Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease or line 2 x 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.

Add all the wet ingredients (including the sugar) to a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined. Add all the dry ingredients and whisk until mostly smooth (a few lumps are fine, as long as they aren't lumps of flour).

Evenly divide the lemon cake batter into your prepared cake pans.

Bake the cakes for around 30-35 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and there's no wet batter on it.

Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 15 minutes then cool on a wire rack.

Add the vegan butter to a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat until the butter is light and fluffy. Add the sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add more sugar for a firmer frosting or more lemon juice (or milk) for a smoother frosting.

When the cakes have completely cooled, place one layer on a serving plate.

Spread or pipe around ¾ cup of buttercream on the cake and place the remaining cake on top.

Spread around 1 ½ cups of frosting around the sides. If you have excess frosting, use a piping bag with a star nozzle to pipe the remaining frosting on top of the cake. Decorate the cake as desired.

Store the vegan lemon cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow the cake to come to room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 1 month.