Lemon Vanilla Layer Cake for One

This little treat is fun enough to make you want to celebrate something! But if there’s no birthday or anniversary on the horizon, perhaps you can just celebrate the delights of a tangy but sweet little cake. Or Tuesday. Or that the sun came up. Or laundry day. 

For the Cake:

3 TBLSP of almond milk

A slosh of apple cider vinegar

2 TBLSP and ½ teaspoon granulated sugar

½ TBLSP coconut oil, melted (or canola oil)

A slosh of vanilla extract

6 TBLSP all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon cornstarch

A pinch of baking powder

A pinch of baking soda

A pinch of salt

Zest of ½ lemon

Juice of ½ lemon (about 2 TBLSP)

For the Frosting:

3 TBLSP vegan butter

½ cup plus 1 TBLSP powdered sugar

A slosh of vanilla extract

Zest of ½ lemon

Juice of 1/4  lemon (about 1 TBLSP)

½ TBLSP almond milk, if more moisture is needed

To Make the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two ramekins or two spaces in a muffin tin. If you use a muffin tin, you may have some carving to do, or just an interestingly shaped cake.

1. In a small bowl, whisk the almond milk and the apple cider vinegar together.It will look kind of disgusting as the two react to one another. You're making faux buttermilk. 
2. Then stir in the sugar, oil, vanilla, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Make sure there are no lumps!
3. Mix in the juice and zest. You’ll get a lovely frothy reaction. It should be a loose batter. If it’s too thick, add almond milk. If it’s too thin, add more flour.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
6. Let the cakes cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Tra-la-la.

To Make the Frosting:

1. In a small bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat it together until it’s fluffy.
2. Add the lemon zest and juice and continue to beat. If it's too stiff, add more lemon juice or a slosh of almond milk. Be careful, though. Too thick spreads better than too thin. (If you do go overboard, add more powdered sugar. But be careful! It can get way too sweet rather suddenly.) Set the finished frosting in the refrigerator to stiffen up a little. 
3. When the cakes are completely cooled and out of the pans, frost the top of one and set it on your presentation dish.
4. Then place the other on top of it and frost the top and sides of the whole shebang.
5. Store it in the refrigerator until ready to eat.