I LOVE lemon poppyseed cake! It is one of my absolute favorite cakes to make. Here’s my veganized version of  Jamie Oliver‘s “My Nan’s lemon drizzle cake”. 

Serves 8-10

1 stick earth balance natural shortening butter – softened (stick it in the microwave!)

1/3 cup sugar

Instead of four eggs use:

2 ripe bananas – mashed (equals 2 eggs)

3 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer plus 4 tablespoons warm water (equals 2 eggs)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3-4 tablespoons of maple syrup

1 1/2 cups ground almonds

1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

zest and juice of 2 lemons 

1 1/2 cup of self-rising flour, sifted

for the lemon syrup:

less than 1/4 cup superfine sugar

7 tablespoons lemon juice

for the lemon icing:

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

zest and juice of 1 lemon

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and line the bottom and sides of an 8 inch springform  cake pan with wax paper or use a non-stick Springform Pan Set from The Pampered Chef. This is what I happen to have and use. I love it! Easy to clean & use! Using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar for a while. Add the ripe bananas a little at a time, mix them in well. Then add the premixed Ener-G Egg replacer and water, along with the maple syrup. Mix that all together well. Next add the baking powder & baking soda. Add the ground almonds, poppy seeds, lemon zest and juice along with the sifted flour.

Spoon the mix into the prepared cake pan and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden. You can check to see if the cake is cooked by poking a toothpick right into it. Remove after 5 seconds and if it comes out clean the cake is baked; if slightly sticky the cake needs a little longer, so back in the oven it goes!

Allow the cake to cool on the rack…and don’t drool on it! (Jamie didn’t write that – I did!) Make your lemon syrup by heating the sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved – I just put it in the microwave for a few minutes. While the cake is still warm, make lots of little holes in the top with a toothpick and pour your syrup over. (YUM! YUM!)

To make the icing, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and add the lemon zest and juice, stirring until smooth. When your cake is almost cool, put it on a serving plate and pour the icing carefully over the top. If you pour it on to  the middle of the cake then let gravity disperse the icing down the sides, you get the ‘drizzle’ effect!

Enjoy the cake! I think you’ll love it! Let me know…I love the look people get on their faces after they have taken that first mouthful…the look of pure pleasure! It’s delightful!