Delicious Vegan Mini Lemon Sponges, filled with homemade lemon curd, a whipped vanilla buttercream and meringue pieces. Perfect for Summer! No-Egg, No-Dairy, and unbelievably vegan, you’ll love them.
This recipe has been made in collaboration with Natures Charm. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. (For more information along with affiliated links, check out my disclosure policy.)
Mini Vegan Lemon Sponges
I am a huge fan of all things lemon, and if you are too… you’ve come to the right place. Summer is fast approaching, and what better treat to get you in the mood than with some fresh, fruity and zingy mini lemon meringue inspired cakes. These sponges remind me of a victoria sponge, but a daintier, lemony version. As much as I love a massive wedge of Victoria sponge cake, it’s also nice to have a bite size version. These are perfect for afternoon tea, parties or for the warm summer months!! I simply adore the combination of the zingy curd with the cream and sweet meringue, and it’s just what these cakes are filled with! You’re going to love them!
Looking for more lemon desserts, check out my Vegan Lemon Loaf Cake, Vegan Lemon Creme Brûlée Cookies, Vegan Lemon Tiramisu, Gluten-free Vegan Lemon Cupcakes and Vegan Lemon Meringue Cheesecake.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Vegan friendly – this recipe doesn’t contain any animal derived ingredients.
- Easy to make.
- Individual servings, meaning no sharing!
- Great for parties / spring & summer gatherings.
- Fun to make and decorate.
- Filled with pieces of vegan meringue.
- Lemon curd is absolutely delicious!
- Homemade lemon curd, without eggs!
- Fun for kids to decorate!
- Small batch recipe!
- Full of fresh lemon juice and zest.
- Sponge is speckled with lemon zest.
Layers of mini vegan lemon sponges
These cakes have three main layers, from cake to decoration. I’ll run you through some of the steps that goes into making these easy little lemon sponges along with some key ingredients and tools needed.
- Sponge cakes: The cakes are basically cupcakes, cut in half then filled in the middle with gorgeous fillings and sandwiched. You will want to use a loose base / mini cookie cup tin. These will give you the perfect shape and height, as well as being easy to remove. I have linked the one I use here.
- Lemon curd: I HAVE THE BEST RECIPE FOR VEGAN LEMON CURD, and i’m not ashamed to admit it. The amount of people that have made and enjoyed this curd and tell me they can’t even tell it’s vegan is overwhelming. Its a recipe which I feature in my baking book too!!! You are going to love it. It’s made with fresh lemon juice, condensed milk along with a few other ingredients. It can be ready in minutes and great stored in the fridge to decorate desserts!
- Buttercream: This buttercream is super creamy. It combines dairy-free butter with whipping cream to keep things light and airy. I use a room temperature dairy-free block butter and the oat whipping cream from Natures Charm, which is my go-to for adding into buttercreams to make them ultra whippy. It also adds a delicious flavour to the overall dessert.
How to make mini lemon sponge cakes
Making these mini lemon sponges from scratch is incredibly easy. You don’t need many tools or equipment, except for a stand mixer or hand whisk. Other than that, you’ll simply need a few kitchen essentials!
- Make the cake batter
In a bowl whisk together the milk and vinegar, allow to curdle then add in the oil and lemon extract. This makes the vegan buttermilk. In a separate bowl, add in the rest of the ingredients and stir. Pour the wet into the dry and fold together until a smooth batter forms. Add into the lined tin and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden. Remove and allow to cool.
- Make the lemon curd
In a saucepan, add in all of the lemon curd ingredients and allow to cook until thick. Stir constantly with a hand whisk to prevent lumps. Once thickened, turn off the heat and allow to cool before transferring into a heat proof dish to cool fully.
- Buttercream
Add the butter into a bowl of a stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment and whip on high speed for a few minutes until pale and creamy, adding in the whipping cream. Sift in the icing sugar and lemon extract. Whip until thick then transfer into a piping bag fitted with a small decorative tip nozzle.
