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Lemon poppy seed cake with the cake slices on its side.
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5 from 3 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This lemon poppy seed cake is baked in a 9X9 pan and is full of fresh lemons and poppy seeds. It is topped with a lemon cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Decorating Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 9 slices
Calories: 503kcal

Ingredients

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

  • 2 ¼ cup All-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ½ cup Unsalted butter room temperature
  • 3 tablespoon Oil canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup White granulated sugar
  • 3 Lemons zested
  • 2 tablespoon Lemon juice 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup Sour cream room temperature
  • 3 Large eggs room temperature
  • ¾ cup Buttermilk room temperature

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ¾ cup Unsalted butter room temperature
  • 8 oz Cream cheese room temperature
  • 2 cups Powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 Lemon zested
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • Top with extra lemon zest and poppy seeds
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9X9-inch square baking pan with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper (I used an 8 inch parchment paper circle) and spray again.
  • In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add in the poppy seeds and salt. Set aside.
    2 ¼ cup All-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoon Baking powder, ¼ teaspoon Baking soda, 1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds, ½ teaspoon Salt
  • Using a mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on high speed for 3 minutes. It will become light in color.
    ½ cup Unsalted butter, 3 tablespoon Oil, 1 cup White granulated sugar
  • Add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and sour cream and mix on medium. Add in the eggs and mix on medium until combined. The batter will appear separated, but this is normal because of the acid from the lemon.
    3 Lemons zested, 2 tablespoon Lemon juice, ¼ cup Sour cream, 3 Large eggs
  • Add ⅓rd of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk and mix on low speed. Add another ⅓rd of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk. Then, finish with the rest of the dry ingredients.
    ¾ cup Buttermilk
  • Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Let the cake sit in the hot pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool the cake completely before decorating.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Using a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl using a rubber spatula.
    ¾ cup Unsalted butter, 8 oz Cream cheese
  • Add in the sifted powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Add in the lemon zest and salt. Mix on high speed until creamy.
    2 cups Powdered sugar, 1 Lemon zested, ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • Spread the icing on top of the cake. Decorate with extra lemon zest and poppy seeds.
    Top with extra lemon zest and poppy seeds

Notes

Flour- Make sure flour is spooned and leveled or use a kitchen scale. Compacted flour can dry out the cake.
High altitude baking- Add an extra 1 tablespoon of flour.
Pull out dairy ingredients 2 hours before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 394mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1106IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1mg