Description
Light, fluffy, and bursting with citrusy zing, this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is the sunshine dessert you didn’t know you needed. Each slice is tender, slightly crunchy from the poppy seeds, and coated in a tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting that’ll have you going back for seconds (or thirds—no judgment here).
⚖️ For the Best Results:
Measuring by weight (grams) will give you the most accurate results. U.S. cup measurements are included as estimates if you don’t have a kitchen scale handy.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake:
- 240g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 30g (¼ cup) cornstarch
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 60g (¼ cup) neutral oil (like canola)
- 300g (1½ cups) white sugar
- 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 90g (⅓ cup) milk
- 115g (½ cup) plain yogurt (regular or low-fat Greek)
- 58g (¼ cup) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 375g (3 cups) powdered sugar
- 335g (1½ cups) cold block-style cream cheese
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
🔪 Let’s Make This Cake!
- Prep Like a Pro
- Set your oven to 350°F (180°C). If you’re using a convection/fan oven, drop the temp to 320°F (160°C). Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans. Pro tip: homemade cake release works like magic here!
- Dry Mix Magic
- Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Give it a quick whisk to blend and set aside.
- Cream, Baby, Cream
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, oil, sugar, and lemon zest together until it’s pale and fluffy—about 2 minutes on medium speed. You’re looking for a light, whipped texture here.
- Egg Drop
- Crack in your eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Scrape down the bowl as needed—don’t let those edges get left out!
- Add the Good Stuff
- Pour in the milk, yogurt, and lemon juice. Mix until just combined. It might look a bit split or curdled—that’s totally normal.
- Fold and Finish
- Switch to a spatula. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until you don’t see any more dry patches. Fold in the poppy seeds last. Avoid overmixing, or the cake might lose its soft crumb.
- Bake Time
- Evenly divide the batter between your pans. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 15 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack to cool completely.
🧁 Let’s Talk Frosting
- Whip It Good
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until light and fluffy—around 3 minutes.
- Sugar Rush
- Add powdered sugar in three stages, mixing on low to start, then increasing the speed once it’s incorporated.
- Cream Cheese Time
- Toss in your cold cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat just until smooth and spreadable. Don’t overmix—too much whipping can break down the structure.
Notes
🎂 Decorating Tips
- Level your cake layers with a serrated knife if needed. Place the first layer on your cake stand, slather on a generous amount of frosting, and repeat with the second layer. Cover the top and sides with frosting and smooth it out with a cake scraper or offset spatula.
- Want to be extra? Pipe swirls on top using a 1M piping tip and sprinkle on some extra poppy seeds for that chef’s kiss finish.
🧊 Storage Notes
- Because of the cream cheese frosting, this cake should be stored in the fridge after a few hours. Pop it in an airtight container to keep it moist. Bring to room temp before serving for the best texture and flavor.
🍋 Pro Tips & Notes:
- Only zest the yellow part of the lemon; the white pith underneath is bitter and can ruin the flavor.
- You can swap the flour + cornstarch combo with 270g of cake flour if that’s what you’ve got.
- If your frosting’s too soft, mix in extra powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until it firms up.
- Lumpy frosting? Crank your mixer to high speed or use the whisk attachment to smooth it out fast.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Nutrition
- Calories: 688 kcal
- Sugar: 60 g
- Fat: 36 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 82 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 142 mg