Lemon and ginger drizzle cake - this incredible vegan cake is a fiery twist on a classic lemon drizzle.
The cake is soft, moist and tender with a lemony flavour and a hint of spicy ginger, soaked in tangy lemon syrup and dotted with chunks of stem ginger. This delicious cake is a real crowd pleaser and is sure to become a favourite!

As much as I love an impressive layer cake; for general every day cake eating you can't beat a simple lemon drizzle loaf cake. It is fairly plain, but gloriously so; damp and sticky yet light, with a sharp lemon tang and a slightly crunchy crust.
I added a bit of a ginger kick to mine - not too much, the lemon should be the predominant flavour, but enough to take it beyond the standard lemon drizzle and add a subtle warmth and depth of flavour.
I like my lemon cakes to be intensely lemony, so I used both zest and lemon juice in the batter, topped it with extra sugared zest and then gave it a generous drenching of lemon syrup; there may seem to be an awful lot of syrup, but it soaks it all up, leaving it beautifully moist and strongly flavoured.
This is a simple cake to make, but incredibly satisfying, best enjoyed with a cup of tea. Because it is so moist it keeps incredibly well, and actually even tastes better after it has had a couple of days to mature.
Ingredient Details:
Lemons: You will need both lemon zest and juice so make sure that you buy unwaxed lemons. Don't use bottled lemon juice instead, the flavour is not as good.
Stem ginger and ground ginger: Stem ginger is preserved ginger root in sugar syrup. Most supermarkets in the UK sell it and you can also make your own. If you are unable to get hold of any then you can use crystallised/candied ginger instead and just omit the ginger syrup from the drizzle.
Plant milk: You can use any kind you like but it should ideally be unsweetened and soy milk is best as it has the highest protein content.
Non-dairy yogurt: I love using plant yogurt in vegan cakes, it is a great egg replacer and keeps the cake moist as well as adding flavour.
Either soy or coconut yogurt will work, ideally unsweetened. I haven't tested any substitutes for the yogurt I'm afraid but you could probably get away with just using more milk instead.
Ground almonds: Adding some ground almonds (almond flour) helps to keep the cake moist and give it a lovely texture. You can use more flour instead if you don't want to use nuts.
Vegan butter: Either block or spreadable is fine but don’t use a ‘light’ variety. I used Flora plant butter.
Olive oil: I like to use olive oil but you can swap it for another neutral oil if you prefer.
Self-raising flour: I use self-raising (self-rising) flour as that is what I used in my old (non-vegan) recipe that I adapted this cake from. You could try using plain flour plus 3 teaspoons of baking powder if you don't have any self-raising.
Sugar: Caster or granulated sugar is best. Do not use sweeteners or liquid sugars instead.
How To Make Lemon And Ginger Drizzle Cake:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Step 1: Whisk together the melted butter, oil, sugar, lemon zest and juice, milk and yogurt in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add the flour, ground almonds, ground ginger and a pinch of salt and stir with a balloon whisk until fully combined, stir in the chopped stem ginger.
Step 3: Pour the batter into a lined 2lb loaf tin and bake for 1 hour.
Step 4: Rub the lemon zest and granulated sugar together in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 5: Put the lemon juice, stem ginger syrup and sugar into a small saucepan and bring up to a simmer, simmer for 30 seconds.
Step 6: Poke holes all over the top of the warm cake with a skewer. Sprinkle over the sugar and zest mixture, then drizzle over the syrup.
Top Tips:
As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Make sure that you buy unwaxed lemons as the wax used is not usually vegan and probably isn't good to eat anyway!
Be careful not to over-beat the batter as that can make the cake tough, just stir it by hand with a balloon whisk (not an electric mixer) until no dry lumps remain.
The cake is ready when it is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
FAQ's:
The cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
Yes this lemon and ginger drizzle cake freezes really well, either whole or in slices. Make sure that it has cooled completely before freezing and wrap it well to prevent freezer burn. Allow to defrost at room temperature to serve.
