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Vegan frosted lemon cake

Whether you’re vegan by choice or intolerant to dairy foods and eggs, finding cakes that both work and taste good can be tricky. It’s certainly not impossible, though, as this cake proves with its intense lemony flavour and a soft, light crumb that is just as good as anything made with butter or eggs. For the icing I’ve used a soya spread, which works wonderfully when sweetened and thickened with the icing sugar. You could use any other citrus fruits to flavour this cake as well (see the variations).

Prep time: 20 minutes

Baking time: 45–50 minutes

Ready in: 1 hour 45 minutes

Serves: 8–12

450g (1lb) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

300g (11oz) caster sugar

125ml (4½fl oz) sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing

Finely grated zest of 3 lemons

Juice of 3 lemons plus enough water to make 300ml (½ pint)

For the frosting

175g (6oz) soya spread

500g (1lb 2oz) icing sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp lemon juice

23cm (9in) diameter cake tin with 6cm (2½in) sides

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F), Gas mark 3. Grease the sides of the cake tin with sunflower oil and dust with flour, then line the base with a disc of baking parchment.

Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and mix in the sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together all the remaining ingredients. Add these to the dry ingredients and stir well until the mixture comes together.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45–50 minutes or until springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Using a small, sharp knife, loosen around the edges, then carefully remove the cake from the tin and leave on a wire rack to finish cooling.

As the cake cools, make the frosting. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer. Using either a hand-held electric beater or the food mixer, whisk on full speed for 2–3 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Once the cake is cool, use a bread knife to slice it horizontally in half. Place the bottom half of the cake, cut side up, on a cake plate or stand, then spread over some of the frosting, to about 5mm (¼in) thick. Place the top half of the cake on top, cut side down, then spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.

Vegan frosted orange cake

Make up the cake in the same way, substituting the lemons with the zest and juice of three oranges (with the juice topped up to 300ml/½ pint with water, if necessary) and reducing the sugar to 275g (10oz).

Vegan frosted lime cake

Follow the recipe as above, substituting the lemons with the zest and juice of four limes (with the juice topped up to 300ml/½ pint with water, if necessary).