This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
This lemon poppy seed cake is moist and fluffy and is bursting with refreshing lemon flavor. Topped with a cream cheese frosting, it looks ambitious, but it’s SO easy to make!
Love lemon dessert recipes? Try my lemon olive oil cake, lemon loaf, and lemon mousse.
My lemon poppy seed cake recipe looks impressive, but honestly, it’s one of the easiest cakes you’ll ever make. I tested this using just pantry staples because, let’s be real- things are expensive these days, and we all deserve (need) some cake!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Basic ingredients. This cake has no eggs, no milk, and no butter, but you’d never tell.
- Perfect for lemon lovers. You get some lemon in the cake batter but also in the frosting.
- It looks incredible. I add a few drops of yellow food coloring to make the color pop, and when you pair that with the poppy seeds and cream cheese frosting, it’s a cake that will impress–just ask my friends!
- Quick and easy. From prep to plate, this cake takes less than 30 minutes to make. The hard part is waiting to add the frosting.
Ingredients needed
- Flour. Nothing fancy is needed here. Just sifted all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour if needed.
- Sugar. I used regular white sugar. You can use brown sugar if you’d like, but it will make the cake darker and give it a more robust caramelized flavor.
- Salt. Just a dash to elevate the other ingredients.
- Baking soda. To help the cake rise.
- Poppy seeds. For lemon poppy seed cake, of course!
- Vinegar. To react with the baking soda and give it a light, airy texture. Use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any good cake recipe.
- Oil. I used vegetable oil, but any neutral-flavored oil will work. It provides moisture and binds the ingredients.
- Lemon juice. I recommend using fresh lemon juice for the brightest lemon flavor.
- Water. To bind the ingredients. Milk will also work, though I didn’t notice a huge flavor difference.
- Yellow food coloring. To enhance the color. You can skip this if you’d like, but the cake will be white.
- Cream cheese frosting. To frost the cake. I made my own with softened cream cheese and milk, but you can use a store-bought frosting instead.
How to make lemon poppyseed cake
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients.
Step 2- Add wet ingredients. To the large bowl, add all of the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, minus the food coloring, and whisk to combine. Then, add the food coloring and mix until it reaches your desired color.
Step 3- Bake. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 4- Frost. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool briefly, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Recipe tips and variations
- Don’t overbake. The cake will continue to cook briefly after being pulled out of the oven, so remove it as soon as a toothpick comes out ‘just’ clean.
- Increase the lemon flavor. If you love tart lemon, swap the water for extra lemon juice and fold lemon zest into the batter.
- Make lemon poppyseed muffins. When I want to share this recipe, I find making muffins to be easier. Simply line a 12-count muffin tin with muffin liners and evenly distribute the batter among the pan. Bake for 17-19 minutes, then let them cool completely in the pan before frosting.
- Or make a bundt cake. Pour the batter into a well-greased bundt cake and increase the cooking time by at least 15-20 minutes to make up for the deeper-sized pan.
- Double or triple the recipe. This recipe makes a single 8-inch cake with frosting, but if you’d like multiple cake layers, double or triple the ingredients.
- Swap the citrus. I’ve made this exact recipe with orange and grapefruit, and I’ll tell you what: it tasted just as good!
Frosting options
If you’re not in the mood for cream cheese frosting, you can skip it or use a different frosting recipe. Here are a few of my tested options:
- Lemon cream cheese frosting. Using an electric mixer, combine ½ cup of softened cream cheese with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar in
- Lemon glaze. Combine ¾ cup of powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Vanilla glaze. Combine ¾ cup of powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
- Vegan cream cheese frosting. Use the frosting recipe from my vegan lemon cake.
Storage instructions
To store: Any leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container and kept at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze: To keep the cake fresher longer, wrap any leftover slices in plastic wrap and freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it again, let it thaw overnight in the fridge.
More easy cake recipes to try
Easiest Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar white or sugar free substitutes * See notes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon vinegar white or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoon oil vegetable, canola, or any neutral flavored oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup water
- 1-2 drops yellow food coloring
- 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and poppy seeds and mix well. Add your vinegar, vanilla extract, oil, water, and lemon juice and mix everything together. Add your yellow food coloring, and mix until incorporated.
