lemon spice cake

This recipe comes courtesy of one of my wonderful readers, Diana. I was intrigued by this recipe for multiple reasons. I remember when I was a teenager I had found a recipe similar to this in a cookbook from the 1950's. I was intrigued by it then (and baked it) and I'm intrigued by it now! Why is this recipe so unique? It's EGGLESS, has only 1 Tbsp of fat and doesn't require a mixer. Score!

So, for all of you vegans out there, this can easily be made into a VEGAN lemon spice cake by using vegetable shorting or oil for the fat. The texture is not exactly like regular cake because it doesn't have the egg but for a low fat, vegan treat, it's pretty amazing!! Surprisingly moist and flavorful!

Yeah, it still has a ton of sugar but, eh... you gotta pick your battles.

The original recipe that Diana sent me uses lemon extract but I had none so I used the zest from a lemon instead. It turned out really good although I'm sure the lemon extract would have had more of a punch. If you want to use lemon extract, just add 1 tsp when you add the butter and cider vinegar.

Thanks again for the recipe, Diana! It turned out fantastic!





Total Recipe cost: $1.32
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Cost per serving: $0.17
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 40 min. Total: 50 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1.5 cups	all-purpose flour	$0.14
1 cup	granulated sugar	$0.16
1 tsp	baking soda	$0.05
1 tsp	cinnamon	$0.05
1 tsp	ground ginger	$0.05
1/2 tsp	nutmeg	$0.03
1/2 tsp	ground cloves	$0.03
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.02
1 med	lemon	$0.50
1 Tbsp	vegetable shortening, oil or butter	$0.09
1 tsp	apple cider vinegar	$0.02
1 cup	water	$0.00
1 cup	powdered sugar	$0.18
TOTAL		$1.32

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, cloves and lemon zest. Stir until everything is well combined.

STEP 2: Make two wells in the dry ingredients and place the cider vinegar in one and shortening,oil or butter in the other (melt the shortening or butter first). Pour the water over everything and stir just until everything is wet. There may still be lumps but that is okay, just make sure there are no large pockets of dry stuff on the bottom.

STEP 3: Pour the batter into a loaf pan or 8x8 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The batter will be more shallow in a square baking dish and will therefore cook faster than in a loaf pan. Keep an eye on the top, if it starts to crack, it is probably done. Let cool on a wire rack.

STEP 4: While the cake is cooling, make the lemon glaze. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl and stir in the juice from the lemon. Depending on how much juice is in your lemon, you may not need all of it. Wait until the cake has cooled before pouring on the glaze or else the heat will cause the glaze to slide right off.

Placing parchment paper or foil under the wire rack before glazing will help with clean up.

Step By Step Photos

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, cloves and lemon zest. Stir until combined.


Make two wells in the dry ingredients and add the cider vinegar to one and the melted shortening or oil to the other. Pour one cup of water over top and stir just until combined.


There may still be lumps but that is okay, you don't want to over stir. Just make sure there are no large pockets of dry material.


You can either bake this in an 8x8 dish and then cut into square or bake in a loaf pan and slice. I don't have an 8x8 dish so I used a loaf pan. The batter will be shallower in the 8x8 dish and you will probably only need to bake for about 30 minutes. In the loaf pan it was deeper so mine needed to bake for about 40 minutes.



Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. A good indicator that the cake is cooked through is when small cracks appear on the top. If the top is still indented slightly, that means some of the batter is still liquid.


While the cake is cooling, prepare the lemon glaze. Place the powdered sugar in a bowl and then add the juice from the lemon. Stir until it is a smooth glaze.


Wait until the cake has cooled, place parchment or foil under the wire rack and then pour the glaze over top.