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.
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.