Method (lemon curd)

1. Drain the clear liquid from a can of coconut milk, as you only want to use the thick white cream. Add all of the lemon curd ingredients into a medium sized saucepan. Stir to combine.
2. Heat over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens (this will take around 5 minutes). Stirring with a heat proof spatula or whisk will prevent any sticking and burning, and will remove any clumps.
3. Once the mixture is thick and glossy, remove from the heat. Once cool, give it a rigorous stir and transfer into a piping bag. 

Method (cake)

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC fan and line an 8 x 8 inch square cake tin with greaseproof paper. Allow the paper to hang over the tin slightly, this makes it easier to remove the cake when baked.
2. In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift the sugar, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine. Add the oil and lemon zest into the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just to combine. 
5. Spoon the batter into the lined tin. Level it out with the back of a spoon or offset spatula.
6. Place the cake into the middle of the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes. You will know it is done when you put a knife or skewer down the middle of the cake and it comes out clean and it’s springy to the touch. If batter comes off on the skewer, it needs more time to bake. To prevent burning, top the cake with some greaseproof paper then return back into the oven.
7. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully transfer onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool fully before frosting. You can even place the cake in a sealed container once cool then frost the day after. It’s a very light sponge so be careful with it when removing from the tin.
8. Once the cake is fully cool to the touch, use the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake and fill with the lemon curd. Don’t add too much or it may the cake, but just enough so each slice of cake has a generous amount of hidden lemon curd.

Method (buttercream)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
2. Sift in the icing sugar and lemon flavour. Whip on high speed for a couple of minutes to incorporate it. Add a splash of dairy-free milk to get it to a smooth consistency.
3. Remove a few tablespoons of buttercream and spoon into 3 separate bowls. Colour with yellow, black and orange food gel for the chick decoration. Transfer into separate piping bags.
4. Spoon the white buttercream on-top of the cake. Using a pallet knife, carefully spread and swirl the buttercream over the entire cake.
5. Use the yellow buttercream to pipe bulbs over the top of the cake (watch the video tutorial here for reference).
6. Use the orange buttercream to pipe on the chicks feet and beak, and use the black for the eyes (see photos for reference).
7. Decorate with some fresh lemon zest (optional).