Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Tender lemon poppy seed cake layers drizzled with lemon syrup and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

I’ve said it before, I am a HUGE fan of lemon desserts. More so than any other flavor. If there is a lemon dessert on the menu you can bet I’m ordering that over something chocolate (unless it’s panna cotta, no thank you jello-like texture). There is just something about the sweet and tangy flavor that has me coming back for more. 

Today, I’m bringing you the classic combo of lemon and poppy seeds in layer cake form. Oh and it’s paired with my delicious new cream cheese frosting recipe for good measure.

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How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

To make this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake I started with my favorite Lemon Cake recipe and tweaked it a bit. I added poppy seeds (obviously) and a bit more zest but also reduced the sugar a bit.

Making the cake layers follows the traditional creaming method but the key difference here is that you should cream the lemon zest with the butter and sugars. This helps release all of those delicious and flavourful oils from the zest. Don’t skip this step and just opt to toss it in at the end!

I experimented with adding more poppy seeds (I like my lemon poppy seed cake heavy on the poppy seeds) but that made the cake a little bit denser than I’d like. You wouldn’t think adding an extra Tbsp of poppy seeds would make a big difference but they do tend to absorb some of the moisture from the cake so I’m keeping the recipe at two which is the perfect balance.

To give the cake even more of a lemony punch I made an easy lemon simple syrup to brush onto the cake layers. This will make the cake sweeter though which is why I cut back on the sugar from the usual 1 1/2 cups to 1 cup.

To use the syrup it’s best to trim the crust off the top of the cake. I don’t usually need to trim my cakes — they bake nice and flat because I use baking strips — but for best syrup absorption I find trimming off that top crust is ideal. That or you can poke holes into the cake with a skewer if you prefer. Then simply dip a pastry brush into the syrup and brush each of the cake layers generously.

Stable Cream Cheese Frosting

In my most recent post I gave you the details of how to make cream cheese frosting more stable and I’ve used that recipe here. Cream cheese frosting is such a perfect pairing for Lemon Poppy Seed Cake!

I’ll let you head over to that post to read the ins and outs but it comes down to order of ingredients, temperature, and stabilizing agents.

I hope you all love this cake as much as we did. It’s the perfect spring cake and would be wonderful for Mother’s Day!

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Tender lemon poppy seed cake layers drizzled with lemon syrup and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 670kcal

Author Olivia

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon lemon zest from one large lemon or 2 medium
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk room temperature
• 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed, from one large lemon

Lemon Simple Syrup:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed, from one large lemon

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup cream cheese (block style, full fat)  8oz, chilled, cubed
• cornstarch or meringue powder optional, as needed
• pinch salt optional, to cut some sweetness

Assembly:

• lemon slices
• edible flowers I used pansies
• poppy seeds

Instructions

 

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment.
• In a medium bowl, whisk flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and lemon zest until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins).
• Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
• Alternate adding flour mixture with milk & lemon juice, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk & lemon juice). Fully incorporating after each addition.
• Spread batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. 
• Bake for about 30-35mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
• Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Simple Syrup:

• Place lemon juice and sugar into a small saucepan, stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until simmering and all sugar has dissolved. Cool completely before using on cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Using a stand mixer or hand mixer beat butter until pale and creamy.
• Reduce speed to low. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix on low until well blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and continue to beat on medium for 1 minute.
• Slowly add chilled cream cheese one cube at a time (about 1 tablespoon at a time). Beat well until blended and ensure no lumps of cream cheese remain.
• If needed, add cornstarch or meringue powder 1 tablespoon at a time to stiffen the frosting (I didn't but this is an option). Add a pinch of salt to cut some sweetness if desired.
• Run mixer on low for a couple of minutes to remove any air bubbles.

Assembly:

• Trim the crust off the top of each cake layer and brush each with the lemon simple syrup. About 1-2 Tbsp per layer.
• Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with 2/3 cup of frosting, spread evenly. Repeat with the remaining layers and apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake. Chill for 20mins. 
• Use the remaining frosting to frost the cake in a rustic manner.
• Decorate with fresh, edible flowers and lemon slices if desired.

Calories: 670kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 6gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 139mgSodium: 187mgPotassium: 213mgFiber: 1gSugar: 62gVitamin A: 1175IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 126mgIron: 2mg

The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favorite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.