A delicious, easy, one-bowl vegan Lemon Bundt Cake recipe made with coconut milk, drizzled with a tangy lemon glaze. Easy to make, with a video.
You can not teach someone to love; you must show them. ~ Finnish saying.
Amazing! Loved by all adults and kids! Easy to make!
This simple, one-bowl, Vegan Lemon Bundt Cake recipe is incredibly easy to make and very delicious! It’s an older recipe with great reviews, but the photos needed a little refresh. My husband Brian actually made this for me on my birthday a few years back, and if he can do it, I know you can do it too – it is really that easy! It’s a one-bowl recipe; just stir, pour, and bake. Using Meyer lemons adds a special touch, but regular old lemons work great too.
Coconut milk gives it a decadent richness that I love. It’s a light and flavorful cake perfect for special occasions and holiday tables. Serve with the lemony glaze, top with fresh berries or toasted coconut if you like, or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Why you’ll love this Lemon Bundt Cake recipe!
An easy, one-bowl recipe. This easy lemon bundt cake recipe is made in one bowl for easy prep and clean-up. It’s a perfect recipe for anyone new to vegan baking or for when you’re craving a sweet treat with little effort!
Bright lemon flavor. I especially love this cake in the spring or summer when bright, citrusy flavor is so refreshing and uplifting - a beautiful and festive cake for any special occasion. A treat for any lemon lover!
A decadent vegan dessert. It’s hard to believe this cake is made entirely with plant-based ingredients, but creamy coconut milk imparts a luxuriously rich flavor that is quite irresistible!
Lemon Bundt Cake Ingredients
- Sugar - Sweetens the cake while helping create a tender, moist crumb.
- Olive oil - Adds richness and moisture, giving the cake a soft, delicate texture without dairy.
- Full-fat coconut milk - Provides creamy richness and structure in place of eggs and dairy. Yogurt or sour cream (plant-based or regular) can be used as an alternative for a slightly tangier flavor.
- Lemon zest - The star ingredient, bringing bright, aromatic citrus flavor-don't skimp here for maximum impact.
- Fresh lemon juice - Adds vibrant acidity and fresh lemon flavor, balancing the sweetness and enhancing the overall brightness of the cake.
- Vanilla extract - Rounds out the citrus with warm, subtle sweetness.
- All-purpose flour - Forms the structure of the cake; a gluten-free flour blend can be used if needed.
- Baking powder and baking soda - Work together to help the cake rise and create a light, fluffy texture.
- Salt - Balances the sweetness and enhances the lemon flavor.
- Shredded coconut (lightly toasted) - Adds texture and a subtle nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with the lemon. Extra can be sprinkled on top for garnish if desired.
- Optional Topping - Lemon Glaze, or powdered sugar for sprinkling.
See the recipe card below for measurements!
How to Make Vegan Bundt Cake
1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease (with your fingers, a paper towel, or a spray) and flour your bundt pan, making sure to generously coat all of the edges.
2. Whisk the cake batter. Add sugar, oil, coconut milk, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla to a large bowl (or stand mixer), and whisk (use medium speed for the stand mixer). Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, a teaspoon of salt, and coconut into the wet ingredients, and gently fold them into the mixture.
3. Bake. Transfer the cake mix to the bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The internal temperature should be 200°F.
Note: You could also turn these into cupcakes! Fill a muffin tin 2/3-3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes.
4. Make the lemon glaze (optional). Follow our Lemon Glaze recipe. Or, sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar.
5. Let cool. For best results, let the cake cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes before inverting the pan. Slide a knife gently down the sides to loosen the bundt cake before placing a big plate or cake plate on top, then flip it. Tap the bottom of the pan firmly to release it.
6. Finish. Use a spoon to drizzle the top of the cake with lemon glaze and sprinkle with toasted coconut, or other garnishes, like edible flowers, quartered lemons, or fresh mint.
Chef’s Tips & TRICKS
- Grease the bundt pan generously. Get into every nook and cranny, as bundt pans are notorious for sticking. A light dusting of flour after greasing helps even more.
- Zest the lemons before juicing them. This makes it much easier, and you’ll get more zest without wasting the fruit.
- Don’t skimp on the zest! The zest carries the most concentrated lemon flavor, so be generous for that bright, aromatic punch.
- Sift the dry ingredients. This prevents clumps and helps create lighter, more even, and moist crumbs.
- Fold gently and be careful not to over-mix. Once the flour goes in, mix just until combined. Over-mixing can make the cake dense instead of tender.
- Check for doneness. Look for a clean toothpick and a springy top. An internal temp around 200°F ensures it’s fully baked without drying out.
- Let it cool. Give the bundt cake a rest for 20-30 minutes. Remove it from the pan too soon and it may break, or let it rest too long and it may stick.
- Loosen the edges gently. Carefully run a knife around the sides before inverting to help it release cleanly.
