My lemon poppy seed cake is a celebratory dessert for lemon lovers. It’s a fluffy three layer lemon cake topped off with the perfect lemon poppy seed frosting.
Heads up lemon lovers! This lemon poppy seed cake is going to be a new favorite.
My dessert style here at tvfgi is casual and laid back, and even when I do a layer cake like this one it never gets uptight or fussy. It’s inspired by my wildly popular Raspberry Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream. (A mouthwatering lemon frosting is the connection between the two.) Both are definitely spring/summertime cakes, perfect for tea parties, showers, birthdays, etc.
lemon poppy seed cake grocery list:
- cake flour ~ makes this cake extra tender, but you can also use all purpose flour.
- granulated sugar
- confectioner’s sugar for the frosting
- unsalted butter
- large eggs
- fresh lemon for the juice and zest
- lemon paste ~ optional
- buttermilk
- poppy seeds
- baking powder
- salt
I also used a new product for the first time: Lemon Paste, from Nielsen and Massey. I’ve seen it around and have been dying to try it, I’m all for trying anything that will amp up the lemony flavor in my dessert recipes. I thought it added a nice, natural extra layer of flavor, it’s a keeper!
my lemon sugar technique maximizes lemon flavor in lemon desserts.
I simple process the sugar together with the zest of a lemon…the result is a heavily flavored lemon sugar that permeates the cake. It’s such an easy process that makes a big difference.
You can see my lemon sugar technique in action in other recipes on the blog. I first used it in my Scottish Lemon Sugar Shortbread. I was so smitten I went on to make my Lemon Sugar Crumb Cake. After that it was a no-brainer for my Buttermilk Lemon Bread. I don’t think I’ll be stopping any time soon.
Make your lemon poppy seed cake ahead
To get a head start on this cake for a special occasion, you can bake the cake layers the day before. Let them cool completely and then wrap in plastic and leave on the counter, or refrigerate.
The buttercream should be made just before frosting, but you can do this in the morning. Keep the cake at room temperature or refrigerate, depending on how you like it. If the weather is hot you can chill the cake and the frosting takes on a fudge-like mouthfeel, it’s decadent and delish.
Make this lemon layer cake your own
- Yes, you can make this as a sheet cake, but the cooking time may be different. Cooking time is dependent on the depth of the batter, for one thing, so keep an eye on it , and check it early. If the cake is pulling away from the sides, and a toothpick comes out dry, its done!
- For a 2 layer cake, the cooking time will definitely be a little longer so check it every 5 minutes after the original baking time.
- Use 8-inch cake pans for a taller cake. They’ll also take a little longer to bake.
- Use regular milk instead of buttermilk, or make your own by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to whole milk. Stir it up and then let it sit for 15 minutes.
- You can leave out the poppy seeds in the frosting, no problem. You can add poppy seeds to the cake, no problem.
- If you don’t want to make the lemon zest infused sugar, just add a tablespoon or 2 of finely grated zest to the batter.
- If you don’t have the lemon paste, just leave it out.
I’m crazy for lemon desserts
- Lemon Butter Pie
- Raspberry Lemon Cake
- Meyer Lemon Pudding (super easy recipe!)
- Strawberry Lemon Blondies
- Warm Lemon Pudding Cake
- Blueberry Zucchini Snack Cake with Lemon Buttercream
Featured comment:
“This was the best cake I’ve ever made. Moist, with the lemon flavour accented by your lemon sugar method. Thanks for sharing this recipe.” ~ Norma
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Video
Equipment
- 3 9 inch cake pans
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour (you can also use all purpose flour)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon, peeled with a vegetable peeler (no white pith)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp lemon paste, optional, You can buy lemon paste here
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 6 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 6-8 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed.
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- optional: one small drop yellow gel food coloring
garnish
- very thin slices of lemon
- mint leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F Grease and flour three 9-inch baking pans, and then line the bottoms with a round of parchment paper. Note: the parchment paper is important because the cakes can stick without it.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- Put the sugar in a food processor, along with the zest of one lemon. Note: you don’t want the peel of the lemon, just the outer zest. Use a serrated vegetable peeler for best results and just peel off the yellow part, leaving the bitter white behind. Process the sugar and zest together until the zest is completely incorporated, and the sugar is moist and pale yellow.
- Cream the soft butter and the lemon sugar together in a stand mixer for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl to get everything incorporated. Add the lemon paste.
- Reduce the mixer to low speed and add the flour, mixing just until barely combined, then add the buttermilk and lemon juice. Mix until everything has come together, but don’t over-mix.
- Divide the batter equally between the 3 pans and spread out evenly.
- Bake for about 23-25 minutes, or just until risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Don’t over bake these layers ~ they’re thin and will cook quickly.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans on a rack. When they are cool, carefully flip them over and remove the parchment paper.
- To make the frosting cream the butter and sugar, gradually adding enough lemon juice to make a spreadable frosting. You may need a little more or a little less than the amount stated. Add the poppy seeds and beat until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Add more lemon juice to make it thinner, or more sugar to thicken it. If you’d like a pale yellow tint to your frosting, add a drop or two of food coloring and mix in thoroughly.
- Frost the cake and then garnish with the lemon slices and mint leaves.
Nutrition
This turned out so good! Beautiful summery cake and goes perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. I used a blender (instead of food processor), no lemon paste and buttermilk substitute (lemon juice and cream). Only thing is I found my poppy seeds were slightly bitter. Not sure if that’s just the way they are or if I maybe should have soaked them? Either way, a make again for sure.
I’m not sure why your poppy seeds tasted bitter, but I’m wondering if they could have been old?
This cake was a huge hit in our household-thanks for sharing! Very flavorful, moist, and yummy 🙂
What do you think would happen if I used lemon curd in between the layers instead of buttercream? Any tips on that with this tender crumb cake?
That would work wonderfully!
Can I use regular milk or half n half instead of the buttermilk?
Yes, that will be fine. And remember, by adding a little lemon juice to milk or half and half you can approximate the effects of buttermilk. Just add a teaspoon per cup and let sit for 15 minutes.
Hi! If I plan on only making two layers should I make less frosting?
It won’t make that much difference losing one layer, so I’d make the recipe as is.
Hi there! I love the look of this recipe and I’m going to give it a try for my moms birthday. Just wondering do you think I can add smashed raspberries to the frosting without ruining it?
Making a berry frosting is tricky. If you add fresh raspberries to the frosting you’ll need more sugar to compensate for the extra moisture. And be sure to strain them to remove the seeds, first. As an alternative you might consider just decorating the top of the cake with the berries.
If I wanted to make this recipe with just vanilla buttercream with a white chocolate drip on it do you think it would turn out good?
It would be a lot less lemony, but sure, you can do that!
Out of pure curiosity is there a reason you prefer to process whole pieces of rind with sugar instead of using a zester and depositing the zest that way? Also I’ve made this recipe once this quarantine and absolutely adore it, so much so that I am making it for my own going away barbecue.
Hey Margaret ~ I do this because I think it draws out the most lemon flavor from the zest, and infuses it into the batter for a more prominent lemon presence in the cake.
Wonderful! I’ll have to try it that way this time. Thank you so much for replying so quickly each time, one of my favorite parts of your blog!
How far in advance can I freeze this cake before assembly and frosting? And how long should I anticipate thawing to take?
You can freeze it up to a month ahead, even more if necessary. I’m not sure how long it will take to thaw, I’d allow several hours.
Hi! I want to bake this cake and will be at 5,280ft. How do I adjust the recipe?
The changes necessary for high altitude baking can be quite complicated, I like this guide, from King Arthur Flour.