Yes, simply omit both the ground and stem ginger to make a classic vegan lemon drizzle cake.
Stem ginger is a common baking ingredient in the UK but I am not sure about the rest of the world! You can use crystallised/candied ginger instead (which is dry sugared ginger rather than in syrup), and just omit the ginger syrup from the drizzle.
More Vegan Lemon Cakes:
- Gluten-free vegan lemon drizzle cake
- Lemon blueberry polenta cake
- Vegan lemon pound cake
- Vegan lemon poppy seed cake
- Lemon elderflower almond pudding
- Ultimate vegan lemon drizzle cake
- Vegan semolina cake
- Vegan lemon almond cake with coconut cream and macerated strawberries
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Lemon And Ginger Drizzle Cake (vegan)
Ingredients
Cake
- 90 g (6 Tablespoons) vegan butter melted
- 80 g (6 Tablespoons) neutral oil
- 200 g (1 cup) caster or granulated sugar
- finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
- 75 g (5 Tablespoons) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 120 g (½ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 75 g (⅓ cup) plain non-dairy yogurt (I use soy)
- 325 g (2 ½ cups + 2 Tablespoons) self-raising flour
- 25 g (¼ cup) ground almonds (almond flour)
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- pinch salt
- 5 balls (100g) stem ginger (plus extra for decorating) chopped
Topping
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 15 g (1 rounded Tablespoon) caster or granulated sugar
- juice of 1 lemon (50g)
- 2 Tablespoons syrup from the jar of stem ginger
- 50 g (¼ cup) caster or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a 2lb loaf tin and line with greaseproof paper.
- Whisk together the melted butter, oil, sugar, lemon zest and juice, milk and yogurt in a large bowl.
- Add the flour, ground almonds, ground ginger and a pinch of salt and stir with a balloon whisk until fully combined, Gently stir in the chopped stem ginger.
- Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for about 60 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- While the cake is cooking prepare the topping. Rub the lemon zest and granulated sugar together in a small bowl and set aside. Put the lemon juice, stem ginger syrup and sugar into a small saucepan and bring up to a simmer, simmer for 30 seconds then remove from the heat.
- Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes then poke holes all over the top with a skewer. Sprinkle over the sugar and zest mixture, then drizzle over the syrup, try and make sure that the whole cake gets an even dousing. Leave the cake to cool in the tin before slicing. You can top it with extra chopped stem ginger if you like.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Lauren @ Create Bake Make
You are so right, sometimes the simple classic cakes are the best! I love a good strong lemon cake too and this looks delicious 🙂 Thank you for linking up with us for Fabulous Foodie Fridays, have a great weekend!
Carrie - Time to be an Adult
Looks yummy and I've got serious crockery envy too!
hannahhossack
Thank you! It's a combination of my grandmother's wedding china and some charity shop finds 🙂
patisseriemakesperfect
A classic with a twist. I love lemon drizzle cake, but I've never thought of adding ginger. I love the tea setting for this cake, it's perfect.
hannahhossack
My partner drinks a lot of lemon and ginger tea, so I just wanted to make a cake with the flavours of his favourite tea! I've been rummaging through my parents cupboards and nicking my grandmother's china for props 😛 x
scorpiotiger
Came across this recipe when looking for a 'lemon & ginger' cake recipe for an office day (I normally work from home and generally take a cake in when we have infrequent office days). One's planned for 21 March 2017 & when I asked what people wanted, they came up with the idea of lemon & ginger...
They'd always liked my Lemon Drizzle Cake & a Sticky Dark Ginger Cake had gone down well in the past (I always double the ground ginger from my original recipe & add chopped crystallised ginger to the batter) but didn't have a recipe for Lemon & Ginger so started hunting...
I've now found a few - most seem to be a variation on Lemon Drizzle, but found an interesting one with sour cream in the mix - might be worth a try some time...
