A 3-layer lemon poppyseed cake with a lemon curd filling and topped with a light and fluffy lemony frosting! Perfect for the lemon dessert lovers out there.
Where are the lemon poppyseed dessert fans? This cake is just for you!
The cake recipe itself is super easy, and the frosting requires a little extra effort – but it’s worth it!
This is a 3-layer cake (so you’ll need 3 pans, 6 inch wide) – or you can make this a 2 layer cake if you want to make it a larger cake with 8 inch cake pans. You will just need to adjust the bake time appropriately – probably adding an extra 5-10 minutes.
And you also won’t need as much lemon curd if you do a 2 layer cake, or you can save it for dipping! Enjoy!
Other lemon desserts to check out: lemon blueberry cookies, lemon cupcakes, and lemon blackberry bread!
Lemon Poppyseed Cake
A 3-layer lemon poppyseed cake with a lemon curd filling and topped with a light and fluffy lemony frosting! Perfect for the lemon dessert lovers out there.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 1/2 cup cake flour (288 g)
- 2 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened (113 g)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup lemon juice
For the Filling:
- 1 cup lemon curd
For the Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2cups powdered sugar (230g)
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon, then finely chopped
- Poppy seeds and lemon slices for decoration, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line the bottom of 3, 6” cake pans with parchment paper, and grease and flour them.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil, and lemon zest until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix. Add the lemon juice and milk and mix until fully combined.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the stand mixture, and mix until just barely combined.
- Spread batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the batter to be even on top.
- Bake for about 27-31 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Place the cake pans on a wire rack to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning them out of the pans to cool completely. *If you have time, put cakes in the fridge to cool completely for a few hours.
- After the cakes have cooled, you can make the frosting if you are ready to serve:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar until you have stiff peaks (making whipped cream)
- In a separately medium mixing bowl with a hand mixer, whip the softened cream cheese for 3 minutes. You want this super light and fluffy before continuing. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and whip again until well combined. Add the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream and gently fold together to create a light frosting.
- For the Assembly: Dollop a few tablespoons of frosting on a cake stand or large plate and then place the first cake layer on the center. Add about ½-2/3 cup frosting on top of the first cake layer. Stir your lemon curd to make it smooth and easily spreadable. Gently spread about ½ cup on top of the frosting. Gently place your second cake layer on top of the lemon curd. Repeat the process with the frosting and the rest of the lemon curd. Place your final cake layer on top (*see note) and frost the top and sides of the cakes. You can use a flat-edge cake knife to get smooth edges or to make it have a bit of texture using the curved edge of a spoon.
- Top with lemon slices and a sprinkle of poppy seeds, if desired.
Notes
The assembly of the cake is easiest if you refrigerate your cake layers first. Wrap them in plastic wrap after they’re totally cooled and chill in the fridge for a few hours. This will hold the frosting and curd better without it oozing out.
If your cake layers have a slight dome in the middle after baking, you can use a bread knife to cut the top off and make it flat for stacking.
This frosting is light and fluffy. It is perfect for a lemon poppy seed cake but it will not hold up well sitting for more than a few hours. If you need it to last longer than this, you can poke a few cake dowels or wooden skewers into the cake layers before you frost the top so the layers don’t fall into each other.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1/16 cakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 449Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 248mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information is calculated automatically by an online tool at Nutritionix. It is not always accurate. Please use your own tools to check if you rely on this information.
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