This simple lime drizzle cake recipe comes together with everyday ingredients that create a buttery, light, and zesty citrus drizzle cake. Topped with a delicious zingy lime glaze, this easy vegan poke cake is suitable for novice bakers and seasoned pros alike.
Prepare: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Lightly grease an 8" loaf tin and place a sling of parchment paper into it to help lift out the cake once baked.
Add the soy milk, lemon juice, and lime juice to a small bowl, stir, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. This will create a vegan buttermilk mixture.
Flavor the sugar: Add the sugar and lime zest to a large mixing bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar.
Cream the sugar and butter: Add the room-temperature butter and use an electric whisk or stand mixer to whisk for 2-3 minutes until light and airy.
Mix the wet ingredients: Whisk in the olive oil, followed by the yogurt, and vanilla. Then add the vegan buttermilk mixture, and whisk again.
Add the dry ingredients: Add the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl with the wet ingredients in 2-3 parts - use a spatula to carefully fold through each increment until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
Bake: Transfer the cake batter to the prepared loaf pan. Cut thin strips of vegan butter and place them down the center of the loaf, this will help the loaf to crack in the center once it bakes (*see notes). Bake for 40-45 mins. (Move on to the next step and make the syrup while the cake bakes)
Make the lime syrup: In a small bowl whisk together the sugar and lime juice.
Poke and drizzle: Check the cake is ready by inserting a knife or toothpick into it, which should come out clean. Once the cake is baked, immediately pierce it several times with a bamboo skewer while still hot. Then drizzle the lime syrup all over the surface of the cake.Allow the cake to cool in the tin completely for an hour.
Make the glaze: Meanwhile, add the powdered sugar and lime juice to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
Glaze the cake: Once the cake has cooled, run a knife around the edges to loosen the edges if needed, then carefully lift it out of the tin.Place a sheet of parchment paper under the cooling rack to catch any icing. Either pour the glaze on top of the cake as is, or transfer the glaze to a piping bag and neatly drizzle it over the top.
Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze this cake in an airtight container and defrost it a couple of hours before serving.
Notes
Use organic sugar to ensure that it's vegan if you live in the US.
While we aren’t using the lemon zest in this lime cake recipe, use a rasp to grate it off before juicing your lemons. If you don’t have an immediate use for it, rub it into sugar or salt to help preserve it.
Don’t overmix the batter. As soon as there are no visible streaks of the dry ingredients, STOP. This will help ensure your cake comes out light and fluffy.