This Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is soft, moist & deliciously buttery with a fresh lemon flavor. Dotted with poppy seeds & topped with cream cheese frosting – it’s the perfect dessert for lemon lovers!

From Poppy Seed Muffins to Cake!
It’s a soft, buttery, perfectly moist lemon cake that’s dotted with poppy seeds and topped with cream cheese frosting. It’s one of my favorite cakes, and it’s the perfect dessert if you love lemon poppy seed muffins.
The inspiration for this cake came after a friend gifted us with a poppy seed roll. It was a yeast bread with a swirl of poppy seed filling, and absolutely delicious. As I was having a slice with a thick slather of butter, it got me thinking about poppy seed recipes and I realized I hadn’t made any in a very long time.
So – this lemon poppy seed cake was born.
We have an entire video of exactly how to make it, so check it out…
What Do You Need to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake?
The ingredients for this cake recipe are simple and pantry friendly. Here are the items you will need:
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Wet Ingredients: Granulated Sugar, Lemon Zest, Unsalted Butter, Eggs, Vanilla Extract, Sour Cream, Buttermilk and Lemon Juice
- Dry Ingredients: All Purpose Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt and Poppy Seeds
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese
- Unsalted Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Lemon Juice
The measurements of each ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. Keep scrolling for all the details.

How to Make Poppy Seed Lemon Cake
Poppy Seed Lemon Cake
- Prep: Preheat oven and grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- Activate: Place the sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl and rub with your fingers to activate the oils in the lemon zest.
- Beat: Add the butter and sugar (with lemon zest) to the large bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat together until fluffy scraping down the sides as needed.
- Mix: Add in the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla and mix until combined.
- Sift: Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and sift (or whisk) to combine.
- Combine: Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until almost combined.
- Add: Add the remaining wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Fold: Sprinkle the poppy seeds over the batter and fold them into the batter using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake as directed or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the cake cool completely before frosting it.
Cream Cheese Frosting
After the cake is done baking and cooled, it’s time to make the cream cheese frosting. Simple, creamy, a little tangy, and the perfect pairing for this lemon cake.
- Beat: Add the butter and cream cheese to a bowl and beat until combined.
- Add: Slowly mix in the powdered sugar and finally the vanilla (optional) and lemon juice.
- Frost: Gently spread the frosting over the cooled cake and then cut and serve.
Keep scrolling to the end of the post to the recipe card for the complete instructions. The recipe can be saved or printed from there as well.

Tips for Making the Best Poppy Seed Lemon Cake
- Be sure to use real butter and no butter substitutes. It adds more flavor.
- You might think that since this is a cake, you should use cake flour in place of the all purpose flour but I wouldn’t recommend it. For this recipe, all purpose flour works better.
- To keep the cake nice and moist, we use sour cream because it makes the cake crumb oh so soft and perfectly moist. Just make sure it’s room temperature for easy mixing.
- For the best lemon flavor, we use a combination of freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest. Make sure that you don’t use lemon juice from the bottle or lemon extract, otherwise the flavor will be too sour.
- Be careful not to over mix your cake batter or else your homemade lemon cake can end up dense. Having all the ingredients at room temperature before getting started helps with this.
- Likewise, using room temperature cream cheese and butter will ensure a smooth and creamy texture in the frosting. We don’t want a lumpy frosting!
- Place the baked cake in the fridge or freezer so that it is more firm for easier frosting.
How to Know If Poppy Seeds are Still Good?
The best way to tell if your poppy seeds have gone bad is by smell and appearance. They will smell sour and rancid. Poppy seeds should also not clump together at all. If they are sticking together, then they are probably moist which means they are no longer good.

Does a Glass Dish Require More Cooking Time Than Metal?
A reader recently asked if her cake pan that is a glass dish requires more cooking time than a metal dish does and as it’s such a good question I wanted to mention it here.
Glass heats up slower but holds on to heat longer, so you may require a little more baking time. To help us not over bake this cake we like to open the oven at the end and let the glass dish cake rest for up to 4 minutes more before removing it from the oven to cool.
Can This Cake Be Made in a Bundt Pan?
Yes, this makes a beautiful bundt cake! The batter will fit in a standard 10 or 12 cup bundt pan. Be sure to grease the bundt cake extremely well. You’ll need to increase the baking time. Set the time for 60 minutes but start checking it at 45 minutes.
I like to keep the cream cheese frosting recipe the same but just thin it out a little with milk or heavy cream so that I can drizzle it over the top of the bundt cake.
Can You Freeze Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting?
You can freeze Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. In fact, cream cheese frosting is ideal for freezing. It is sturdy, with plenty of fat, and it will do better in the freezer than a more delicate meringue-based icing. Just wrap the cake well and freeze. Thaw before serving.
OR You can freeze the cake before it is frosted. Wrap your cooled cake in plastic wrap. Then wrap in tin foil or place in a plastic freezer bag and remove the air. Thaw the cake completely and then frost.

