Super moist, creamy, and topped with a luscious cream cheese lemon glaze, this lemon poppy seed cake is SO good! 

This lemon loaf tops the list of favorite desserts, along with Coconut Peach Muffins and Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Bright, citrusy, and fresh lemon poppy seed loaf cake just might be what we all need right now. Bursting with fresh lemon flavor, this cake is guaranteed to make your taste buds happy.

What makes this loaf cake so mouthwatering delicious? Simply using a combination of sour cream, buttermilk, fresh lemon juice, and zest for the cake layer. It’s my trick that I use in many different recipes, including our recipe for zucchini bread. It makes the cake ultra-moist and taste and smell like fresh lemons.

Between the cake layer is a cream-cheese layer that adds the perfect richness to the cake. And let’s not forget about the luscious cream cheese lemon glaze that adds the finishing touch to this rich and creamy cake.

It’s truly heaven in a loaf pan.

lemon poppy seed cake recipe

How Do You Make a Good Lemon Cake?

Making moist lemon poppy cake is not hard at all. It all starts with a few key ingredients combined with pantry staples to achieve the perfect texture of the cake.

You will need the following ingredients to make lemon poppy seed cake:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Baking powder and baking soda
  • Eggs
  • Sour cream, full fat 
  • Buttermilk
  • Olive oil, or sub with avocado oil
  • Vanilla extract
  • Lemon juice and zest
  • Poppy seeds
  • Cream cheese
  • Confectioners’ sugar
ingredients for lemon poppy cake

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Recipe

This recipe consists of making the cake layer, cream cheese layer, and lemon glaze. You will need at least two glass mixing bowls, a whisk, a wooden spoon, and a handheld mixer or stand mixer

MAKE THE CAKE LAYER:

  • Whisk the dry ingredients together: flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.
dry flour ingredients in a bowl
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppy seeds.
wet batter ingredients in a bowl
  • Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Some lumps are okay. Make sure not to over-mix.
lemon poppy seed cake batter in a bowl

MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE LAYER:

  • With a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add sugar and egg and beat to combine. The mixture should be lump-free and creamy.
cream cheese batter in a bowl
  • Spoon half of the cake batter into a greased loaf pan. Add the cream cheese mixture and top with the remaining cake batter.
lemon poppy seed loaf cake batter in a pan
  • Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. After 30 minutes of baking, tent the cake with a sheet of foil to prevent the top from over-browning.
  • Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pan to cool further on the cooling rack.
baked lemon cake on a cooling rack

MAKE THE LEMON GLAZE:

  • With a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice; continue beating until smooth.
lemon glaze in a bowl
  • Drizzle the glaze over the cake. It’s okay if the cake is slightly warm.
frosted lemon poppy seed loaf cake

Storing Leftover Cake

Leftover lemon cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or refrigerated up to 1 week. It does get soft and a little sticky the longer it sits but it tastes totally fine. 

close up lemon poppy cake recipe

More Sweet Lemon Recipes to Try:

Love sweet breads? Try our Swiss Braided Bread. It’s such a versatile bread for breakfast toast, bakes, and so much more!

Print
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lemon poppy seed cake recipe

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 min
  • Yield: 12 slices 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Super moist, creamy, and topped with a luscious cream cheese lemon glaze, this lemon poppy seed loaf cake is SO good! 


Ingredients

Units Scale

Cake Layer

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, full fat
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon zest, from about 4 lemons
  • 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Cream Cheese Layer

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg

Lemon Glaze

  • 2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9X5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
  2. Cake Layer: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, olive oil, and vanilla until well blended and smooth. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppy seeds. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Some lumps are okay. Avoid over-mixing.
  3. Cream Cheese Layer: With a handheld or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add sugar and egg, and beat to combine, scraping down the sides as needed.
  4. Spoon half of the cake batter into prepared loaf pan. Add the cream cheese mixture, spreading evenly over the cake batter. Top with the remaining cake batter. If some cream cheese mixture comes out on the sides, that’s okay.
  5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, tenting the cake with aluminum foil after 30 minutes to prevent the top and sides from over-browning. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  6. Remove cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow cake to cool in the pan on the wire rack for at least 30 minutes up to 1 hour, then carefully remove the slightly warm cake from the pan. Continue to cool on a wire rack or a serving dish.
  7. Lemon Glaze: With a handheld or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice; continue beating until smooth. Consistency should be thick and creamy. Drizzle the glaze over cooled or slightly warm cake.

Notes

  • Over-Baking: The key to this loaf cake is not to overtake it. When testing for doneness, simply insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and it should come out mostly clean. If some moist crumbs stick to the toothpick that is okay.
  • Lemon Flavor: Make sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice and not bottled juice. Otherwise, the flavor will be too sour.
  • Leftovers: Leftover cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or refrigerated up to 1 week.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 401
  • Sugar: 30.9 g
  • Sodium: 169.6 mg
  • Fat: 21.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 47.1 g
  • Protein: 6.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 90.3 mg