It’s just a really good vegan lemon loaf! Lots of lemon zest worked into cane sugar offers so much bright and zesty citrus flavor. Really rubbing the zest into the sugar is the most important step in this recipe. Non-dairy yogurt (I prefer coconut-based) and sunflower oil make each slice super moist and bouncy. A slice with a coconut cashew matcha latte is just SO pleasant.

This is a pretty straightforward recipe. Once you’ve worked the lemon zest and sugar, it’s a simple matter of whisking wet and dry ingredients separately, and then combining them. The finished cake is outstanding on its own! A treat in every sense of the word.

Knowing how easily the lemon loaf itself came together, I wanted to go a bit fancy with the glaze. A simple lemon juice and powdered sugar mixture would have been fine, but I wanted to incorporate a little trick that I’ve done before with sweets to give our loaf a little something extra.

Cooking and mashing strawberries in a pan on the stove with a touch of water gives you the most incredibly beautiful, deep red “juice.” Whisking this potent liquid into powdered sugar (along with lemon juice) gives a tart and tangy edge to the glaze along with a gorgeous color. I also add a pinch of sumac to bump up the lemony brightness even further.

The combination of citrusy and mellow cake with that nectarous glaze… it just embodies the energy of early spring days. Bright and beautiful!

Tender Vegan Lemon Loaf with Strawberry Sumac Glaze

Soft and fluffy crumbed vegan lemon loaf that's perfectly sweet with a tangy strawberry sumac glaze. Perfect for spring baking!

5 from 3 reader reviews

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings 1 8×4 loaf

Ingredients

Lemon Loaf

• 1 cup (198 grams) cane sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ cup (120 mL) plain vegan yogurt
• ½ cup (120 mL) unsweetened soy milk
• ½ cup (120 mL) sunflower oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons (248 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Strawberry Sumac Tahini Glaze

• 1 cup (114 grams) powdered sugar
• 3-4 strawberries, stems removed and chopped
• ½ teaspoon sumac
• ¼ cup (60 mL) water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon tahini, optional

Notes

• For the dairy-free yogurt, I recommend using a thick one with a decent amount of fat that tastes tangy and delicious on its own. Here in Canada, my go-to brands are Yoggu and Simpla.
• I like using the small amount of tahini in the glaze because I find that the contrasting earthy/slightly bitter flavor really works here. 
• You could also do a simple lemon glaze! Just combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Instructions

Make the lemon loaf

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8×4 loaf tin with parchment.
• In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers, rub the zest through the sugar until very fragrant. Really get in there! Then, add the lemon juice, yogurt, soy milk, sunflower oil, and vanilla. Whisk to combine, breaking up any yogurt lumps.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to evenly mix. Then, add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir everything together until you have a thick batter. Try to avoid over mixing.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake until golden brown, slightly puffed up, and the internal temperature is around 200°F, around 45-50 minutes. Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the strawberry sumac glaze

• Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl.
• Add the strawberries, sumac and water to a small skillet and place it over medium heat. Once the strawberries start to soften and let off juice, gently mash them with a spatula. If the liquid is evaporating too quickly in the pan, just add additional splashes of water. Once the strawberries are mushy and you have about 2 tablespoons of liquid in the pan, take them off the heat to cool slightly.
• Run the strawberries through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pushing down on the strawberries with a spatula to get as much liquid as you can.
• Measure out 2 tablespoons of the strawberry liquid into the bowl with the powdered sugar. Then, add the lemon juice and tahini. Use a whisk to slowly bring the mixture together until you have a thick, but still fluid, glaze.

Glaze the lemon loaf

• Remove the cooled lemon loaf from the pan and place it directly on the wire rack. Spoon the glaze evenly over the loaf, spreading it with the back of the spoon. Let the glaze set before slicing and serving.

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Dessert, Snack

Diet: Vegan

Keyword: lemon loaf vegan, vegan lemon loaf