2/20/2019 Lemon Poppyseed Cake |

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

★★★★★ 4.3 from 9 reviews

A tender layer cake recipe brightened with lemon juice, lemon zest and poppy
seeds, frosted with a tangy sweet lemon cream cheese frosting.

Author: Carrie Sellman

Yield: One 8" Round Cake (3 layers)
Category: ✽ ✽ ✽

INGREDIENTS
For the Lemon Poppy Seed Cake:
3 cups cake flour, spooned and leveled (336g)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons organic lemon zest, about 3-4 lemons
8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
12 ounces cream cheese, block style
8 ounces unsalted butter, slightly softened but still cold
4 ounces salted butter, slightly softened but still cold
4-6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon organic lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
For the Assembly:
Lemon slices
Poppy Seeds
Edible flowers (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Lemon Poppy Seed Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and lightly flour three 8″ round pans. Line with parchment paper
circles.
2. Whisk together 3 cups cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add lemon zest and whisk again.
Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine milk and lemon juice. Stir to combine and set aside for milk to curdle.
This is similar to making homemade buttermilk.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high using the paddle
attachment. Beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down bowl.
5. With the mixer on low, add eggs one at a time. Mix well after each egg.
6. Add vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
7. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the
flour mixture. Do not over mix.
8. Add poppy seeds and mix to combine. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and the mixer
blade. Batter will be thick and fluffy.
9. Divide batter evenly between the three 8″ round pans. Smooth tops with rubber spatula or knife
to evenly distribute batter in the pan.
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10. Bake for 25-27 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
11. Let cool in pans for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and cream cheese until
smooth.
2. Add vanilla, lemon zest and juice and mix until combined.
3. Gradually add confectioners sugar, adjusting amount, until desired sweetness is
reached. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whip on medium until smooth and slightly fluffy.
Overmixing will result in a thinner frosting because the butter and cream cheese will be too
warm and soft.
Assemble the Cake:
1. Place one layer of cake onto serving plate or cake stand and top with about one cup of
lemon cream cheese frosting. Repeat with second cake layer, more frosting and then last layer
of cake. Crumb coat and frost cake with remaining frosting.
2. If desired, create soft swirls in the frosting by lightly placing the tip of an offset spatula against
the frosting while spinning the turntable. Your spatula will naturally move up the side of the
cake, leaving a imprinted swirl.
3. Decorate with lemon slices, a sprinkle of poppy seeds and edible flowers, if desired.
4. Store in refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

NOTES
Be careful not to pack flour into the measuring cups. Too much flour can result is a heavy and overly
dense cake. 3 cups of cake flour is 336g when properly measured. If you do not have a scale,
spooning flour into the measuring cup and then leveling off the excess is the next best way to
measure.
When finished mixing the cake batter, be sure to scrape down the mixer blade to grab all the lemon
zest that has accumulated. Fold back into the cake batter before diving into pans.
You may bake this as two full-sized 8″ round cake layers. Alternatively, I baked it as three
intentionally shorter 8″ round layers – this saves time and effort because the shorter layers do not
need to be torted. The resulting layers are approximately 1.25 inches tall. If only using two pans, be
sure to only fill them 2/3 of the way full to prevent overflowing.
I do not recommend substituting 2% or skim milk in the cake batter. This recipe needs the fat from
the whole milk.
If frosting is too thin after whipping, refrigerate for 30 minutes before assembling cake. The chilled
frosting will have a thicker consistency. For an even thicker consistency, add additional
confectioners’ sugar as desired.
I used edible micro sun daisies for the decoration. Add the flowers just before serving as they will
wilt over time, especially when refrigerated.

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