This easy lemon birthday cake recipe is an extra fluffy and moist layered cake burst with fresh lemon juice, zest, and poppy seeds. And topped with vanilla whipping cream and lemon slices.
I am a big fan of lemon cakes, especially this recipe. I always make it whenever I’m craving something lemony and sweet. It is super easy to make, delicious, and looks fabulous. Enjoy a piece of this lemon poppy seed cake for dessert or an afternoon snack with a drink of your choice.
What's In This Easy Lemon Birthday Cake Recipe?
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs, large
- Cooking oil
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon juice
- Milk
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Fresh lemon zest
- Poppy seeds
Toppings
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
How to Make An Easy Lemon Birthday Cake Recipe?
Preparations: Preheat the oven to 170C.
Line two springform pans or baking pans with parchment paper.
Mixing the wet ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter. Then add the eggs one at a time, along with the vanilla extract. Mix well using the electric whisk. Add oil, milk, and lemon juice, mix well.
Adding the dry ingredients: Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the mixture. Mix until combined. Add the poppy seeds and lemon zest, stir.
Distribute the batter between the two springforms.
Baking: Bake for 25-27 minutes. Allow to cool down before getting the cakes out of the springforms.
Making the topping: In a mixing bowl, combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract using the electric whisk until it becomes a thick mixture.
Assembling everything together: Spread a generous amount of the cream evenly on top of the first cake then top it with the second cake. After that, cover the top and all the sides of the cake with the rest of the cream (and save some to decorate with if you like).
Decorating: Add two tablespoons of the cream in a pastry bag and make small flowers then sprinkle some poppy seeds over it.
Top Tips!
- Use fresh lemon juice and zest in making this recipe to get the best tangy flavour.
- If you want extra tangy flavour, you can add two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to the topping ingredients.
- An alternative topping to heavy cream would be cream cheese.
- Don't skip the lemon zest; use a Microplane to get the lemon zest, not the box grater.
- You can make this recipe in a muffin tin or bundt pan. Just adjust the baking time accordingly.
Storing and freezing this lemon cake
This cake can be kept covered, outside the fridge, for two days in room temperature.
To store: Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
To freeze: This cake freezes beautifully with or without the frosting. However, If you will freeze it without the frosting, wrap the cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer for 1-2 months.
If freezing with the frosting, just cut it and keep each piece or 2 in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this lemon cake as a dessert after a family dinner. Also, serve it with your favourite drink; here are some suggestions.
More Cake Recipes
- Blueberry white chocolate cake
- Spiced cake with black currant
- Healthy chocolate zucchini cake
- Blueberry yoghurt cake recipe
- Carrot orange cake recipe
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Recipe
Easy Lemon Birthday Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 1.25 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs , large
- ½ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ¾ cup milk
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
Toppings
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preparations: Preheat the oven to 170C. Line two springform pans or baking pans with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter. Then add the eggs one at a time, along with the vanilla extract. Mix well using the electric whisk. Add oil, milk, and lemon juice, mix well.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the mixture. Mix until combined. Add the poppy seeds and lemon zest, stir.
- Distribute the batter between the two springforms.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes. Allow to cool down before getting the cakes out of the springforms.
Making the topping
- In a mixing bowl, combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract using the electric whisk until it becomes a thick mixture.
- Spread a generous amount of the cream evenly on top of the first cake then top it with the second cake. After that, cover the top and all the sides of the cake with the rest of the cream (and save some to decorate with if you like).
- Decorating: Add two tablespoons of the cream in a pastry bag and make small flowers then sprinkle some poppy seeds over it.
Notes
- Use fresh lemon juice and zest in making this recipe to get the best tangy flavour.
- If you want extra tangy flavour, you can add two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to the topping ingredients.
- An alternative topping to heavy cream would be cream cheese.
- Don't skip the lemon zest; use a Microplane to get the lemon zest, not the box grater.
- You can make this recipe in a muffin tin or bundt pan. Just adjust the baking time accordingly.
Nutrition
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Shirley
My triplet sons requested Lemon Poppyseed cake for their 21st birthday. I used this recipe and it got rave reviews from everyone. They requested no frosting, so I used purchased lemon curd between the layers and poured a lemon glaze over the top. Easy, fluffy, moist, and SO yummy!
Frany
I bake This lemon cake in a Bundt cake pan, and also I replaced the butter with ghee, and the result was so good. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Jessica
I Just made this cake, but I made lemon icing instead of the frosting, and it was perfect.
Runa
Amazing!! Such a delicious recipe! Can I bake cupcakes instead of a layered cake?
Radwa
Yes, you can, This recipe will make about 24 cupcakes.
Lora
Can I use buttermilk instead of regular milk?
Radwa
I wouldn't recommend that.
Carina
I just made this cake recipe and loved it! Next time I will double the recipe to make two cakes because it finished so quickly. This cake was light and moist, exactly like a sponge cake, and the frosting was just perfect.
Olivia
So fluffy and delicious lemon poppyseed cake. I love it with a cup of milk after breakfast treat.
Kate
I baked this cake two times and each time it turn out so good.