Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

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5 from 2 votes

Three luscious layers of light lemon cake topped with a lemon infused cream cheese icing.

Prep Time1

Cook Time15

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, lemon, poppy seed

Servings:

Calories: 753kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided (335g)
zest of 2 lemons
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (6 ounces)
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 ½ cups cake flour, or sifted AP flour - sift before measuring (310g)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (8 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon lemon extract, optional
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice, strained of seeds and pulp (73g or 2 ¾ ounces - about 2 lemons)
3 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the frosting:

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (6 ounces)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
24 ounces powdered sugar
pinch of salt
yellow gel food color, if desired

Instructions

To prepare the cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Set aside.
In a small food processor, combine ¼ cup (57g) of the granulated sugar with the lemon zest. Process until the sugar turns yellow and the mixture resembles coarse sand.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, the lemon zest/sugar mixture, and the remaining 1 ¼ cups of granulated sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing just until the yolk disappears.
In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Add ½ of the milk to the sugar/butter mixture and blend on low until incorporated. The mixture may look like it split, but that’s okay. Next, add ½ of the flour mixture and mix on low until blended. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Repeat.
Add the vanilla, lemon juice and poppy seeds. Using the spatula, gently fold the batter. Do not beat!
Divide the batter equally between the three prepared 8-inch cake pans. Tap the pans gently on a hard surface to release air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes, rotating the pans after 10 minutes. Do not over bake!!! Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out and cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare the frosting:

Combine the cream cheese and butter and beat until blended. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, powdered sugar and salt. Beat until fluffy.

To assemble the cake:

Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread ¼ of the frosting on top of the cake layer. Repeat by adding another layer of cake and then ⅓ of the remaining frosting. Top with the last cake layer. Frost the top and sides of cake. Pipe any remaining frosting on top in a decorative pattern, if desired. Garnish with lemon wedges and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Cake layers can be made ahead. Cool the layers then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the cake under ready to ice.
This cake can be made a day ahead and refrigerated until needed. Remove the cake from the refrigerator 30-minutes before serving for the best flavor.
Leftover cake can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition