Easiest Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This lemon poppyseed cake is moist and fluffy and topped with a cream cheese frosting. It's deceptively easy to make. Watch the video below to see how I make it in my kitchen!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 186kcal

Author Arman Liew

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 optional
1 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 the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and mix well. Add the vinegar, vanilla extract, oil, water, and lemon juice and mix everything together. Add your yellow food coloring, and mix until incorporated. Fold through the poppy seeds.
Transfer the cake batter into the lined pan and bake for 27-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely, before frosting.
To frost the cake, slice it lengthways. Spread 1/3 cup of frosting on the base layer, then add the second layer on top. Spread the frosting on top and all around the sides.

Video

Notes

* You can use brown sugar or coconut sugar, but your cake will be darker.

This recipe makes a single 8-inch cake with frosting. If you'd like a layer cake, double or triple the ingredients.

TO MAKE MUFFINS: Line a 12-count muffin tin with muffin liners. Distribute the batter amongst the 12-muffin pans. Bake the muffins for 17-19 minutes, or until a skewer comes out 'just' clean. Let the muffins cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes, before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, frost them.

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.

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.

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