Lemon Poppy Seed Layer Cake
Lemon poppy seed muffins are a crowd favorite. So why not take that classic flavor and put it into a cake? This layer cake features a lightly lemon flavored cake speckled with poppy seeds for subtle texture, a bright and tart lemon curd filling, and a honey buttercream frosting to balance out the strong lemon flavors. As pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate!
Prepare the Cakes
The batter for this cake comes together in a few simple steps:
In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and granulated sugar using a stand mixer or handheld mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add three eggs one at time, mixing to fully combine in between. Add vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
Add in milk and lemon juice and mix on medium speed until you have a smooth batter like in the picture below.
Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Evenly distribute the cake batter between the two pans. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely before removing from the pans.
Want to make a 3 tiered cake instead? Use the same amount of batter in three 8-inch round cake pans. Baking time will be slightly shorter, so start checking around the 20 minute mark.
Make the Lemon Curd Filling and Honey Buttercream Frosting
For the lemon curd:
Whisk together one whole egg, two egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in the bowl of a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler you can make one by simmer water in a medium saucepan and placing a glass bowl on top, making sure it does not touch the water.
Heat the mixture on medium. Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. If it is not thickening, slightly increase the temperature.
Once thickened, remove from heat and add soft butter cubes. Mix together until the butter is fully melted.
Transfer the curd to a small bowl and cover with cling wrap so it is touching the top of the curd. This will prevent it from developing a film.
Allow the curd to cool completely before use. If you prefer, you can make the lemon curd in advance and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For the honey buttercream frosting:
In a large bowl using a stand or handheld mixer, cream softened butter until smooth.
Add powdered sugar, honey, vanilla, salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk or cream and mix on medium speed until fully combined. If the frosting seems too thick, add more milk or cream 1 tablespoon at a time.
Refrigerate the frosting until ready to use.
Assemble and Frost the Cake
Once the cakes have cooled completely, use a serrated knife to cut off any domed top so the cakes are flat. Place one of the cakes on a cake board or turntable cut side up.
Transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag and pipe a ring of frosting along the edge of the top of the cake to make a barrier for the filling. I also chose to pipe two other concentric circles of frosting so the flavor would be more present throughout a slice of cake. Fill the area between the frosting with lemon curd. See the image above for reference
Place the other cake on top with the cut side down. Take care to make sure the cakes are lined up evenly so they don't lean to the side. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides of the cake. This is called a crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake for 10 minutes, then continue frosting and decorating as desired. I chose to add some yellow frosting for contrast. Candied lemon slices would also make for a nice decoration.
For cleaner slices, refrigerate the cake for 15-30 minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Lemon Poppy Seed Layer Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- pinch of salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1-3 tbsp milk or cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using a stand mixer or handheld mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at time, mixing to fully combine in between. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Add the milk and lemon juice and mix on medium speed until you have a smooth batter. You may need to use a rubber spatula to mix in any flour stuck to the bottom of the bowl.
- Divide the batter into the two prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool before removing from the pans.
- Whisk together the whole egg, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in the bowl of a double boiler. See notes for how to make your own if you do not have one.
- Heat the mixture on medium. Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. If it is not thickening, slightly increase the temperature.
- Once thickened, remove from heat and add the soft butter cubes. Mix together until the butter is fully melted.
- Transfer the curd to a small bowl and cover with cling wrap so it is touching the top of the curd. This will prevent it from developing a film. Allow the curd to cool completely before use. You can make this a day or two ahead of time if you prefer.
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter until smooth using a stand or handheld mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add the powdered sugar, honey, vanilla, salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk or cream and mix on medium speed until fully combined. If the frosting seems too thick, add more milk or cream 1 tablespoon at a time. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Once the cakes have cooled completely, use a serrated knife to cut off any domed top so the cakes are flat. Place one of the cakes on a cake board or turntable cut side up.
- Transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag and pipe a ring of frosting along the edge of the top of the cake to make a barrier for the filling. I also chose to pipe two other concentric circles of frosting so the flavor would be more present throughout a slice of cake. Fill the area between the frosting with lemon curd.
- Place the other cake on top with the cut side down. Take care to make sure the cakes are lined up evenly so they don't lean to the side.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides of the cake. This is called a crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake for 10 minutes, then continue frosting and decorating as desired.
- For cleaner slices, refrigerate the cake for 15-30 minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- DIY double boiler: I you don't have a double boiler, you can make one by filling a medium saucepan with about two inches of water and bring to a simmer. Then place a glass bowl on top. The bowl should be big enough so the bottom sits comfortably inside the saucepan without touching the water. And there is your homemade double boiler!
- Three-tiered cake: If you prefer a three-tiered cake, you can follow the same recipe but use three 8-inch pans instead. Baking time will be reduced, so start checking your cakes around the 20 minute mark.