- Transfer the cake batter into the lined pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely, before frosting.
This looks delicious! It’s so tough to find cleaner lemon recipes! Thanks
Friend!
You are so welcome- Thank you, Kolicia!
ARMAN YHIS LOOKS AMAZING
CAN I MAKE THIS FOR DINNER lol
Hi, I was so happy when I saw this lemon poppyseed cake! I have been desiring lemons the past few days for some reason LOL .
Could you please tell me how much of the cream cheese is used for the frosting? Thanks!
This cake takes way longer to cook than the directions say. At least the Paleo version does.
Hi Kirstie! Thank you so much for pointing that out- I was supposed to include the paleo time being close to 50 minutes. Amended!
Yes, 50 minutes is about how long I ended up baking it for the Paleo version. It was really good! I left out the poppy seeds and added blueberries.
As usual, this looks like another delicious recipe that I can’t wait to try! Great post! I just have one question – in general. Instead of using (chemical-laden) cooking spray to grease the pan, why not wipe the pan with coconut oil? It is an excellent coating for baking and does not detract from the benefits of healthy recipes.
I enjoyed your family lemon story and would LOVE to know which version is your Mother’s, as well as which version is so beautifully shown in the photos? (I get a bit muddled with all the options!) Thanks, ahead!
Hi Joy! 🙂
My mother’s version is more based on the oat version (which is also pictured) 🙂
Cheers!
This looks delicious and I was drawn in by “paleo”. Unfortunately this really isn’t Paleo at all unfortunately.
Hi Tom! There is a 100% tested paleo option there- It’s under the original version.
Cheers
Your recipes look delicious but I don’t understand how you are calling them flourless when they call for cups of oat flour? Every cup of oat flour contains 480 calories and 78 grams of carbohydrates.
Hi Gloria- This is indeed flourless- The original recipe stems from rolled oats, not flour 🙂
Thanks for the calorie information for oat flour!
Oh well, OK. That is how bloggers mislead people. Your recipe clearly states to grind them into flour. I guess if your recipe called for whole wheat and grind it into flour that would be flourless too. I am a blogger too, but also a dietitian and I don’t believe in misleading people into thinking foods are healthier than they are. Ground oats are oat flour and have a ton of carbs.
Gloria,
‘Flour’, for decades in the U.S, is generally a term used to refer to ground whole wheat grains. Because so many people have become severely allergic to wheat, or developed an intolerance, alternatives have become widespread.
The term ‘flourless’ in unbelievably common among those of us who must avoid traditional ‘flour’, it’s also used hundreds of times a day on food blogs, in cooking magazines, on TV, on Pinterest and other popular sites. I’m sorry if you personally are not familiar with this term, which is quite shocking since you claim to be not only a dietician but a blogger as well. You can easily do some research on this, which sounds like it will be beneficial not only to your career and clients, but possibly to your blog.
In the meantime, Arman has hundreds of followers who are fully educated as to what ‘flourless’ does and does not mean. I’m glad that we could help you learn something new.
This looks so good! Quick question, am I measuring the oats before grinding them into flour or after? I can’t wait to try this 🙂
Hi Susan! Apologies for the oversight- After grinding them would be great (add 2 extra tablespoons or so :))
Hi Arman! I’ve read most of your recipes and I can’t wait to try all of them. There’s only one problem, I’m from Mexico and I’m not very familiar with the cook language. What does the “T” stand for, eg. 2 T lemon juice.
Hi Tania! No worries at all- the ‘T’ stands for tablespoon, so 15 mls each – for 2 tablespoons it will be 30 mls 🙂
I love lemon! Everything lemon. Sweet and savory. Putting poppy seed on my shopping list. This is due on Sunday as a breakfast for the next week 🙂
Please do!!! Or the mug cake…either or 😉
I love lemon poppyseed cake, and that frosting looks so yummy!
🙂 Thank you so much, Joanne!