Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
This lemon poppy seed cake is the perfect dessert for any lemon lover! It’s bursting with fresh lemon flavor with a zesty lemon poppy seed sheet cake smothered in lemon curd cream cheese frosting. It’s bright, moist, and so fun to make!
How to make a lemon poppy seed cake
The key to any good lemon cake is to use FRESH lemons! And this lemon poppy seed cake is no exception.
The cake itself is so flavorful using both lemon zest and lemon juice. The combination of the two adds so much zesty and bright flavor that just cannot be replicated with artificial flavorings.
Outside of the lemon, this cake is built around my fresh strawberry cake recipe. It is so fluffy, so moist, and so delicious that I knew it would be the perfect bake for this recipe as well.
Using a combination of all purpose and cake flour, this cake has a light and tender consistency. Paired with the perfect amount of milk, sour cream, eggs, oil, and butter, this lemon cake is deliciously moist as well!
Of course it wouldn’t be a lemon poppy seed cake WITHOUT the poppy seeds! Just two tablespoons is enough to add that nutty poppy seed flavor without overpowering the cake.
Once the batter is hand mixed, it’s poured into a 9×13 baking pan and baked into moist perfection.
Tips for baking lemon cake with poppy seeds
This cake is incredibly easy to make, but here are a few tips to ensure yours turns out just right:
- Flour – I say this in every post, and for good reason. It’s the number one reason why most recipes fail. If there’s too much flour, this cake will turn dry. If possible, measure the flour with a food scale. Otherwise, to ensure the exact amount, gently spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a flat edge. If scooped directly into the flour container, the flour becomes packed down into the cup which could leave you with 1/4 cup or more of added flour.
- Room Temperature Ingredients – The eggs, milk, and sour cream all make up a large portion of this batter. Because of this, it’s important that they are at room temperature before mixing in. If the batter is too cold, the cake has the potential to bake uneven. In a pinch, place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes before use. Then once the milk and sour cream are combined, microwave for about 30 seconds or until just barely warm.
- Fresh Lemons – I highly recommend using fresh lemons for this recipe. The flavor is much stronger than bottled lemon juice.
- Mixing – Mix as much as needed for the wet ingredients, but mix gently once the dry ingredients are added. If the batter is over worked, the cake can deflate in the center and turn out too dense and tough.
- Baking – For the best results, use a light metal baking pan (my favorite is linked at the bottom of the recipe card). Metal conducts heat much better than glass. It’s not a deal breaker, but the right baking pan lends a much more even and tender cake.
Lemon curd cream cheese frosting
Not only is the cake bursting with lemon flavor, but it’s also topped with cream cheese frosting swirled with lemon curd! So if you absolutely love lemon, this is the cake for you.
First, the lemon curd. I’ve included my very simple homemade recipe but store bought lemon curd will also do the trick here. The biggest tip here is to make sure the curd is chilled before use. Otherwise, it can cause the frosting to melt if it’s too warm.
But arguably the best part about this lemon poppy seed cake (or any cake) is the cream cheese frosting.
It’s also so easy to make and consists of just 4 ingredients:
- Cream Cheese
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla
First and foremost, make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature to get the perfect silky consistency. Cream the two together using an electric mixer then mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time.
Once combined, mix in the vanilla.
After the cake is completely cool to the touch, smear on the entirety of the frosting on top. Don’t swoop in any swirls just yet.
With an even layer of frosting, spoon small dollops of curd all throughout the frosting. Then go back in and swirl the curd and frosting together. Less is more here, so only do a handful of swirls. Otherwise, the two will completely mix together.
Top with an even sprinkle of poppy seeds and this gorgeous cake is finished!
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake FAQs
If you don’t have cake flour on hand, sub in with a mixture of all purpose flour and cornstarch. Measure out 3/4 cup of all purpose flour and then remove 2 tablespoons. Replace those 2 tablespoons with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk to combine and use in place of the cake flour.
Absolutely! Feel free to use any curd you prefer.
If you prefer not to use vegetable oil, use any oil that you like as long as it has a mild flavor. I actually think olive oil could work well here because lemon and olive oil is a great flavor combination.
Yes, bake and cool the cake before storing in the refrigerator. If it’s well covered, it will keep for about 2 days before you can frost and serve.
Yes, the curd can be made about 5 days in advance. Just make sure to store it in the refrigerator.
