This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
A light and fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Cake paired with a classic cream cheese frosting. Lemony-sweet and perfect for any special occasion! Very similar to my lovely Lemon Poppy Seed Bread recipe and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins too!
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Basics
As you can imagine, this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake was a pretty dreamy treat. The combination of sweet lemon with the slightly crunchy, nutty poppy seeds is probably one of my favorite flavors ever. This recipe is loosely based on this really moist pound cake that I’m head over heels in love with. Even though it’s a pound cake it’s still light and fluffy (as you can see from the pictures).
You get all of the lemony flavor from both lemon juice and zest plus amazing moisture from a buttermilk substitute and a “healthy” helping of melted butter. The whole thing is topped off with a simple cream cheese frosting. So good!
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Troubleshooting
Cakes like this one are known for issues like being too dense or too dry. Well, friends, I’m here to help you before that happens!
- Measure Your Flour Correctly: The first culprit is too much flour in the batter. To fix this, you’re going to fluff your flour. As flour sits in the bag, or whatever container it’s in, it settles. Fluffing reintroduces air into the mix. Next take a spoon and spoon the flour into your measuring cup then level. Voila, properly measured flour!
- Oven Temperature: The second issue could be your oven! Every oven is different, but one way to absolutely make sure it’s preheated to the correct temperature is to use an internal oven thermometer like this one.
- Baking Pan: I always, always recommend using lighter baking pans versus darker colored ones. This is simply because darker pans create a crunchy dark crust on the outside of the cake.
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
For full recipe details, including ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below. Here is step by step what you can expect when making this cake:
Preheat and Prep
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Batter
In a large bowl, stir granulated sugar and lemon zest together to create a mixture that resembles damp sand. Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.
In a liquid measuring cup, stir milk, vinegar, and fresh lemon juice together. Set aside.
Pro Tip: If you want to use real buttermilk instead of making your own, substitute 1/2 cup buttermilk in place of milk and white vinegar mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together to combine.
Alternate stirring in wet and dry ingredients until everything is added into the cake batter. Gently stir in the poppy seeds and melted butter.
Bake and Cool
Pour into prepared pan and bake 45-55 minutes or until baked thoroughly and a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted. While the cake is baking, make the cream cheese frosting.
Cool 15 minutes in the cake pan before removing to a rack to cool completely.
Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting
For the frosting, whip all frosting ingredients together until light and fluffy. Spread over cooled cake and serve.
Storing Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Wrap cake (without frosting) in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. If the cake is frosted with cream cheese frosting you’ll have to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing Instructions
If you wish to freeze the cake (without frosting), it will store well for up to 3 months. I would wrap it in plastic freezer wrap or in a heavy-duty zip top bag. Let it thaw overnight before frosting and serving.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake FAQ
If you don’t like poppy seeds you can simply omit them and still have a very yummy cake.
I baked this cake in a regular round 9-inch cake pan but you could easily fit it in a loaf pan or a cupcake tin.
If you’d like to use a 9×13, a standard-sized bundt pan, or make this into a two-tiered cake simply double the recipe! You may have to bake it a little longer so be sure to watch it and test with a toothpick for doneness.
Be sure to grease your pans well, especially if you’re using a detailed bundt pan.
More Lemon Desserts to Try!
- Classic Lemon Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Lemon Raspberry Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Lemon Crumb Cake
- Lemon Icebox Cake
- Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Mousse Frosting
If you’re a lemon lover, I hope you love this cake as much as I do! The printable recipe card is below. Have a great day, friends! 🙂
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
for the lemon poppy seed cake-
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest about two whole lemons zested
- 3 whole eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar* or lemon juice
- 1/2 cup milk*
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
for the cream cheese frosting-
- 3 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup salted butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir sugar and lemon zest together to create a damp mixture that resembles damp sand. Stir in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- In a liquid measuring cup, stir milk, vinegar, and lemon juice together. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together to combine.
- Alternate stirring in wet and dry ingredients until everything is added into the cake batter. Gently stir in the poppy seeds and melted butter.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake 45-55 minutes or until baked thoroughly and a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted. Cool 15 minutes in the cake pan before removing to a rack to cool completely.
- For the frosting, whip all ingredients together until light and fluffy. Spread over cooled cake and serve.
I made this at my husband’s request. I used your recipe, because it was for a one layer, with a smaller amount of frosting. For just the two of us, I often halve recipes. It was very yummy, but a tad dry. I cooked it for 35 minutes, as 45-55 seemed like what I would cook a larger cake. I think 30 minutes would have been plenty.
Can this recipe be made into muffins?
Can I use a 9 in. cheesecake pan? Would that work? Also a 9 X 13 in. pan is to large?
I just baked this cake and it smells amazing, but it didn’t rise at all, it’s super flat. Any idea what I did wrong? I followed the recipe exactly… was it supposed to rise or not much?
hi there can you make this into a loaf pan
thanks Joanne
I think it should work, as long as you’re using a larger loaf pan.
made this today, not sure why but my cake came out over done/dry at 40minutes. Good flavor though. I will reduce my time to 20 or 30 minutes
Julie, I cooked it for 35 minutes, which was too long. If I had done 45, it would have bee inedible. The sides were so brown. I am the family baker, and my oven is calibrated. Must be a typo, on the time.
Will be making this awesome looking cake this weekend. Can I use buttermilk instead of milk and vinegar?
yes!
Is the flour supposed to be sifted ? My cake turned out dense and dry. Any idea to improve for next time ?
Could Gluten free flour be used ?