I'm going to sort of adapt my normal Lemon Drizzle recipe to accommodate the ginger and see how it comes out 🙂
Loving the china for the staging of the photos for this one Hannah 🙂
I had a beautiful 18th century bone china trio that looks rather like the central cup & saucer in your main image, but sadly it got damaged & the saucer is now in 2 pieces (argghhhh!!!)
Somehow, old bone china seems to show cakes off to their best 🙂
Julie is Hostess At Heart
What a beautiful cake! I love the idea of pairing ginger and lemon, and this cake looks so moist and tender!
hannahhossack
Thanks Julie, it is beautifully moist - I poured quite a lot of syrup over it!
Girl and the Kitchen
I love your little tea time set up! So fabulous! And yes sometimes a simple lemon cake is all one needs 🙂
hannahhossack
Thank you 🙂 I wish I was the kind of person who regularly made pots of tea and drank from an elegant china teacup but unfortunately they only ever come out to be used as props...
immaculatebites
Love everything about this cake, especially the tight crumb texture- so appealing. I can just picture myself having a slice with with a cup of tea.
hannahhossack
Thank you 🙂
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
You're so right, a simple straight forward, unadulterated bake often is better than a fussy OTT cake. I love lemon cake, but never tried it with ginger, I shall have to give this a whirl.
Angela x
hannahhossack
Yes and you can eat more of it as it isn't piled up with sweet icing! 😛 x
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
Looks delicious! I'm also a sucker for lots of lemon 🙂
hannahhossack
Thank you 🙂
lucyparissi
This looks like a hug in cake form. Although I partial to the amazing layered cakes you make so effortlessly this looks like such a lovely homely treat. Perfect with a cup of tea and a friendly chat.
hannahhossack
Thanks Lucy 🙂 While I really enjoy making huge layer cakes, I think it is the simple cakes that I most enjoy eating. x
milkandbun
Beautiful presentation!
hannahhossack
Thank you!
dishofdailylife
What a yummy treat! I love any kind of dessert with lemon. Your recipes always leave me wanting dessert!
hannahhossack
Ha ha! Thanks Michelle 🙂
Laura
Anything lemon is ok with me! This looks delicious!
hannahhossack
Thank you 🙂
Lili
Looks delicious! Love lemon and ginger combinations... yum! 🙂
hannahhossack
Thanks Lili 🙂
Johanne Lamarche
One of my favorite flavor combinations. Love the drizzle on top!
hannahhossack
Thanks Johanne 🙂
Arlene
Can you substitute the ginger syrup with ordinary syrup?
hannahhossack
You can just omit it, or replace with extra lemon juice
Lucy Bishop
Oooh Lemon & Ginger is such a winning combo! Lush. Your food photography is insane, love it! 🙂 Do you photograph in natural night, or with a professional light? Really stunning images. I'm popping over from #TastyTuesdays linky x
hannahhossack
Thanks Lucy 🙂 I only ever use natural light, I have a large window in the kitchen which I photograph in front of, occasionally using a thin white sheet to diffuse the light if it is a bright day x
Beckie
Oooh, I like the idea of adding in ginger to a lemon drizzle - I wouldn't have thought of that. Thanks for linking to #cookblogshare r.
hannahhossack
It works really well, I love the lemon and ginger combination 🙂
carolinescookingblog
I agree, lemon drizzle cake is one of the best and I love the idea of ginger in there as well. Two flavors that have a great zing. Delicious!
hannahhossack
Thanks Caroline 🙂
NotCarolyn (@CarlynKB)
Hi - I have never seen a recipe with ginger mixed in, I love lemon and can't wait to try your recipe. Thanks for sharing.
With a smile, Carlyn 🙂
hannahhossack
Thanks Carlyn, I hope you enjoy it!
Honest mum
Lemon drizzle is one of my classic favourites and adding ginger is genius, the perfect flavour combination. Drooly picture. Haha-drooly, is that even a word?! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x