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Vegan Red Velvet Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

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Servings 12 slices or cupcakes

Ingredients
  

Cake Ingredients:

  • 2 cups All-Purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
  • 1 cup Granulated Sugar (I remove about 2 Tablespoons from the cup due to living in high altitude)
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar)
  • 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (1Tablespoon of Lemon Juice + non-dairy milk to equal 1 cup total)
  • ½ cup Canola Oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • Red Food Coloring (optional)

Frosting Ingredients:

  • ½ cup Vegan Butter (i.e. Earth Balance)
  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
  • 3-4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
  • 4- 4½ cups Confectioner's Sugar (Powdered Sugar)

Instructions
 

Make the cake/cupcakes:

  • In a 1 cup measuring cup, place 1 Tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice, then fill the measuring cup with almond milk (or other plant based milk) up to the 1 cup line. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to curdle.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 350° F (180° C).
  • Spray three 6-inch cake pans with non-stick spray. Or add cupcake liners to a 12-cup muffin pan.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the buttermilk milk, sugar, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract (and red food coloring, if using). Mix until well combined.
  • Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth and no lumps of flour remain. (but don't overmix)
  • Spoon the batter into prepared cake pans or cupcake liners.
  • Bake about 20 minutes or until the cake/cupcakes spring back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Allow the cakes to cook on a wire rack.
  • Frost with Lemon Buttercream Frosting.

To make the frosting:

  • Zest a large lemon. Then juice the lemon; set the juice aside.
  • Add the vegan butter and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Mix on medium to medium-high speed until thoroughly combined.
  • Add 4 cups of confectioner's sugar to the bowl, and start the mixer on low to combine the sugar & butter.
  • Add the lemon juice a tablespoon at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency.
  • Taste the frosting- if it's too tart (or if the frosting is too soft of a texture), then add in the last remaining ½ cup of confectioner's sugar, and beat at medium-high speed until smooth.
  • Optional: At this point, I change from the paddle attachment to the whisk attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer. I turn the mixer on to high & beat the frosting for 2-3 minutes to help whip air into the frosting. IMO, it makes for a lighter & less sweet frosting.

Notes

  •   I usually make my vegan buttermilk first before even starting to mix any of my ingredients together since it needs to sit for about 10 minutes to curdle.  
  • I've also made this cake with just almond milk (and not adding lemon juice to make Vegan Buttermilk).  It turned out just fine with only almond milk.  In fact, one of my best textured cupcake batches was made with only almond milk- and not vegan buttermilk. 
  • I always remove at least 2 Tablespoons of sugar per Cup in my recipes- as cutting back the sugar helps with texture if you live in a high-altitude area (>5,000 feet).   
  • Do not overmix this batter- I think it tends to make the cake tough. Mix as little as possible to keep the crumb soft and tender.