Vegan Strawberry Lemon Cake

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Prepare two 9” cake tins. Cut out parchment to fit on the bottom of the pan. I like to do this by cutting out a square piece of parchment and folding it about 4 times into a triangle. Align the point to the center of your pan and cut the parchment that overhangs. Once you unfold the parchment, it should fit perfectly in the bottom of your pan. If it doesn’t, just fold it again and trim it until it does.
• Butter the pan and place the parchment on top. Use your fingers to flatten the parchment; the butter will help it stick and stay flat. Set aside the prepared cake pans.
  vegan butter or cooking spray (to prepare the cake pans)

Make the Lemon Cake

• In a measuring cup, combine the milk and lemon juice. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes to curdle.
  1 ¾ cup soy milk (or any plant-based milk)

  2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 medium-sized lemon juiced)
• Measure out the granulated sugar and place it into a large mixing bowl.
  2 cups white granulated sugar
• Zest lemons directly into the bowl with the granulated sugar.
  zest of 2 lemons
• Use a spoon to mix the lemon zest into the sugar until the sugar and zest are fully combined. It will smell very fragrant and the sugar will look more yellow. Take your time to thoroughly combine the sugar and zest. This will ensure the zest's lemon flavor and oils are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
• Add the remaining dry ingredients to the lemon sugar. Mix to combine.
  3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour

  4 teaspoons baking powder

  1 teaspoon salt
• Add the buttermilk mixture and remaining wet ingredients to the bowl of the dry ingredients.
  ⅔ cup canola oil

  2 teaspoons lemon extract

  2 teaspoons vanilla
• Gently fold together all the ingredients. Don’t overmix; just combine until there are no streaks of flour or large lumps remaining.
• Pour the batter between the two pans. I used two scales and placed the prepared cake tins on top, then set each one on the scale and reset it to zero. Each pan should have approximately 740 grams of batter, totaling 1,480 grams of batter. Use a rubber spatula to get all the batter.
• Place the cakes in the oven, preheated to 350°F, on the middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Let the cakes cool inside the cake pan for 30 minutes to an hour before removing them. Finish cooling them on a baking rack. Make sure to remove the parchment paper before assembling the cake.

Make the Lemon Buttercream

• Add the vegan butter to a bowl and use an electric hand mixer to whip the butter. The more air you can whip into it at this stage, the better.
  1 cup vegan butter (room temperature)
• Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, lemon extract, and lemon juice to the butter. Continue mixing.
  2 teaspoons lemon extract

  3 tablespoons lemon juice

  1 cups powdered sugar
• Add powdered sugar a cup at a time until the frosting is thick, smooth, and airy.
  3 cups powdered sugar
• The frosting will make about 2 ½ cups.

Assemble the Cake

• Wash and dry the strawberries, ensuring they are as dry as possible. Chop the strawberries into small chunks, between ¼” and ½” in size.
  16 ounces strawberries
• Place one cake on a cake platter and add half the lemon frosting on top. Smooth it with a knife to make a flat, even layer.
• Add half of the chopped strawberries on top of the frosting to make an even layer.
• Place the second cake on top of the strawberries.
• Add the second half of the frosting to the top of the cake and smooth it into an even layer with a knife.
• Add the remaining strawberries on top of the cake. Enjoy!