A delicious homemade lemon cake studded with poppy seeds and frosted with a light lemon frosting this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is the cake of the summer!

If you want to know one thing about me it’s that I absolutely love anything lemon poppy seed. I grew up having all the lemon poppy seed desserts because that is what my mom loved.

From muffins to cakes, cupcakes to bread. You name it, it was made and they were all absolutely delicious. But nothing was more delicious than this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake!

This is why I really actually name it The Best Lemon Poppy Seed Cake because it is literally so addictive that you will absolutely not want to stop at just one slice.

I have to be careful around this cake here, I would sit and eat the whole thing if I could and that is no joke. We absolutely love it and is one of the most requested lemon desserts that I bring to gatherings.

There is never a slice left so that always has to mean something right? Regardless of that it really is a great homemade cake with a homemade frosting that works so well together.

I love the light lemon flavor that the frosting gives this cake as it does not overpower the cake with lemon flavor but absolutely compliments it so nicely.

Some of our other favorite lemon desserts that we have on our site include Lemon Layer Cake, Lemon Baked Donuts and Lemon Ricotta Cake!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

With easy pantry staples it comes together in a jiffy!
The frosting complements the cake so nicely and is not overpowering.
This is a great cake to bring to gatherings, to eat at home or to make just because.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):

All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Sea salt
Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Whole milk
Lemon juice
Lemon zest
Vanilla extract
Poppy seeds
Powdered sugar

HOW TO MAKE LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE, STEP BY STEP:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with baking spray, set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar and until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.
Scrape down the sides. Add the eggs in one at a time, allowing them to fully combine into the mixture.
Scrape down the sides and add the flour mixture. Gently stir it in until just combined.
Add the milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla, stir in until combined, scrape down the sides.
Last, add the poppyseeds and stir them in until evenly distributed, do not over mix.
Add the cake batter to the baking dish and bake for 35-42 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. A few crumbs left on the toothpick are okay, but any wet batter and it needs to bake longer.
Place the dish on a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cake cools, make the frosting by placing the butter into a large bowl with an electric hand mixer. Mix until smooth, 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest, and vanilla, mix until combined. Turn the mixer on medium and whip the frosting until light and fluffy, 3 minutes.
Once the cake is cooled, frost with lemon buttercream. Slice and serve.

I honestly just cannot get enough of this cake! It really is The Best Lemon Poppy Seed Cake, but I might be biased because I’ve been making this for years and just love it.

Rarely do I stray from this recipe unless we are making our layered version which is equally as good as this one! But sometimes I like a plain old cake in a cake pan and nothing fancy!

CAN I MAKE THIS IN A BUNDT PAN?

If you would rather have a bundt cake then yes you can make this in a bundt pan, the cooking times might be slightly different so would watch your cake.

You will know when it is done when a toothpick comes out clean. If you do plan on making git in a bundt pan then you can still use the frosting if you wish or you can make a lemon glaze to pour over the top.

CAN I USE A CREAM CHEESE FROSTING?

Absolutely, you can use pretty much any of your favorite frostings that you like. We have made a lemon cream cheese frosting for this cake before and it really compliments it well.

If you are more of the cream cheese frosting lover than you can absolutely do that. You can even use canned frosting if you’d like, but then you would lose the lemon flavor of the frosting itself.

HOW TO STORE:

This cake can be stored covered on the counter for up to 3-4 days. Since it does not contain cream cheese you can store it at room temperature.

If you plan on making a cream cheese frosting for this recipe it does need to be refrigerated where it will keep for up to 4-5 days.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

You can use as much or as little poppy seeds as you like in this recipe.
Fresh squeeze lemon juice provides the best flavor or this cake but you can also use bottled if necessary.
This can be made in a bundt pan if you wish to try it in something other than a 9″x13″ pan.
The lemon zest is really helpful to provide more lemon flavor in the cake, I highly suggest that you include it.
Make sure you cool your cake fully before frosting.

If you want that perfect lemon dessert, then look no further! The Best Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is all you will ever need!

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The Best Lemon Poppy Seed Cake