I brought this lemon poppy seed cake with cream cheese frosting over to a family dinner, and there wasn’t even a tiny sliver left over. It’s buttery, moist, filled with fresh lemon flavor, and the cream cheese frosting is everything that you’d want it to be. Seriously – if you love lemon desserts, you need to try this cake!
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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Description
Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Zest, freshly grated
- 1 Cup Butter, unsalted, softened
- 4 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/3 Cup Cornstarch
- 2 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- 2-4 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds, I used 3 tablespoons
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 Cup Butter, unsalted, softened
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened
- 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
- Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Place the sugar and lemon zest in a bowl and mix with your fingers to completely saturate the sugar in the oils of the lemon zest.2 Cups Granulated Sugar, 3 Tablespoons Lemon Zest
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another minute.1 Cup Butter
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla.4 Large Eggs, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour, 1/3 Cup Cornstarch, 2 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda, 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Using the electric mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to just combine. Add in the buttermilk, sour cream, and lemon juice mix until all of the ingredients are combined.1/2 Cup Buttermilk, 1/2 Cup Sour Cream, 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
- Fold in the poppy seeds using a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon.2-4 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean
- Set aside to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Once the cake is cooled, make the frosting.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese until evenly combined.1/4 Cup Butter, 8 Ounces Cream Cheese
- Then slowly beat in the powdered sugar followed by the vanilla & lemon juice.3 Cups Powdered Sugar, 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Frost the cooled cake using a flat edge knife & serve
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
Lemon Loaf

Super soft & moist lemon loaf with lemon glaze is bursting with fresh lemon flavor. Seriously better than the Starbucks version.
Lemon Jello Cake

This Lemon Jello Cake is perfect for anytime of year. The fresh tastes of summer or to brighten the winter holiday meals.





