Vegan Lilac Lemon Cake

This moist and delicious vegan lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting is decorated with edible lilac flowers and is perfect for spring!

Old-fashioned deliciously fragrant lilacs are one of my favorite spring flowers that just happen to be edible. Fresh lilacs don't have a strong flavor, but their beauty makes up for that. They can go with almost everything from sweets to salads without overpowering the dish. I love using them in my recipes each year like my lilac syrup and lilac gin fizz recipes, and they are perfect for decorating cakes when they are in season.

I couldn't resist decorating this simple vegan lemon olive cake with freshly picked lilac blossoms. Fresh lemon zest and lemon juice bring out the bright lemon flavor of this simple recipe. I also threw some into the batter, like confetti, although their pretty purple color faded when baked. This is a mini 4-inch cake, but it's layered so basically, it serves the same as one 8" cake. If you want to make a full two-layer cake just double the recipe.

Looking for more ways to bake with lilacs? Try my vegan lilac strawberry shortcake or my lilac raspberry scones this spring. Or substitute violets with lilacs in my wild violet sugar recipe to make lilac sugar.

Ingredients

for the cake:

• white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose flour may be used instead)
• baking powder
• baking soda
• kosher salt
• whole cane sugar or granulated sugar
• extra virgin olive oil
• non-dairy unsweetened yogurt
• lemon zest
• lemon juice
• pure vanilla extract

for the frosting:

• canned coconut cream
• confectioner's sugar
• optional: lemon zest
• fresh lilac flowers for decoration

Instructions

Substitutions

• Edible Flowers - replace lilacs with other spring edible flowers such as violets, pansies, violas.
• Flours - all-purpose flour may be used in place of white whole wheat flour
• Sweeteners - use whole cane sugar, panela, or maple sugar to keep the cake refined sugar-free, or use granulated sugar
• Gluten-free - use a 1-to-1 gf flour such as Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour to make this gluten free
• Lemon Flavor - optionally add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract for even more lemon flavor

Equipment

This easy cake recipe does not require any special equipment. You'll need a large bowl and whisk to mix the batter. Use a mesh strainer to sift the dry ingredients and a rubber spatula to scrape the mixing bowl.

A small offset spatula is helpful to spread the coconut cream frosting.

Storage

Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.

The baked and unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in freezer-safe bags and then frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw the cakes in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.

Lilac Cake Questions:

Are all lilacs edible?

Yes, the flowers of the species Lilac or Syringa spp. (the common species is vulgaris) are edible.

Where do I find lilacs?

Lilacs were originally brought to North America by European immigrants and can now be found growing wild in abandoned lots and old gardens. If you don't have a lilac bush growing in your own yard you can forage for them in said abandoned areas or if you see them in a neighbor's yard it never hurts to ask if you can clip a small bouquet. If you do the latter it is nice to offer payment to the owners. Remember that when you clip off lilacs you are pruning them so only take a few stems from each plant. Be mindful of where you are foraging that the area has not been sprayed with pesticides or is in the path of water runoff from roadways.

When do lilacs bloom?

Lilac season begins in May and lasts through mid-June here in the Northeast US.

Can I use lavender instead of lilacs?

If you'd like to make a lavender lemon cake instead use fresh lavender flowers to decorate the cake. Lavender has a very strong flavor so use fresh or dried culinary lavender sparingly if adding it to recipes.

Vegan Lilac Lemon Cake

This moist and delicious vegan lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting is decorated with edible lilac flowers and perfect for spring! Swap lilacs out with any other edible flowers if you can’t source them where you live.

5 from 2 votes

Print Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: whipped coconut cream recipe, vegan lemon dessert, lilac cake decorations, whipped coconut cream recipes, dairy free lemon cake, lilac flower cake decorations, coconut whip cream recipe, vegan lemon olive oil cake, vegan lilac cake, coconut cream icing, easy vegan lemon cake, lilac cake, whipped coconut cream frosting, vegan lemon coconut cake, lilac cake ideas, vegan cake lemon, best vegan lemon cake, lilac cake design, vegan lemon cake, vegan lemon yogurt cake, lemon vegan cake, non dairy lemon cake, lemon cake vegan, moist vegan lemon cake, vegan lemon cakes, cake lilac, lemon cake vegan recipe, lemon lilac cake, vegan cake recipe lemon, lilac lemon cake, vegan cake recipes lemon, lilac cake recipe, whipped coconut cream, vegan lemon cake recipe, lilac flower cake, coconut cream frosting, eggless lemon cake, lilac purple cake, frosting with coconut cream, lemon vegan cake recipe, lilac cake flowers

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Kaity Farrell

Ingredients

Cake

• 140 g 1 cup flour white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 100 g ½ cup whole cane sugar
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅓ cup non-dairy unsweetened yogurt
• zest of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Coconut Cream Frosting

• ½ cup cold separated canned coconut cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
• optional: finely grated zest from 1 lemon
• 2 loosely packed cups of lilac flowers removed from stems

Instructions

Prepare the Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350˚F/175˚C. Grease and flour 3 mini (4") spring-form cake pans or one 8-inch cake pan.
• Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl. Whisk wet ingredients together in a measuring cup. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until combined. Fold in a handful of fresh lilac flowers if you wish.
• Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes until the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. If making an 8" cake bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes then remove them from the pans and cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Prepare the Frosting:

• Whip coconut cream and sugar (and lemon zest if adding) into soft peaks.
• Spread whipped coconut cream between each layer of cake and on the top, placing lilac flowers on top of the frosting between each layer.
• For a "naked" cake look spread a thin layer of the cream around the sides of the cake, creating a crumb coat.
• Arrange fresh lilac flowers on the top of the cake and around the base.

Video

Notes

Double recipe to make a 2-layer 8" round cake.

All-purpose flour can be used in place of white whole wheat flour and granulated sugar in place of whole cane sugar.

Cake Decorating Tips: Put a dab of the frosting on the cake plate first to keep the cake in place. Put wax paper under the cake around the edges to catch dripping frosting from messing up the cake plate.

Refrigerate full fat canned coconut milk the night before and skim off the separated cream to use in the frosting.

For more ways to use edible flowers check out these recipes:

• Lilac Flower Water
• Rose Simple Syrup
• Violet Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Love this recipe?

If you made my Vegan Lilac Lemon Cake I would love to hear your feedback! Please leave a star-rating review of the recipe and let me know what you think in a comment below. This small act is a great way to show your support for the food blogs you read and love.

Please tag @fareisle in your photos on Instagram with #fareisle so I can see your creations. I might miss it if you only tag me with the caption because those notifications fall off quickly, but I can always find it if I’m tagged in the photo itself.

Affiliate Links and Disclosure Policy

This post contains affiliate links to ingredients and products relevant to this recipe. If you choose to purchase linked products I would earn a modest commission, which helps offset the costs of keeping Fare Isle going. Learn more about my affiliate policy here. Thank you for your continued support!