Everyone loves a good dessert now and then. That’s certainly true when it comes to lemon poppy seed cake, which is light and flavorful enough to enjoy any time of year.
A lot of people, upon hearing the name lemon poppy seed cake, imagine a cake that will be difficult to make and full of complex steps. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, lemon poppy seed cake is incredibly easy to make, but your guests are sure to think you spent hours in the kitchen…especially if you follow our delicious recipe.
Get Your Ingredients Together and Ready to Go
To make this delicious (and surprisingly easy) lemon poppy seed cake, you’ll want to start by gathering all the necessary ingredients.
This particular recipe calls for:
- 3 cups of flour
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 8 ounces of butter
- 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice
- 3/4 cup of milk
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- 3 round pans (about eight inches each)
Now, It’s Time to Bake Your Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Once you have all of your ingredients, it’s time to turn them into something delicious. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, you can go ahead and grease your cake pans.
From there, whisk together your flour and baking powder, adding in the lemon zest a little at a time.
In a separate bowl, you’ll want to mix your milk and lemon juice and allow to sit for a few minutes.
In another bowl, mix butter and sugar for about three minutes; it should get nice and fluffy before you stop mixing. Once the mixture meets the desired consistency, add in your eggs, mixing thoroughly as you go. Next, add in your vanilla extract, the flour mixture you prepared earlier, the milk mixture, and your poppy seeds
With everything combined, you’re ready to pour the mix into your cake pans. Put the pans in the oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes. Your kitchen will start to smell heavenly, and you’ll end up with three cakes that can be stacked or eaten individually.
Some people like to eat the cake plain, maybe with a little lemon juice drizzled over the top. However, most will enjoy adding some kind of frosting, and fortunately, there are several great options.
Try This Delectable Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frosting goes really well with lemon poppy seed cake. And, just like the cake itself, it’s very easy to make.
All you’ll need is an 8-ounce package of cream cheese, a tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/4 cup of butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 3 cups of powdered sugar.
Mix your butter and cream cheese thoroughly. Then, you can beat in the sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Then, add the vanilla extract and the lemon juice, mixing as you go.
The frosting is ready right away and will taste wonderful spread over this cake.
Remember, There’s No Shame in Canned Frosting
While our lemon poppy seed cake is pretty easy, it does take some time in the kitchen. If you’re not willing to devote even more time, or you just can’t bring yourself to make your own frosting, it’s okay. Cut yourself some slack.
You can get by with using canned frosting. The cake is so good it doesn’t really need anything fancy anyway.
Plus, when you choose canned frosting, you will have a ton of flavor options to pick from. Try something different like chocolate frosting or go with vanilla or lemon. You can find any kind of frosting you want. In fact, you could even supply several different frosting options and then let your guests pick which one they’d like to try on their slice of cake.
Go for a Light Glaze on Your Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Believe it or not, not everyone is a fan of the thick sweetness of frosting. For that reason, some people like to use a light glaze on this cake instead of a full-out frosting.
Fortunately, you can make a really tasty glaze with just a few ingredients and in just a few minutes of your time.
All you have to do is whisk together 1.5 cups of confectioner’s sugar and three tablespoons of lemon juice. Once the mixture is smooth, pour it over the cake. Allow it to set for around fifteen minutes and then enjoy.
As you can see, there are many ways to enjoy this awesome lemon poppyseed cake. With so many tasty options, it’s time to start baking. The sooner you do, the sooner you can dig in to this delicious cake.
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