Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
This layered Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is moist, buttery, and is bursting with lemon flavor and poppy seeds. Smothered with a light and refreshing lemon buttercream frosting. This cake is perfect for summer and lemon lovers!
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 whole eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup milk whole
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Lemon Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
To make cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch baking pans with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. Add eggs one a time, mixing until mostly combined after each, then add the vanilla extract, scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir together on low speed until combined. Add the milk, sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest and stir again just until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and continue to mix until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into prepared baking pans and bake for 42-47 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted. Set the cake pans on cooling racks and let cool for at least 20 minutes, then flip the cakes upside down to remove them from the cake pans. In the meantime make the frosting.
To make the frosting
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixing, beat together softened butter on high speed until smooth and creamy about 2 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and heavy whipping cream and continue to beat until fluffy and completely smooth.
To assemble
- Once the cakes are completely cooled, place the first layer on a cake platter or cake stand (flat-side-up) and spread generously with 1/4 of the frosting.
- Place the second layer on top (flat-side-up) and spread more frosting on top and on the sides until completely covered. You can also pipe the frosting if desired. Garnish with sliced lemons and lemon zest (optional). Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Notes:
- Leftovers: Store leftover cake in an airtight container or cover cake platter with foil or plastic wrap. Store in a cool area for 2-3 days, then transfer to the refrigerator and store for 2 more days. The cake will start to dry out once it's stored in the refrigerator. Freeze: You can freeze unfrosted cake by wrapping each cake round with plastic wrap and then place in a heavy-duty ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To freeze frosted cakes, place the cake in the freezer and freeze for at least an hour until the whole cake is frozen. Cover with plastic wrap or place the frozen cake in a bakery box.
- Defrost: To defrost the unfrosted cake, let the cake thaw completely before frosting by placing the cake in the refrigerator to sit overnight. Defrost the frosted cake by letting the cake sit out in the counter for at least 3 hours or you can defrost it overnight in the refrigerator.
- Garnish the cake with fresh lemon slices, poppy seeds, flowers, white chocolate chips. or sprinkles. Pipping the frosting on top to make little puffs is totally optional. I love the way it looks and you can decorate the cake any way you wish. The possibilities are endless!
- Layer the cake with lemon curd or lemon pudding if you want to add more lemon flavor. If you decide to add a lemon filling, I would use less frosting on the cake to prevent it from being too rich.
- To make frosting the cakes easier, I like to flash freeze my cooled cakes for 15-30 minutes to until they have hardened. This will make the frosting go on smooth and you will get less cake crumbs.
- Instead of making a cake, you can make Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes. Line two cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners and bake for 20-25 minutes.