This incredibly easy lime drizzle cake has a zesty moist crumb and is topped with a sweet yet tart drizzle of simple lime icing. For some extra tropical flavor, you can add in some shredded coconut! The flavors in this loaf cake will have you feeling spring vibes in no time.
why you’ll love this lime drizzle cake
Winter citrus season means that there’s always a pile of some kind of citrus in my fridge, whether that’s clementines, lemons, or limes.
- In-season Citrus: This recipe is awesome if you’ve stockpiled some citrus and you need to use it up before it goes bad! You can even switch up this recipe and use lemons to make a lemon drizzle cake.
- Fresh Limes: This lime drizzle cake uses lots of fresh lime juice and zest for the best tart lime flavor.
- 1 bowl wonder: I love that this recipe uses 1 bowl and it takes under an hour from start to finish (and most of that time is for baking!).
why this recipe works
This easy lime cake is also naturally dairy-free and egg-free, but it doesn’t use any strange or hard-to-find ingredients! The cake batter uses oil (or you could substitute melted plant butter) for the fat and applesauce as the egg replacer.
Applesauce serves as a fantastic egg replacer in this cake, plus it adds some extra moisture. This vegan lime cake recipe is actually adapted from my eggless apple cake which also uses applesauce as the egg replacer!
the ingredients
This cake only uses a hand full of ingredients that are hopefully already in your pantry. Today, I’m using fresh limes for both the lime juice and zest in the cake. If you don’t have enough limes to get 1/2 a cup of juice, you could totally substitute the difference with lemon juice to make a zesty lemon-lime drizzle cake instead.
You’ll need to gather the following ingredients to make this cake:
- Vegetable Oil, or melted vegan butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Unsweetened Applesauce
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Soda + Powder
- All Purpose Flour
- Limes, juice and zest
- Shredded or Desiccated Coconut, optional
For the lime drizzle you’ll need the following:
- Lime Juice
- Powdered Sugar or Icing Sugar
Add-ins or Variations:
- Lemon Zest or Another Citrus
- Golden Caster Sugar: instead of granulated white sugar
- Coconut Sugar: instead of granulated white sugar
- All-Purpose Gluten-free Flour: sub 1 for 1 with the all-purpose flour to make the loaf gluten free
Helpful Equipment
This cake recipe makes 1 8.5 x 4.5″ loaf cake. You could also make this recipe into muffins, or mini loaves. The baking time will need to be decreased (see the notes section of the recipe card below).
Below are some suggested tools to make the best lime drizzle cake:
- Digital Kitchen Scale: to measure all the ingredients accurately
- 8.5 x 4.5″ Loaf Pan
- Measuring Cups or Scoops
- Fine Sieve or Sifter: for sifting the dry ingredients
- Citrus Juicer: to get the most juice out of the limes as possible
- Microplane: to zest the limes
Step-By-Step Instructions
*Video Tutorial is Above the Recipe Card*
The prep time for this cake is super fast. It only takes about 10 minutes to mix the batter together. The longest portion of this recipe is waiting for it to bake! This lime loaf cake takes around 40 minutes to bake all the way through and to get perfectly golden, crispy edges.
Below are the main steps for making this vegan lime loaf:
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350F or 176C.
STEP 2: Grease a standard loaf pan (8.5”x4.5”) or line it with parchment paper.
STEP 3: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, lime juice, lime zest, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, and applesauce with a wooden spoon or whisk.
📌 TIP: You can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer with an electric whisk.
STEP 4: Sift the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients, then mix the dry and wet together to form a batter.
STEP 5: Transfer the batter to the greased loaf tin / prepared cake tin.
STEP 6: Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes.
Making the Lime Drizzle
You can’t have a lime drizzle cake without the drizzle! This lime glaze is super simple and you really only need two ingredients to make it.
Glazing this lime loaf is completely optional, but the glaze adds both the perfect amount of sweetness and tartness to the cake. To make the icing, you’ll want to follow these simple steps:
STEP 1: Remove the lime drizzle cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to cool for another 10-15 minutes.
STEP 2: Make the lime glaze by mixing together the powdered sugar and lime juice in a small bowl. If the icing looks too thick, you can add in some more lime juice. If it looks thin, you can add a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar.
