Sophie

Dec 13, 20204 min read

Vegan Lemon Lime & Pistachio Cake

Updated: Apr 18, 2021

This cake was developed for my brother, he recently had a birthday. When I asked him if he had any dessert requests he said, "I like lemon cake and I like key lime pie." So of course I thought, why can't we have both? In the past he has really loved cheesecake and for a while he was really obsessed with making blueberry cheesecake, it always turned out great. I had been working on a vegan lime cheesecake since the summer and decided, now is the time to finish that up.

The lime cheesecake was perfected and added to this cake as lime element. I made a vegan lemon cake that, after some testing, is wonderfully fluffy and bright. To get some crunch I went with some pistachio florentine (definitely do not skip this element it is so delicious and brings so much to the cake) and to top it all off I made a not-too-sweet, zesty, pistachio "butter"cream ;) Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes one 6" layer cake)

for the lemon cakes*

208g flour

4 tsp lemon zest

200g sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of turmeric (optional for color)

200g sugar

40g vegan sour cream or yogurt

80ml canola oil

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbs lemon extract

for the lime cheesecake

5 graham crackers, crushed

1 Tbs brown sugar

2 Tbs butter

5 oz silken tofu

6 oz vegan cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbs + 1/2 Tbs cornstarch

zest & juice of 1 + 1/2 limes

for the pistachio florentine

1/3 cup lightly roasted pistachios

2 Tbs non-dairy butter

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp flour

good pinch of salt

2 tsp non-dairy milk

for the pistachio frosting

227g vegan butter or margarine, softened

73g vegan cream cheese

106g pistachio paste*

226g powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

1 tsp lemon extract

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 tsp citric acid*

top with some lemon and lime slices and extra florentine

*When making vegan cakes it is vital to put them in the oven right after you combine the leavening agent/s with the acid/liquid. I only have one 6" pan so to get fluffy cakes I had to split the recipe in half, make the half-recipe, bake it in the pan, cool the cake, wash the pan and make the other half-recipe, bake it and then cool it. If you have two 6" pans this shouldn't be a problem.

*if you have leftover frosting don't throw it out! Try out this fruit pizza recipe

*I decided to make the pistachio paste by shelling loads of pistachios and crushing them in a mortar and pestle, it was a lot of work but mostly super time consuming, I actually enjoyed it but if that sort of thing doesn't appeal to you, I definitely recommend just buying pistachio paste

*the citric acid is optional but really makes the lemon flavor pop

Instructions

Day 1

For the lemon cakes;

1. Grease two 6" pans and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350f.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, lemon zest, sugar, baking soda, salt and pinch of turmeric. In a second bowl mix the milk, sour cream, canola oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon extract. Pour the milk mix into the flour mix, quickly and gently fold them together. Do not over mix! Divide into the pans and bake for about 30 minutes.

3. Once the cakes are golden brown and start to pull away from the edges of the pan, let them cool for 10 minutes (in the pan). Then flip them out onto a cooling rack and pull the parchment off the bottom. Let them cool to room temp and then transfer them to a container with the lid cracked open.

For the cheesecake;

1. Preheat the oven to 350f and grease a 6" springform pan.

2. In a small bowl combine the crushed graham crackers, brown sugar, and butter. Pour it into the greased pan and press the crust down with the bottom of a cup or the bottom of a measuring cup until it is compressed. Bake the crust in the oven for 8 minutes. Remove when it is lightly browned and smells delicious!

3. Put all the filling ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling onto the crust. Cover the bottom of the springform pan with tin foil and place it into a large deep pan. Fill the pan with hot water (to create a water bath) and bake it in the preheated oven for one hour. It is done once the center is still jiggly.

4. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before letting it refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Day 2

for the pistachio florentine;

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2. Blitz the nuts into a chunky cornmeal consistency. Melt the butter over medium heat, add the sugar, flour, and salt. Stir until the sugar is incorporated, then add the pistachios and milk. Stir until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool for 1 minute.

3. Use a little under half the mixture to form a circle a bit under 6" on the tray. Bake for 7-9 minutes, rotating halfway through. Once you take it out, immediately trim the hot florentine into a 6" circle. Repeat so you end up with two 6" cookies. Shape the remaining batter into little cookies that can be used as decoration (if they are smaller they probably won't need the same amount of time in the oven).

4. Let the florentine cool completely on a wire rack. Set aside for later.

for the pistachio buttercream;

1. Place the softened butter/margarine, cream cheese and pistachio paste in to a medium bowl or stand mixer. Beat until smooth and creamy, gradually add all the sugar, beating in between additions. Add in the vanilla paste, lemon extract and zest, and citric acid. Beat until it reaches desired fluffiness.

Now assemble!