- Assemble the cakes
Peel the paper cases, cut in half using a sharp knife. Pipe buttercream to one of the cake halves, followed by the lemon curd and sprinkling of meringue. Place the other half of the cake on top to sandwich. Decorate with some fresh lemon.
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Vegan Mini Lemon Sponges
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Mini lemon cakes which burst with tangy lemon curd. They’re easy to make, taste delicious and are of course vegan, egg-free and dairy-free!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the sponges
- 240ml of dairy-free milk (soya milk works best, but you can use any including oat / almond)
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 210g of self raising flour
- 50g of caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- 60ml of sunflower oil
- Zest of 2 medium lemons (un-waxed)
- 2 teaspoons of lemon extract / flavouring
Ingredients for the lemon curd
- 3 tablespoons of corn flour + 2 tablespoons of water
- 100g of dairy-free butter/margarine
- 100g of caster sugar
- 170ml of lemon juice
- 3 small unwaxed lemons (zest)
- 100g of vegan condensed milk ( I use Natures Charm Condensed Oat Milk)
- Pinch of turmeric (or drop of yellow food gel)
Ingredients for the buttercream
- 80g of dairy-free butter
- 60g of Natures Charm Condensed Oat Whipping Cream
- 200g of icing sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract / flavour
+
- Vegan meringue (homemade or store bought)
- Fresh lemon slices / wedges
Instructions
Method (cakes)
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC fan and line a cupcake tin or loose base sandwich tin with cupcake cases.
- In a small bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. This creates a vegan buttermilk.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
- Add the lemon zest and extract oil to the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until a smooth batter.
- Fill the cases 3/4 full with the batter. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
- Pop the cakes into the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer down the centre of the cakes and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
- Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully before filling and decorating.
Method (lemon curd)
- In a small bowl, add in the corn flour and water. Stir together into thick paste.
- Add the cornflour paste, dairy-free butter, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, condensed milk and a pinch of turmeric into a medium sized saucepan.
- Place the saucepan on the hob and heat over low to medium, stirring constantly, preferably with a whisk. After around 5-8 minutes the lemon curd will thicken. If the curd isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk.
- Pour curd into a heat proof jar or bowl, cover and place aside to cool down.
- You can either put it in the fridge or keep it at room temperature to cool. Before you use it, give it a good stir as it will thicken.
- Transfer into a piping bag for ease, or you can use add it to the cakes using a spoon. There may be leftover lemon curd, so simple store it in a sealed container in the fridge!
Method (buttercream)
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter and whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
- Add in the whipping cream and whip to combine.
- Sift in the icing sugar and lemon extract. Whip for 5 minutes on high speed until the buttercream becomes pale and fluffy in texture. If it’s too thick add in a splash of dairy-free milk to get it to the right consistency. It should be thick and creamy.
- Transfer the buttercream in to a piping bag fitted with a small star tip nozzle.
- Carefully peel the sponges from the cupcake cases. Slice each cake horizontally.
- Pipe the buttercream decoratively over one half of the sponges, and pipe on some lemon curd in-between the buttercream (watch the tutorial here).
- Sprinkle over some meringue pieces, then place the other half of the sponge on-top to create a sandwich. Press down slightly to stick, but not too much that the fillings will ooze out.
- Place into the fridge for 10 minutes to slightly set the buttercream.
- Decorate with some meringue sprinkled on top, and a lemon wedge on top of each cake.
- Tip: To make the lemon stick, pipe on a star of buttercream and press the lemon wedge into it.
Notes
To store: Store in the fridge and allow to come to room temperature before enjoying. Best enjoyed within 2-3 days of making.
What dairy-free butter to use? My favourite vegan friendly butters are Naturli Vegan Block and Flora Plant Based Alternative. Both can be found in most large uk supermarkets.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
This is the best lemon curd recipe.