full) is de-li-cious. I made many vegan cakes, and most of them were quite good, but none of them tasted like the cakes I used to make when I was little. And this one does! Well, maybe it even tastes better. :-)
Thank you so much!!
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raspberry lime french cake « have cake, will travel! said,
September 9, 2007 at 7:37 am
[...] ends up being lime, with a hint of raspberry. I likey. it’s yet another variation on the lemony french cake and the chocolate orange french [...]
vegalicious » Blog Archive » Review: Lemony French Cake - delicious vegan recipes for compassionate people said,
November 10, 2007 at 7:53 pm
[...] this summer our friend Celine from Have Cake, Will Travel! made a Lemony French Cake, according to her it is her dream cake. Celine’s instructions are clear and easy to follow, [...]
Madeleine said,
November 20, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Im making it for my birthday tomorrow (the twenty-first). The batter is delicious!
Reply
Tofu for Two » Fragrant Citrus Cake said,
December 4, 2007 at 3:23 pm
[...] afternoon, and it seems to be a pretty good antidepressant. This is an adaptation of Celine’s dream cake recipe, which I found through Vegalicious. I just couldn’t resist baking a dream cake of my [...]
lemony french cake with citron & poivre ganache « have cake, will travel! said,
December 23, 2007 at 10:11 am
[...] ( = 2 Silk containers) vanilla soy yogurt, about 2 T less sugar, and 2 T less oil – adapted from the other one – easy ganache recipe: 3.5oz chopped citron & poivre Frey chocolate, 3 T soy creamer, 1 T agave [...]
sweet toof, you say? « have cake, will travel! said,
December 26, 2007 at 9:28 am
[...] ( = 2 Silk containers) vanilla soy yogurt, about 3 T less sugar, and 3 T less oil – adapted from the other one – easy ganache recipe: 3.5oz chopped citron & poivre Frey chocolate, 3 T soy creamer, 1 T agave [...]
Recipe Index « have cake, will travel! said,
February 28, 2008 at 4:42 pm
[...] For You, Cupcake Pumpkin Cupcakes Chocolate Orange French Cake Pumpkin Chocolate Brownie Cake Lemony French Cake Green Tea Mini Cakes Low Fat Rosewater Cupcakes Seitan, Tofu, [...]
Leigh-Anne said,
February 29, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Yay! This looks so delicious. I’m going to make it for my friend’s birthday next week. I must say that I enjoy your blog so much more now that when I get inspired to cook I can actually do it.
Reply
Vanilla French Cupcakes with Kahlua Chocolate Frosting « have cake, will travel! said,
March 11, 2008 at 10:00 pm
[...] adapted from the Lemony French Cake. [...]
Sarah said,
May 18, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Oh my goodness, I think I’ve found a new project… te he! Thanks for the recipe, I am definitely going to give it a go… think a blend of spelt and kamut flour would work ok? I’m addicted to Kamut haha.
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Celine said,
May 18, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I think it might make the cake a tad too heavy, Sarah. sorry! but do let me know if you decide to give it a try anyway.
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Kathryn said,
May 29, 2008 at 6:59 pm
This recipe is so wonderful. I made it with lemons from the farmer’s market! delicious! It reminds me of the pastries I ate when I lived in France! Thanks for this.
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Celine said,
May 30, 2008 at 9:07 am
so happy to hear, Kathryn! thank you for the feedback.
Reply
Lemony French Cupcakes « speedvegan said,
June 25, 2008 at 3:36 pm
[...] made these last night using a variation of the Lemony French Cake recipe at have cake, will [...]
Food Plant said,
August 20, 2008 at 7:43 pm
[...] and messy fridge, was made for anna’s 20th birthday. it’s made up of two layers of lemony french cake with a centre of strawberry filling and bryanna clark grogan’s lemon curd. the icing is [...]
Food Plant………… « Various Cakes said,
August 21, 2008 at 7:39 pm
[...] our packed and messy fridge, was made for anna’s 20th birthday. it’s made up of two layers of lemony french cake with a centre of strawberry filling and bryanna clark grogan’s lemon curd. the icing is of the [...]
lori said,
September 29, 2008 at 6:16 pm
i am not a cook or baker, but eve I made this today and it was delicious. Try the peanut butter cups, they were also amazing.
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Ella said,
March 6, 2009 at 11:50 am
Hi! Wow, I’m browsing through this after work, and the cake texture looks wonderful. Is it also light and fluffy? :) If so, THIS IS THE RECIPE I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR! Haha, I will give it a try tonight. Thank you for sharing your recipes Celine :)
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marika @ madcap said,
March 30, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Goodness, help me. This looks so GOOD.
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Mattie said,
May 17, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Next weekend I’m making this for my class to bring in during school finals :D
I can’t wait, it looks amazing.
I love your whole website! Thanks for sharing it.
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have cake will travel Lemony French Cake | Cast Iron Cookware said,
May 26, 2009 at 2:01 pm
[...] have cake will travel Lemony French Cake Posted by root 21 hours ago (http://havecakewilltravel.com) Made these last night using a variation of the lemony french cake recipe at have cake leave a comment name required e mail required 2009 celine steen powered by wordpress subscribe to entries rss or comments rss Discuss | Bury | News | have cake will travel lemony french cake [...]
Monica Shaw said,
June 3, 2009 at 4:44 am
Mmm. I’m looking for a cake to use for a vegan strawberry shortcake. How light is this cake? As in, is it fluffy or dense? Looks like a dream!
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Celine Reply:
June 3rd, 2009 at 5:46 am
I wouldn’t say it’s entirely dense, but not fluffy either. maybe not a perfect match for what you need to use it for.
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Kat said,
June 29, 2009 at 5:18 am
I made this cake in a 9″ an, so it came out flat enough to cut in half and layer. The icing was a simplified version of the Lime Frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World (except I made it with lemon, to match the cake). And it was very good–just the lemon cake I’ve been looking for. Our guests devoured it; every crumb that they didn’t devour, they took home with them for later.
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