Vegan Lemon And Thyme Cake

This vegan lemon and thyme sponge cake will be ideal for all the family and friends spring gatherings. Perfect centerpiece for your Easter table!

Cake time!

With just few days until Easter holiday, I thought it would be appropriate to bake something special, something pretty, and something suitable for all the upcoming gatherings. Plus, I really wanted to make a cake for ages, but the lack of any special occasions lately was to blame.

So what a better occasion, than the upcoming Easter! Between all the chocolate eggs and bunnies, there must be a place for cake, if you ask me. Because gatherings without a cake are not worth leaving the house for, right? And today's recipe is definitely the one to impress your guests with. It may result in them, not wanting to leave your house, until the whole thing is gone! Vegan lemon and thyme cake is THE cake of the moment.

Because we are not talking about just any cake. This vegan lemon and thyme cake is like a slice of Spring on the plate! It's made out of 4 light sponges, infused with lemon thyme. You can use just an ordinary thyme, if you can't lay your hands on the lemon thyme. It will taste just as good, but I would recommend reducing the amount by ½ tsp. Lemon thyme has this lovely, light and unique taste to it, so it's definitely worth searching for!

Also, you can of course reduce, or increase the number of layers for your cake. Because I wanted my cake to be relatively tall (I think they look much more spectacular that way!), I opted for 4 layers. But once I become a cake virtuoso (somewhere around 2099), I may attempt to add a couple more cheeky layers...

The lemon filling gives this cake that wonderful, fresh, zesty flavour, ideal for this time of the year. I've added couple of drops of Sicilian lemons essence, but ordinary lemon essence can also be used. Also, if you don't have lemon essence, use just a lemon juice, but increase the amount to 1 tbsp.

And although my frosting skills are close to non- existing, I kinda like this 'naked' look for the cake. Looks more authentic and rustic. However, due to refrigerating my cake for a tad too long, you can see some cracks on the sides. But again, more character to a cake, if you ask me 😉

If you follow me on Instagram (anna_banana_co ), you will know that couple of weeks ago, I've attended a food photography & styling workshops. Run by super talented Kimberly from The Little Plantation and Aimee from Twigg Studios. And today's recipe is kinda the result. It's totally inspired by the work of these two talented ladies, and I couldn't be happier that I've had a chance to meet them! I will try to write a separate post about it in a near future, because it surely deserves it's own story.

Decorating this vegan lemon and thyme cake with gorgeous flowers is totally optional. But as you can see, it's totally worth it. Just few spring blossoms here and there will add tons of character and charm to the cake (as if it wasn't sweet enough!). And for sure, pretty flowers on top of the cake will impress your guests and stay in their memory for a while. Because that's what these gatherings are for. Creating great memories by tasting delicious food!

Here's to some great memories, let's cake!

xo A.

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5 from 2 votes

Vegan lemon and thyme cake

Delicious, light, lemon sponge cake, infused with lemon thyme. Perfect for Spring gatherings with family and friends!

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Vegan

Servings: 10 people

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Anna

Ingredients

For the sponge (makes two):

• ▢ 2 teaspoon lemon thyme leaves (fresh)
• ▢ 250 ml water
• ▢ 150 g white spelt flour (or plain flour)
• ▢ 2 tablespoon cornflour
• ▢ 200 g golden caster sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 60 ml olive oil (or vegetable oil)

For the filling:

• ▢ 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk (refrigerated overnight, cream only)
• ▢ 170 g dairy- free cream cheese
• ▢ 4 tablespoon caster sugar
• ▢ 2 drops Sicillian lemon essence

For the frosting

• ▢ 1 can coconut milk (refrigerated overnight, cream only)
• ▢ 2 tablespoon caster sugar
• ▢ 1 medium lemon (zest only)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

For the filling:

• Blend all the ingredients  together. Place in the fridge, allowing the mixture to become a bit more solid (it will be easier to work with).

For the frosting:

• Blend all the ingredients together. Place in the fridge, allowing the mixture to become a bit more solid (it will be easier to work with).
  

For the sponge:

• Grease your baking tins and preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C fan assisted).
• Start by putting thyme and water together in a small saucepan. Place over a medium heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to small and allow to boil for a couple of minutes. Strain the water through a fine sieve and set aside to cool.
• To make sponge, mix the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.
• Using separate bowl, mix together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and thyme infused water. Make a well in a dry ingredients and gently pour the wet mixture in. Very gently, incorporate all the ingredients together, until you have a smooth batter.
• Pour the batter into prepared baking tins and bake in the middle shelf for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Make sure the sponges are completely cool before assembling the cake!
• Start with dividing the filing mixture into 3 equal parts. Spread one part of the filling onto the top of your first sponge, and repeat for all the other layers. Leave the top sponge clear. 
• Scoop a large amount of frosting onto the top of the cake, and using spatula, start working all around the top of the cake and down the sides of it, filling up any gaps, and gently scraping any excess frosting.
• Refrigerate for about 30 minutes (optional), serve, enjoy!

Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.

Notes

• I've used 4 sponges in my cake, so please make sure you double up the ingredients for the sponge if you are making extra layers!
• Filling and frosting ingredients are for 4 layered cake, if you are making less layers, you will have some left.
• My baking tins are 20cm diameter. 

Nutrition

Calories: 347kcal

Did you make this?Tell me how you like it? Leave a comment or take a picture and tag @anna_wierzbinska on Instagram. I love seeing your take on my recipes!

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