ABOUT THE RECIPE:

Light, lemony, and truly lovely, this appealing cake is ready for the oven in about 15 minutes. Bake it for 40 minutes and you’ll have a homemade vegan cake for dessert!

Makes 8 to 10 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 to 2 teaspoons vegan buttery spread (to coat cake pan)
2 cups whole-wheat flour, plus more if needed
(see note)
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar or maple sugar (see note)
1⁄2 cup vegan buttery spread, melted

2 teaspoons packed lemon zest (zest from about 1⁄2 large lemon)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1½ cups sweetened plain or vanilla-flavored dairy-free milk
2 tablespoons to 1⁄4 cup vegan confectioners’ sugar, (optional, to top cake)
3 or 4 large strawberries, sliced into “fans,” for garnish (optional)

Additional lemon zest, for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously coat a 9-inch round cake pan with vegan buttery spread.
Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a dry whisk to combine. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add the melted vegan buttery spread, lemon zest, lemon juice, and dairy-free milk and stir just until incorporated. If the batter seems a bit wet, add 2 more tablespoons of flour (see note). Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. (If the cake is browning too much, tent the top with foil during the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.)

Put the pan on a wire rack and loosen the sides with a knife. Cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Invert onto a pretty serving plate and dust liberally with confectioners’ sugar. Garnish with strawberry fans and lemon zest, if desired.

Note: If you are using maple sugar in place of brown sugar, you will need to add an additional 2 to 4 tablespoons of flour to the batter.