- Glaze after cooling. Let the cake cool completely before adding the glaze so it sets properly rather than soaking in.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with our rhubarb compote, vegan ice cream, or homemade vanilla ice cream.
Storage
Store leftovers covered with a lid or plastic wrap on the counter for up to 4 days, or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
This is the BEST lemon bundt cake recipe – hope you enjoy it!
More Lemon Desserts you may like
- Vegan Cranberry Cake
- Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
- Strawberry Breakfast Cake
- Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake with Blood Oranges
Watch how to make Lemon Bundt Cake
After you try this Lemon Bundt Cake recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
Vegan Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 10–12 1x
- Category: Vegan Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Northwest
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A delicious, easy, one-bowl Lemon Bundt Cake recipe made with coconut milk, drizzled with a tangy lemon glaze. Vegan with a video.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup sugar (see notes)
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk (13.5–14 oz) (or sub 1 1/4 cups yogurt or sour cream)
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest, don’t skimp
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 Meyer lemons) or use regular lemons
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (or sub Bob’s Red Mill GF flour blend)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Prepare the pan. Grease and flour a bunt pan, really, really well, getting all the nooks and crannies.
- Cake Batter. In a large bowl (or a stand mixer), whisk sugar, oil, coconut milk, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coconut. Fold in gently, stirring minimally.
- Bake on Middle Rack. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean and internal temp reaches 200F. (You could also make these into cupcakes, filling 2/3- 3/4 full and baking for 20-25 mins ). Cupcakes will bake faster – in either case, check by inserting a skewer or toothpick; if it comes out clean, it’s done.
- Make the optional Lemon Glaze. Alternatively, you could sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Cool. Let the cake cool 20-30 minutes before inverting. Carefully slide a thin knife gently down the sides to loosen. Invert the bundt cake by placing a big plate (or cake plate) over the bundt cake, then invert both. Firmly tap the bottom of the bundt pan a few times to release.
- Drizzle the top of the cake with the lemon glaze. Sprinkle with toasted coconut before the glaze sets so the coconut sticks.
Notes
Sugar: If planning to use the lemon glaze, you could cut back the sugar in the cake by ¼ cup.
Store the cake at room temperature, lightly covered, for up to 3 days on the kitchen counter, or refrigerate 7-10 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
This recipe was originally from Epicurean Vegan, who got it from Veganomics, with some slight changes. You can swap out the coconut milk for whole milk yogurt or sour cream- obviously not vegan. 😉
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 416
- Sugar: 33.4 g
- Sodium: 364.9 mg
- Fat: 19.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 58.7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
On the home front. Lately, I have been receiving all sorts of gifts. Words filled with wisdom, chance encounters, and simple acts of kindness have left me feeling humbled. Gestures so unexpected and thoughtful they reach straight to my heart and squeeze.
I have been thinking about this lately, how the smallest gestures can make the biggest impact in our day and in our lives. I admit I am not always good at this. But all around me, examples keep pouring in, of how to be better, of how to love better.
When I was growing up, there was this magnet on our fridge that lived in the same spot for probably 30 years. My mom put it there after a trip to Finland. It is a Finnish saying…
I cannot tell you how many times I had looked at this without actually seeing it. A few years ago when I was helping my mom pack up and move here, I finally asked her what it meant. She translated it to: You can not teach someone to love, you must show them.
My whole life, she had been quietly showing me. Never preaching, never talking about it. Showing me. What is the lesson that stands patiently in front of us every day? Sometimes lessons are born of suffering. These always get our attention, don’t they? Learn this now… or you will suffer more. HA!
But lately, I have found that life is generous with us, too, offering lessons born of others’ kindness. The simplest words, empathy, encouragement, or even something as simple as a smile. And the interesting thing is how often the universe taps us on the shoulder and invites us to participate in loving, most often in the smallest ways. Sometimes I feel these are the most important of all. It is only when I am present that I hear the invitation. When someone else is kind to me, it reminds me that I, too, can be kind. We learn from each other, don’t we? Share this cake with someone you love this weekend. -xo Sylvia
My new favorite cake!
I have allergies to coconut. Do you think it would be ok to use oat milk instead of the coconut cream and leave out the shredded coconut?
I haven’t tried replacing it, so not sure how it would turn out. My fear is that it would stick to the bundt pan. It might need more “fat” than oat milk, so maybe up the oil.
Made this with regular lemons and it turned out lovely! Thank you for the recipe!
I made this cake with my meyer lemons and after 24 hours, it is gone! Everyone loved it. One small change is that I subbed a can of coconut cream for the coconut milk. It wasn’t intentional. It’s what I had at the moment and it turned out fine. So moist and dense. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and the story.
Haha! Love it.
I swapped the sugar with 1 1/4 cup pure maple syrup and the olive oil with sunflower oil, came out delicious! Wonderful flavors and so moist!