Disappointed.. Don’t know what. I did wrong. Baking powder and baking soda were not expired. First, recipe made enough batter for two 9” round pans. Then, it only took 30 minutes until a toothpick came out clean—the tops were even a little brown. When I tried a small piece from the cooling rack—no flavor, just poppyseeds and floury taste. Made it for an Easter Dinner Cake. I have been baking for 40 years and have not had a cake turn out correctly until today . . . So sad. Will have to do something else for dessert.
I love this cake and the frosting. I think the frosting recipe should be doubled. But it is a hit for sure!
I followed the directions to the T, but my cake did not rise very much. It taste great, but more not light and fluffy. Maybe it is the altitude as I live a 1200 ft.
I made this cake a few days ago for my bff birthday and it was a huge hit. Everyone wanted more!!
Mmmm. I love everything lemon! I can’t wait to make this.
I’m going to make this recipe for a Birthday BBQ this weekend. Quick question – if I wanted to make it a 2 layer cake is that possible? What would I need to adjust?
[…] Cream Cheese Frosting […]
[…] on lemon cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, or even strawberry cupcakes. You can also spread it on a lemon poppyseed cake or lemon […]
Love this recipe. Do you refrigerate this or leave it out?
[…] Lemon Poppyseed Cake by Lauren’s Latest […]
[…] Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting […]
Hi Lauren,
Would it be ok if I use blue poppyseeds in this recipe?
I have no idea what blue poppy seeds are, so, sure?!
Thank you for sharing all your recipes!
This looks sooo 😋.
This is so yummy!!!
[…] Source : https://laurenslatest.com/lemon-poppyseed-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/ […]
This recipe looks so good and you as always make your recipes seem doable. I think I have everything so I might give it a whirl. Getting betting at baking from your site.
Aghast that some one would steal intellectual property to such a blatant degree. Are they looking to get sued? So unacceptable on so many levels.
Need to find that recipe you show on your video for a loaf cake rolled in butter and then cinnamon /sugar/ Follow you religiously but have missed that one.
[…] 27. Laughing cow cheese wedges, pretzels, fresh cherries, lemon poppyseed mini muffin […]
How about you not taking credit for a lemon poppy seed cake like my Great Grandmother made! Give credit or admit that you did not create this recipe !
How about you not taking credit for a Lemon Poppey Seed cake and Cream Cheese icing that my Great Grandmother made. All my life..she died in 1990 at the age of 90. I agree give credit where credit is due, however the picture of “your” cake looks like everyone elses Lemon Popoey Seed cake…
I made the cake last night and it was like a brick. Awful, sorry I really wasnt happy and embarassed as I brought the cake in to work. Luckily I brought in my tried and tested chocolate cake which was a hit ! Very embarassed indeed !
I can’t wait to try this! I absolutely love lemon!
Ur cake looks so good I can’t wait to make it. I totally believe people do things like that. No life of their own. I wouldn’t even know how to do something lik That and to be honest I pin stuff and don’t check on that pin until I go to make so I have no idea even if I have the recipe. But in any case I know I can find it again.
[…] from Lauren’s […]
“Cake also helped me “get it off my chest” too.”
I’m sorry for your blog thefts, but this comment made me giggle, as I thought, “yup, off the chest and onto the butt” 🙂
Haha!! Mine is off the chest and onto my thighs!!
ok, I had to come back to comment here. We’ve all seen that review that starts with, I didn’t have real milk, so I used sour cream, and then I realized that was orange zest in the freezer, and then I didn’t spray the pan, because I don’t have any. so I used butter, and then I only had an 8 inch square pan, so I used it, and I thought more poppy seeds would be good… and so on, and so on. Oh, and I really only read the instructions after I threw all the ingredients in the bowl of the mixer… So, this is the point in so many reviews where first, I’m like – “OK, so, you are an idiot – baking is chemistry, and you know it, so why you’d expect success with that mishmash going on, I have no idea” (ok, I’m not so nice, but editing for decency).
ANYWAY – What I need to say is that this cake is amazing, and it’ll probably be even better if I actually follow the instructions, and really, actually have actual lemons on hand! And with frosting! Oh, next time there will be frosting. I mean, cream cheese is breakfast food! Thank you, Lauren~!
OMG! Thank you for the little print button! Also, I’m going to skip the frosting (because that will make it breakfast, not dessert, right?) and use the rest of the sour cream instead of the milk and vinegar (because uht boxed lactose free skim milk does NOT do what you want it to do when you add vinegar!)- wish me luck! And Thank you! I also get nuts about people who pass work off as their own!
Hey Lauren I just bumped into your recipe after the baking bug bit me but unfortunately it didn’t rise using plain flour do you have a substitute recipe which uses self raising flour and also my oven only goes to 250 is there another suitable temperature to use? Thanks
Sorry this happened to you, i also experienced the same type of thing, with friends and sometimes family members making my recipes their one. And on a gathering or a braai they present it as theirs. It sucks especially if it does not even taste or looks like the real deal. Always remember yours was first and it tastes, looks and will be remembered better.
Thank you your cake looks lovely
will try to bake it
Lauren, I can’t wait to try this cake. It sounds amazing. My mom used to make a poppy seed bundt cake that was scrumptious! I can’t find her recipe, and can’t wait to make this. Lemon and poppy seed combo is always a winner. Thank you!
I hope you enjoy it just as much!
Hi I am going to try the cake this coming weekend Trying to loose weight and only allow myself something sweet over weekends Not prepared to abstain comepletely Love poppy seeds, lemon and cream cheese frosting Will be a winner Thanks for sharing
[…] 7) Lemon poppyseed cake with cream cheese frosting (by Laurenslatest.com) […]