Keep the frosted cake in an air tight container and store in the refrigerator. It will keep moist for about 4 days.
If you are looking for just a lemon cake, feel free to leave out the poppy seeds!
For more lemon desserts, check out my:
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Iced Lemon Loaf Cake
- Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Lemon Bar Butter Cookies
- Gooey Lemon Butter Cake
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make this lemon poppy seed cake. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Watch how to make this lemon poppy seed cake:
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices
Description
This lemon poppy seed cake is made with SO much fresh lemon flavor and is all topped with a swirled lemon curd cream cheese frosting. It’s bright, zesty, moist, soft, and so delicious.
Ingredients
Homemade Lemon Curd (can sub store bought)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp organic* lemon zest (2 large lemons)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh organic* lemon juice (2–3 large lemons)
- 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, sliced into tablespoons
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- 2 cups (264g) all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (98g) cake flour*
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (2–3 lemons)
- 1/2 cup (108g) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, melted
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- 1/3 cup (80g) freshly squeezed lemon juice (2–3 lemons)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (118g) milk, room temp
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, room temp
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz full fat cream cheese, room temp
- 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 4 cups (440g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Homemade Lemon Curd
- Whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.
- Once smooth and well combined, whisk in the lemon zest and juice.
- Cook over medium heat until thickened, occasionally stirring (using a rubber spatula) at the beginning but constantly mixing near the end. It should take about 8-10 minutes on a gas stove top or 20 minutes on an electric stove top.
- Remove from heat and toss in the butter. Stir until melted and combined.
- Pour the curd into a wide and shallow heat proof container. Cover the container and let it chill while we bake the cake.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds.
- In a measuring glass, mix together the milk and sour cream.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar using your fingers. This will help release even more lemon flavor.
- Now whisk in the oil and melted butter, followed by the eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Pour in half of the dry ingredients and whisk.
- Right before it’s combined, pour in the milk and sour cream and whisk.
- Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is smooth and combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Then mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, followed by the vanilla.
- Once the cake has cooled, lift it out of the pan and top with a layer of the cream cheese frosting.
- Scoop little spoonfuls of curd all throughout the surface (you only need about 3/4 of the curd) and swirl into the frosting.
- Top with a sprinkle of poppy seeds and enjoy!
Notes
CAKE FLOUR SUB – If you don’t have cake flour, you can use a combination of regular flour and cornstarch. Measure out 3/4 cup of flour and remove 2 tablespoons. Then whisk in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Use this mixture in place of the cake flour in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Join Our Community
Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
I’m so excited for this! How do you suggest storing once made? Is it in the fridge? I have made it today for tomorrow
I made this with Bobs Gluten Free 1:1 flour, and it was excellent. So so good. Wonderful flavor and texture. I used 3 cups powdered sugar in the frosting, and thought it was great. Would definitely make again.
Has anyone made this using gluten free flours?
I halved the recipe to make it a loaf and used coconut sugar instead of sugar and topped with a simple glaze of lemon juice and icing sugar. It’s the most amazing loaf ever!!!
Absolutely delicious! Huge fan of lemon desserts. I didn’t execute the curd correctly, so I had to omit the curd. I added ~1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the frosting instead for the extra lemon. I also did not use all 4 cups of powder sugar for the frosting, I used ~3 cups or so – I wanted to avoid the frosting becoming too sweet frosting.
Hi Jenna, if I needed this to be gluten free would I just do a straight swap to a GF plain flour blend? ☺️
Cake was delicious however the icing was way to sweet for me (and I only put half the sugar) , especially when combined to the lemon curd. But I ate it with yogurt and it did the trick!
This is the best recipe I’ve ever made in my life… No exaggeration. I’m writing this because I made it six months ago and have been dreaming about it since then. It’s like a gorgeous pillow. I am not very skilled at baking but I followed the recipe exactly and this was so easy and came out perfectly and looked gorgeous.
This recipe is one of my most made desserts of 2023. I made it for my birthday, and have been making it for most occasions since. It gets rave reviews whenever I bring it to share. Its like an upgraded lemon poppy seed muffin, and the frosting is to die for! I make my cake with avocado oil because that is what I usually have on hand and it works out great!
This is THE most delicious dessert I’ve ever made!! I followed the recipe to the dot (might have put a bit extra baking powder by mistake). I can’t believe how high quality and tasty this turned out. My boyfriend did a little happy dance after tasting it and went for a second slice. Thank you!