Ava
Cake didn’t rise, it came out very oily and it baked in less time than the recipe said so it almost got burnt. At least the lemon flavor is decent enough but I don’t plan on making this one again.
Sweet Basil
Hi Ava! It definitely sounds like something went wrong with the ingredients here. I’m so sorry for the frustration!
Jeff
This is a great recipe, but when and why did it change? I made this cake for the first time in 2021 and printed the recipe. Today, I went to make it again and for some reason looked up the website page, and I happened to notice that not only did ingredient quantities change, but the method changed as well!
I made it as written here on the web page, and I think it looks fine, but I’m really curious why it changed?!
Sweet Basil
Hi Jeff! We review our recipes and posts quite regularly and try to improve them and rephotograph them. We feel like this updated version of the recipe is even better than the first!
Erin
How long should I bake if I’m making cupcakes instead?
Sweet Basil
Hi Erin! Standard size cupcakes will bake for 18-22 minutes at 350 degrees F. Enjoy!!
Brenda Bales
I’m going to try this recipe but I’m nervous about the amount of cornstarch. Is this the correct amount?
Sweet Basil
Hi Brenda! Yes, 1/3 cup…it makes the cake so tender! Enjoy!
Deanna
Well, this is the 4th time I’m making this over the past two months, so I thought it was time I review it. It’s amazing and absolutely hits the spot as a summer dessert to share with a crowd. I always receive compliments whenever I share this. One adjustment I do (since I love a strong lemony flavor) is to add a lot more fresh lemon juice to the existing frosting recipe. If it gets too thin then I will add some more powdered sugar to thicken it up again. Great recipe!
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Deanna! That is such a great tip for everyone who loves a strong lemon flavor!
Britney
Delicious! I made this and cut into individual mini cakes to serve at wine club at my husband’s winebar! I garnished them with edible spring flowers. Will definitely make these again!
Sweet Basil
Hurray! LOVE to heat this Britney! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment!
Mindy
Could I make 1/2 batch and bake in an 8″ square pan? There’s just two of us and we don’t need an entire 9×13″ cake. Lol
Sweet Basil
Yes, that should work great. I would start checking it at 20 minutes. The bake time will be less. Enjoy!
Kate
I wonder how I could modify this for almond poppyseed cake?
Sweet Basil
Hi Kate! Just drop the lemon juice and zest and add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. You could even go up to 1 teaspoon if you like almond flavor. Enjoy!
Patricia climie
Love your recipes.
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Patricia!
Su
Hi. I’ve heard that one should soak poppy seeds in milk for about 30 minutes before adding to a recipe. Why doesn’t your recipe call for doing that? Thanks.
Sweet Basil
Hello! I’ve never heard of doing that before. Do you know what the purpose of it is? I’m so intrigued!
Jeff
It softens the tough outer coating so they are more flavorful.
Sweet Basil
I’m totally trying it next time! Thanks for the tip!
robin
Could I use my jelly roll size pan? And the time would stay the same?
Sweet Basil
Yes! The bake time will be slightly less. I would start at 20 minutes and check it. Enjoy!
Osafp
3 CUPS of powdered sugar for the frosting? That can’t possibly be correct.
Sweet Basil
Yes that is correct. It needs that much to balance out the cream cheese and butter and to cover the whole cake.
vicki
How long would I bake if I were to make this as cupcakes?
Sweet Basil
I would start with 18-20 minutes.
Katherine
Hi! Can I substitute the sour cream with 0% Greek yogurt? If yes, will it affect the overall taste of the cake?
Sweet Basil
Hi, We haven’t tested doing that but we’ve done it in other cakes, so you should be fine. It’s just not as thick and fatty so you may lose some density
Liz
Hi,
I used a glass pan and, while the toothpick came out clean after 30 minutes, the center of the cake fell after I took it out of the oven. I’m a novice baker – what did I do wrong? Does the glass dish require more cooking time than metal?
Thanks so much!
Sweet Basil
Hi Liz,
The drop in temperature is most likely the issue. We like to open our oven and bring the temperature down a little, then remove it a minute or two later. A glass pan takes a little longer to heat up and then holds on to the heat so it can occasionally need a few extra minutes. This is why we let it sit in an open oven as the temp won’t be as high and won’t drop too quickly but will still help it be baked well.
Katherine
Hi, can I use a 9×13 glass baking dish rather than a metal one?
Fiona
Yup! The baking time might be a little different, so I’d just watch carefully 🙂
Liz Carlson
I used a Pyrex pan and it took an extra 20 minutes to test done.
Vanessa
I made this yesterday to bring to work and it was devoured right away. My frosting was kind of heavy and limp and I think it’s because I used fat-free cream cheese (I know I’m an animal, it’s what I had on hand), which never seems to whip up nicely. This is a keeper!
I will be posting pics to my Instagram later and will be sure to tag you. Thanks for sharing!
Sweet Basil
haha, I love when people say “I know I’m an animal” when referring to making subs. We always have the lower fat cream cheese on hand and we go for it anyway as well. Can’t wait to see it!
Jennifer
I made this last night for my roommate whose birthday was back in August as a belated birthday cake. First of all I did use 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds. My bake time was off as each oven is different. I baked mine an additional 6 minutes and it was perfect! He loved the lemony taste with the fresh lemons opposed to bottled lemon juice. However I did cheat with the frosting and used lemon from the bottle. The frosting was super easy to make and oh tasty! Thanks for the great recipe! I know I’ll be making it again.
Sweet Basil
So happy to hear that and thanks for taking the time to comment on your bake time, I’m sure that will help others. xoxo!
Linda Matthews
Are the ingredient contents enough to use 2 round cake pans instead of the 9×13?
Sweet Basil
Hi Linda! Yes, it will make two 8″ or 9″ rounds.
Irene Schippers
Baked it last night… Will serve it at a baby shower today…
Sweet Basil
Hope you enjoy it!
Robbie Winde
Hello! So i made this 2 nights ago and it is delicious! My husband especually loves it. We’re big fans of anything Lemon poppyseed 🙂
I put it in the fridge with an airtight seal and now it’s become incredibly dense. Still tastes amazing but its like cutting through fudge or something. Did I do something wrong or is this normal?
Thank you!!!
Sweet Basil
Hi Robbie,
There’s no need to refrigerate so it probably just condensed down in the cold. 🙂
Robbie Winde
Oh okay. On the very bottom of your recipe it says to refrigerate 😊
Thank you!
Ashley Guerrero
Would I use half the ingredients for a 9” round or square pan??
Thanks so much!
Sweet Basil
Yes, that should work. The baking time will be reduced a little too.
Jason
This was amazing! The combination of lemon and cream cheese icing was awesome!
Sweet Basil
So happy to hear you liked it!
Saya M
I’m guessing that’s a 1/4 cup of butter for the frosting?
Fiona
Yes – thanks for the catch! 🙂
Jennifer
The recipe sounds delicious and I’d love to try it. What is the purpose of the corn starch in the cake batter though I have never seen that in a cake recipe before.
Fiona
All purpose flour and cornstarch are a substitute for cake flour. So it makes the cake lighter and gives the cake a more delicate crumb 🙂
Camie
Can just cake flour be used? 2 and 1/3 cups? Thank you.
Fiona
Yup! That would be fine 🙂
Gaby
I made this cake yesterday. I smells so good but I can taste the cornstarch too much 🥲
Sweet Basil
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the flavor. Thank you for the feedback!
Ben Myhre
This looks like one of those recipes that looks/feels a bit dainty, but has a powerhouse of flavor. I am gonna try this!
Sweet Basil
Perfectly said!