STEP 3: Drizzle the glaze on top of the cake with a spoon or fork. You can decorate it with some extra lime zest too! Slice and serve it with coffee or tea.
📌 TIP: For an extra moist cake, you can pour a simple syrup or a lime syrup on the cake before adding the drizzle on top!
storing the lime cake
If you end up having leftovers of this vegan lime loaf, it can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days! I loosely wrapped my unsliced loaf in plastic wrap the first day, and then stored the slices in an airtight container (with parchment between the slices) after that.
Note: the loaf is slightly drier on the second and third days.
Pro Tips
- Try not to over-mix the batter: for a tender crumb
- Use the spoon and level method to measure flour
- Grease the loaf tin: so that the cake removes easily
- Don’t over bake the cake: for a moist lime drizzle cake, try not to leave the cake in the oven for too long.
- Use fresh limes: try not to use bottle juice for the best flavor
lime drizzle cake faq
The edges of the loaf should be golden brown and the middle of the cake should no longer be jiggly when done. A knife inserted into the center of the cake should come out relatively clean with only a few crumbs on it. Be careful not to over-bake the cake! It should take about 40 minutes.
If your loaf sinks a little in the middle, this is perfectly okay! The loaf will still taste delicious. But, if you’d like to troubleshoot, it can mean a few things:
1. The oven door was opened during baking and shut which caused the cake to fall.
2. The batter sat out too long after the wet and dry ingredients were mixed together. The loaf should go into the oven almost immediately after mixing the wet and dry together. (This batter is very acidic because of the limes, so the chemical reaction which causes the cake to rise happens as soon as the lime juice and baking soda/powder meet.)
Yes, this recipe can be made into muffins. The baking temperature will be the same as the recipe below, but you’ll bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes instead of 40 minutes like the loaf.
This recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice. This is about 3-4 large limes. If you don’t have enough lime juice, you can substitute the difference with lemon juice to make a vegan lemon-lime cake!
It’s important to use either a scale or the spoon and level method for measuring flour. For reference, 1 cup scooped directly from the bag (not spoon and leveled) is 140g. Whereas 1 cup using the spoon and level method is approximately 120g.
LOOKING FOR MORE Fruit or Citrus RECIPES?
- Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- Strawberry Crunch Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
- Italian Pear Almond Cake
- Spiced Orange Bundt Cake
- Eggless Apple Cake
Did you make this vegan lime drizzle cake?
I’d love to know! Leave a star rating and comment below!
Moist Lime Drizzle Cake
This incredibly easy lime drizzle cake has a zesty moist crumb and is topped with a sweet yet tart drizzle of simple lime icing.
This recipe is vegan, dairy-free, and egg-free but you won't even be able to tell the difference!
Ingredients
Wet:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, 155g
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp lime zest
- 2 tsp vanilla extract, 7g
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 95g or melted vegan butter
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 135g
Dry:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240g, spoon & level method
- ½ tsp baking soda, 3g
- 1 tsp baking powder, 4g
- ½ tsp salt, 2g
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut, optional 20g
Icing:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, 70g
- 2-3 tsp lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F or 176C.
- Grease a standard loaf pan (8.5”x4.5”) or line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sugar, lime juice, lime zest, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, and applesauce.
- Sift the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients, then mix the dry and wet together to form a batter.
- Transfer the batter to the greased loaf pan. You can also line the loaf pan for easy removal.
- Bake at 350F for 40-43 minutes. The edges of the loaf should be golden brown and the center should no longer be jiggly when done. A knife inserted into the center of the cake should come out relatively clean with only a few crumbs on it.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to cool for another 10-15 minutes.
- Make the lime glaze by mixing together the powdered sugar and lime juice in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the glaze onto the cooled loaf with a spoon or fork. Slice and serve with coffee or tea.
Notes
Melted vegan butter can be substituted for vegetable oil.
The tea cake will be slightly crumbly if sliced before it’s fully cooled.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 250Total Fat: 11gProtein: 2g
Nutritional info is an estimate.
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Which granulated sugar is used in this recipe? Is normal white sugar vegan?
Hi! I used white granulated sugar. Not all normal white sugar is technically vegan. Some are processed with bone char. Normally ones that are labeled organic are vegan friendly if you are concerned with how it is processed!