Thank you!
this was sweet enough for me without the glaze so I left it out. I also used orange zest because I didn’t have fresh lemons and I love that extra orange kick it added. This is a perfect lemon bundt cake and I will definitely make it again.
Hi what if I only have sweetened coconut, will that work? And I adjust the sugar?
Thanks
Hi, haven’t tried this with sweetened, so am not positive, but I bet it would work. I would keep the sugar the same, or just slightly less.
Can i replace the coconut milk with regular milk? I really really want to make this recipe!
Hi Angela, I haven’t tried this with regular milk. Coconut milk is much thicker with a higher fat content, so not sure how well regular milk would work??
Can I make ahead and freeze before glazing?
I have tried freezing this, but. I don’t see why not.
SUPERB! I used an ornate bundt pan twice. The cake did not release as clean as I hoped. Next time I will use a simpler pan or cuocakes. It really was delicious!
Can you use lemon extract instead of juice?
I think it may affect the recipe, liquid ratio-wise.
Hi – can this be made with maple syrup instead of sugar? If so, how much would you use? Thank you. This looks really good and I’d love to make it (I also like your sweet story above).
Hi Ana- it probably could but all the ratios would change and I’m afraid your cake would not turn out without some major tweaking.
I made this for my sons friend, who is vegan, and is heading off to college. I made the cupcake version (saved a few for my family) and they were delicious! I already had all of the ingredients in my pantry and the recipe was super easy to make. Whenever I tell my family I am making one of Sylvia’s recipes they know it’s going to be yummy:)
Thanks Sylvia. Your recipes never disappoint!
Awesome! Glad you liked this! 🙌
The best cake ever. Made it for my daughter’s birthday. The whole family loved it and it was so easy. Thank you so much for your receipes. I have tried some of the others and they are wonderful and so healthy. I don’t post anything.
thanks so much Nancy- glad you enjoyed it and really appreciate you commenting. 🙂
I made this but omitted the shredded coconut. My cake did not rise much and tasted a bit flat – the batter tasted great and lemony, but the cake was pretty bland. Could the omission of coconut have impacted the rise, or did something else go wrong? is there a reason the flavor didn’t pop out after baking?
The coconut really helps the flavor. Is it possible you left out the salt?
I’m not much of a baker, so I am wondering if I can replace one cup of all purpose flour with whole wheat pastry?
yes!
Could I use avocado oil instead?
Yes, it would work… would you be ok with the flavor?
This cake looks so good but I’ve tried it twice exactly like this recipe and both times came out really bad, the first time the outer layer came out super hard and the inside really sweet, almost made my teeth ache. The second time I tried less sugar but again the outer layer came out super hard and the inside almost raw. Not sure what’s bro working
Hummmmm. Sorry about that. Something is not right- the cake should not be overly sweet? What kind of sugar are you using?
I had the same result as Yolanda. I’ve read the recipe million times. Can’t figure out what went wrong. I made cupcakes . The middle of the cupcakes flopped and was like pudding. The outer layer was hard. What acts as a binder in this recipe? Am I suppose to use an egg replacer ?
Hi sorry about that. So frustrating. There is no egg placer here – just baking soda and baking powder. Sometimes (rarely though) these can lose their “lift” if old? Also wondering, could it be an oven temp problem? An overly hot oven?
Wow just made this and it’s delicious! I was worried as I was adding all that olive oil to the batter that it would taste olive oily but it bakes really well with the fresh lemon juice. And I just used regular lemons. Can’t wait to serve it to friends tonight!
Excellent! I made with regular lemons and I drizzled with coconut icing to emphasize the coconut in the cake. Super moist and tender. I’ll be making this again for sure.
Perfect!
Made this tonight as cupcakes, so light, fluffy, moist and yummy! Thanks for the recipe
Love this recipe I am making it for a colleagues birthday tomorrow. I must have made it a dozen times. Always comes out really well. I love to drizzle lemony icing over it. Great cake for transporting into work too 🙂
I can only find ‘normal’ lemons but they work too
They do work too! Glad you like this!
Can you replace the all purpoe flour with other type of flour?
I haven’t tried this…has anyone else out there used a GF flour blend?
Absolutely delicious! Made it with GF flour and turned out great! It was a bit dry, but still yummy!
Had extra Meyer lemons on hand and was on the hunt for an egg- and dairy-free recipe. Thanks for this!! I think mine was a tad underbaked, even after an hour and a few minutes, but only a bit of the cake stuck to the pan. Taste is phenomenal. If I want to store it, is airtight container at room temperature okay?
Yes, that is perfect!
This is my most favorite cake. Whomever I serve this cake to, they love it.
Wonder if it would work as muffins.
Im so glad you like this- yes, I’ ve made them as muffins ( using muffin liner papers) and they work great!