Lemon Poppyseed Cake

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Lemon Poppyseed Cake is a tender, moist cake that’s full of lemon flavor and poppy seeds! It’s covered in a light lemon cream cheese frosting for a cake that’s perfect for lemon lovers!

It’s no secret around here that I love a tasty lemon dessert. I have quite a variety of lemon flavored cakes and this is my latest. Believe it or not – it might just be my favorite!

LEMON POPPYSEED CAKE RECIPE

What I love so much about this cake is the lemon flavor. It’s perfection. There’s a large variety when it comes to lemon cake flavor, but I really love a strong flavor in pretty much anything I eat. That can be tough with lemon, but this cake is just right.

To make this amazing cake, start with both butter and oil. The butter lends that wonderful flavor, while the oil helps with keeping the cake moist. Beat them with some sugar and vanilla extract on medium speed until the mixture lightens in color and gets a fluffier texture, about two minutes.

Next, you’ll add the eggs, then alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk and fresh lemon juice. For our leavener, we’ve got both baking powder and baking soda in order to properly balance the acid in the lemon juice.

Finally, you’ll add some lemon zest and poppy seeds.

A slice of Lemon Poppyseed Cake with a bite removed next to a fork on a gray plate
A full Lemon Poppyseed Cake on a gray cake stand on a white table

WHY ADD POPPY SEEDS?

Poppy seeds add both flavor and a little crunch. They also contain a good bit of fiber, calcium, copper, phosphorus and magnesium. All are good and healthy things. Clearly that means this cake is healthy too! 😉

That said, this cake could also be made without them.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

This Lemon Poppyseed Cake is finished off with my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting, with a little bit of lemon juice and lemon zest added. It adds a subtle lemon flavor, which goes great with the cake.

The final cake is nothing short of delicious! The combination of the full flavored, moist lemon cake with the light flavor of the poppy seeds and cream cheese frosting is heavenly. It’s a wonderful combination of sweet and tangy and such a wonderful citrusy cake for spring and summer. I seriously wanted to sit down with a fork and just eat it one sitting. I hope you love it too!

A slice of Lemon Poppyseed Cake next to a fork on a gray plate

MORE LEMON DESSERTS TO TRY

Lemon Cake with Lemon Bavarian Cream
Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake
No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
Triple Lemon Cake

Print
clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon facebook facebook icon print print icon squares squares icon
A slice of Lemon Poppyseed Cake next to a fork on a gray plate
Recipe

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
  • Yield: 12-14 slices
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Lemon Poppyseed Cake is a tender, moist cake that’s full of lemon flavor and poppy seeds! It’s covered in a light lemon cream cheese frosting for a cake that’s perfect for lemon lovers!


Ingredients

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp poppy seeds

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 16 oz (452g) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (172g) butter, room temperature
  • 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest

Instructions

1. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
3. Add the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
6. Combine the milk and lemon juice, then slowly add the mixture to the batter and mix until well combined.
7. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
8. Add the lemon zest and poppy seeds and gently stir to combine.
9. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
10. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
11. To make the frosting, add the cream cheese and butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until well combined and smooth.
12. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
13. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix until well combined.
14. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth. Add more or less powdered sugar, as desired for consistency purposes.
15. To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat, if needed.
16. Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
17. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake.
18. Add the second layer of cake and another cup of frosting.
19. Top the cake with the remaining layer and frost the outside of the cake. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed. To make the line pattern in the side of the cake, I used one of the decorative sides on this icing smoother.
20. Finish off the cake as you like. I added rosettes around the top outer edge and sprinkled on some poppy seeds. I also added some lemon slices.
21. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. Cake is best served cool, but not necessarily cold.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 715
  • Sugar: 94.3 g
  • Sodium: 263.6 mg
  • Fat: 26.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 115 g
  • Protein: 7.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 89.4 mg

Categories

This post contains affiliate links.

Share a Comment

Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love hearing from you and seeing what you made!

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

377 Comments
  1. Saira

    I love this recipe! I have made it several times but have you made it as cupcakes? And if so did you have to adjust anything






  2. Dannielle

    I made this for a friend’s baby shower and it was a real crowdpleaser.
    The crumb was very tender and very light and fluffy. I think that tip to not skimp on the creaming of the butter, oil and sugar was key to this.
    The eggs I had on hand were small, so I used five instead of the four large eggs the recipe called for. And I only had 25cm/10 inch cake tins, so I just split the batter into two instead. It worked out great!
    I also probably only added about three quarters of the powdered sugar the icing recipe called for – the Australian equivalent to powdered sugar is called icing sugar, so it might be a bit different to the US version.
    Thanks for the cracking recipe!






    1. Lindsay

      When making 6 inch cakes from my full-size cakes, I typically cut the recipe in half. If you want three 6 inch cakes, you would need one and a half recipes worth.

  3. Jessie

    Hi! I would love to try your cake. Is it possible to bake in one 8 inch round tin and subsequently cut it into 3 layers?

  4. Cat Nanny

    I am making the lemon poppy seed cake today. I was wondering if you had tried using half vanilla extract and half lemon extract and if so how did it turn out?

    1. Lindsay

      I have not tried that. I typically stay away from lemon extract and just use natural lemon flavors from lemon juice and zest. I don’t really think it’s necessary to add the extract, but you could certainly give it a try.

    1. Lindsay

      It’s the Ateco brand icing smoother. One side is smooth and the other sides have patterns like this cake.

  5. Amy

    I am going to use this recipe to make for my daughters wedding cake. I am curious if you can share the rose designs you did on the top. They are beautiful and I would like to try and do them. Thank you!

    1. Lindsay

      I have two tutorials that you might find helpful. One is this ice cream cake tutorial. You can ignore the part about making the actual ice cream cake and look at the part about adding the roses on top.

      I also have a tutorial about frosting cupcakes that talks about how to make rosettes. I hope those are helpful!

  6. Dana

    I’m using a different frosting, making the cake for a friend’s birthday. She has severe lactose intolerance. I plan to use a bit of lemon curd between layers and in the center of the top. Will this cake be ok in the fridge overnight?

  7. Tanya

    Really nice cake. I used grapefruit juice and made a grapefruit curd for the centre. I used ermine frosting and replaced half the milk with curd. Really lovely and I really don’t like grapefruit. I also took 25g of the plain flour out and replaced with cornflour.
    Anyway, cake is a winner!






  8. Stefanie

    Hi, I want to make this cake for a birthday party and was wondering if it can be made into a 3 layer 10” cake instead of an 8”? And could I double the recipe or would it be best to do separate batches?

    1. Lindsay

      I haven’t tried that size, but it should be fine. I would expect doubling the recipe to be fine as well.

    1. Lindsay

      I typically recommend freezing individual layers before building the cake. You can wrap the layers in plastic wrap a couple times and even add them to a plastic freezer bag for extra protection. When you’re ready to use them, thaw them in the fridge. If you are wanting to freeze the fully frosted cake, you can definitely try it. This cake would probably do well. I do recommend thawing it in the fridge though.

  9. Maree

    I’m struggling to find unsalted butter – is this going to make a difference? I’m not based in America.

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I’m the baker, recipe developer and photographer behind Life, Love and Sugar. I love sharing trusted recipes with helpful tips to give you great results.

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29