Vegan Lilac Lemon Cake Recipe | Fare Isle

Name: Vegan Lilac Lemon Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 140 g white whole wheat flour (1 cup, or whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour); 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 100 g whole cane sugar (1/2 cup ); 67 g extra-virgin olive oil (1/3 cup); 82 g non-dairy unsweetened yogurt (1/3 cup); 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup cold separated canned coconut cream; 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional); 2 loosely packed cups of lilac flowers removed from stems

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

Angled shot of a mini 3-layer vegan lilac lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting on a white cake stand with lilac flowers and leaves around the base of the cake. The top of the cake is decorated with fresh lilac flowers. The background is styled with lilac flowers, tea dyed cheesecloth, a vintage lilac colored glass bottle, and a flower guide opened to a page on lilacs.

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.

Substitutions
Equipment
Storage
More Fun Ways to Cook with LIlacs
More Delicious Edible Flower Recipes
Love This Recipe?

Process shot of making a mini 3-layer vegan lilac lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting. Dry ingredients are mixed separately in a large bowl. Wet ingredients are mixed together in a glass liquid measuring cup.

Main 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

Process shot of making a mini 3-layer vegan lilac lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting. Wet ingredients are mixed together in a glass liquid measuring cup. Two squeezed and zested halves of a lemon sit on the table with a set of blue and white ceramic measuring spoons.

How to Make A Lilac Cake

Step 1: Prepare the cake

First, preheat the oven to 350˚F/175˚C and grease and flour 3 mini 4-inch spring-form cake pans or one 8-inch cake pan.

Sift the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl and set aside Whisk together the wet ingredients in a liquid measuring cup. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until they are evenly combined. Fold in a handful of fresh lilac flowers if you wish.

Divide the cake 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.

Process shot of making a mini 3-layer vegan lilac lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting. Three baked mini 4-inch lemon cakes are still in cake pans sitting on a wire cooling rack.

Step 2: Prepare the Frosting:

The night before refrigerate a can of coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk to separate the cream from the water. Scoop out the solid coconut cream with a spoon when you are ready to decorate the cake.

Whip the chilled coconut cream, powdered sugar, and lemon zest into soft peaks until the sugar dissolves.

Process shot of making a mini 3-layer vegan lilac lemon cake. The first two layers of t he cake are assembled with whipped coconut cream frosting and fresh lilac flowers.

Step 3: Decorate the Cake:

Spread the whipped coconut cream between each layer of cake and on the top, placing lilac flowers on top of the cream between each layer.

Process shot of making a mini 3-layer vegan lilac lemon cake. The cake is assembled and frosted but not yet decorated with lilac flowers.

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.

Hint: Watch the video below for the step-by-step process of making this cake recipe.

Closeup angled shot of a mini 3-layer vegan lilac lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting on a white cake stand with lilac flowers and leaves around the base of the cake. The top of the cake is decorated with fresh lilac flowers.

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 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract for even more lemon flavor

Closeup angled shot of a mini 3-layer vegan lilac lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting with a slice cut out of it on a white cake stand with lilac flowers and leaves around the base of the cake. The top of the cake is decorated with fresh lilac flowers.

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.

Top down shot of a mini 3-layer vegan lilac lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting on a white cake stand with lilac flowers and leaves around the base of the cake. The top of the cake is decorated with fresh lilac flowers. The background is styled with lilac flowers, tea dyed cheesecloth, a vintage lilac colored glass bottle, and a flower guide opened to a page on lilacs.

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.

Top down shot of a mini 3-layer vegan lilac lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting with a slice cut out of it on a white cake stand with lilac flowers and leaves around the base of the cake. The top of the cake is decorated with fresh lilac flowers. The background is styled with the plated slice of cake, fresh lilac flowers, tea dyed cheesecloth, a vintage lilac colored glass bottle, and a flower guide opened to a page on lilacs.

More Fun Ways to Cook with LIlacs

More Delicious Edible Flower Recipes

A plated slice of vegan lilac lemon cake with whipped coconut cream frosting decorated with fresh lilac flowers. A blue printed napkin and antique silver plated fork sit next to the plate.

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