My from scratch lemon poke cake is soft, moist, and very lemoney. Instead of a classic lemon jello, it has pockets of gooey tangy lemon curd and topped with an airy whipped cream for a more sophisticated twist. I also infused the cake and cream with optional chamomile tea - giving the cake a warm, comforting chamomile flavor. It's an easy cake to make that packs a lemoney punch and is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Adding lemon curd to my baked goods is one of my favorite things because it's so creamy, tangy, and lemoney. Check out my lemon curd shortbread cookies and my lemon curd Victoria spongecake for more lemon curd filled goodness.
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🍋 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Pockets of gooey lemon curd: Having a layer of lemon curd seeping into the cake makes the texture so moist and adds loads of lemon flavor.
- Infused with chamomile: Infusing the cake with chamomile tea adds a warm and comforting floral flavor.
- Tangy lemon: So much zesty, tangy, bright lemon flavor.
- Whipped cream: Adding a layer of whipped cream infused with chamomile creates the perfect light and airy topping.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Lemons: Fresh lemons are key in creating the best lemon flavor. Lemons are used for the cake batter and the lemon curd. You're going to need both the juice and zest.
Chamomile tea: You can use loose leaf chamomile tea, or chamomile tea from tea bags. I prefer loose leaf chamomile tea because it's usually more flavorful but both work! I don't recommend using fresh chamomile because unless it's a variety that was specifically cultivated for tea and consumption, it can be quite bitter and not tasty. Also, you'll have to add double or triple the amount of chamomile flowers as you would have to add dried chamomile tea.
Heavy whipping cream: Heavy cream gets infused with chamomile and whipped up to top the cake.
All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Lemon curd: This recipe goes through how to make homemade lemon curd. I highly recommend making your own because it tastes extra rich and lemoney. You could, however, use store bought lemon curd - you will need approximately 3 cups of lemon curd.
Buttermilk & sour cream: A combination of both buttermilk and sour cream adds moisture and creates a soft, fluffy cake. If you can't find buttermilk in the store, you can use kefir instead. This doesn't work as well, but you could make your own buttermilk.
Combine 1 cup of warm temperature whole or 2 percent milk with 1 tablespoon of white or apple cider vinegar. Lemon juice also works. Stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes to let it thicken up.
Olive oil: I love adding olive oil into my lemon cakes, it makes them extra soft, tender, and adds a subtle olive oil flavor that is just so delicious. I even have a lemon olive oil cake recipe that only uses olive oil (no butter), because it's just so delicious.
Butter: A combination of butter and oil is key to creating a cake that is not only flavorful, but also moist and tender. Butter adds so much buttery flavor, while oil keeps it extra tender and soft.
👩🍳 How to make lemon poke cake
Cake step by step
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 190°C (355°F). Rub sugar, lemon zest, and chamomile tea with your fingers until fragrant.
Step 2: Add butter, oil, and salt. Mix together until light and fluffy.
Step 3: Add eggs one at a time, blending well between each egg.
Add vanilla, lemon juice, sour cream, and buttermilk and blend.
Step 4: Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the wet ingredients. Mix gently just until it forms a batter.
Step 5: Transfer the batter into a greased shallow round dutch oven and smooth the top. Bake for 28-32 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool.
Lemon curd step by step
Step 1: Combine eggs, yolks, and sugar in the saucier. Stir it together to break up the eggs.
Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Stir together.
Step 2: Place the saucier on low heat and bring the curd mixture to a simmer stirring constantly until it thickens.
Step 3: Add butter, stir until smooth, and let it cool completely.
Whipped Cream step by step
Step 1: Combine the cream and chamomile in the saucier and heat on low heat until it starts to steam. Immediately remove from heat and let steap and cool for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Strain the chamomile out of the cream and chill the cream in the fridge completely.
Step 3: When you're ready to top the cake, combine the steeped cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and whip until stiff peaks.
Assembly step by step
Step 1: Poke the back of a spatula into the cooled cake, pushing gently almost all the way to the bottom.
Step 2: Pour most of the lemon curd on top of the cake, reserving about ¼ cup for swirling on top.
Step 3: Top with the whipped cream and spread it out to the edges.
Step 4: Swirl with reserved lemon curd. Poke chamomile flowers on top right before serving. Store the lemon poke cake covered in the fridge.
✔️ Expert poke cake tips
- Weigh your flour: This ensures that the cake will be the perfect consistency and won't be too wet or too dry. A kitchen scale is the best investment, and they're quite affordable! If you can't get a hold of a kitchen scale, fluff up your flour with a fork and spoon it into your measuring cup without packing it in. Scrape the excess flour off the top of the cup with the flat handle of a spoon without packing it in.
- Don't overmix the cake batter: Once you add the flour, it's important not to overmix the batter because that can develop too much gluten which will result in a dry, dense cake. Mix the flour in gently and stop mixing as soon as it's fully incorporated.
- Don't overwhip the cream: Overwhipping the cream will create a grainy whipped topping that won't be smooth. Stop whipping the cream as soon as it reaches stiff peaks and achieves a spreadable consistency.
- To prevent a metallic flavored curd: Don't cook or store the curd in a metal saucepan or container. Opt for a coated saucepan like the cast iron enamel coated pan that I used. This prevents the acidity of the curd reacting with metal which can create a metallic aftertaste. If you only have stainless steel saucpans, then I recomend transferring the curd out of there as soon as it's cooked to prevent the metallic aftertaste.
🥄 Make ahead
You can make ahead parts of this recipe. Here's how:
Lemon Curd: Make lemon curd up to 2 days ahead of time and store in a non-metal container or jar.
Cake: Make and bake the cake up to 1 day ahead assembly. Store covered in the fridge until you're read to assemble.
Whipped cream: Steep the cream with chamomile and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Only whip it up once you're ready to top the cake.
Storage
Store the lemon poke cake in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days. Serve it slightly chilled or at room temperature. It needs to be kept refrigerated while you're not serving it because of the whipped cream topping.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Yes you can, I tested the recipe so that you could bake it in both a rectangular pan or a dutch oven. I found it to be more moist and evenly baked in a cast iron enameled dutch oven.
Yes you can. It doesn't give the best results but still works in a pinch. Combine 1 cup of room temperature whole or 2 % milk with 1 tablespoon of white or apple cider vinegar. Lemon juice
also works well. Give it a mix with a spoon and let it sit for about 10 minutes to thicken up.
Yes you can, it won't affect the texture of the cake only the flavor. I do recommend you leave it in, it gives the cake such a beautiful, mildly floral flavor that's not soapy by any means.
Yes you can. I do, however recommend that you make it yourself because homemade lemon curd is superior in all the ways. It has a much more natural and vibrant lemon flavor, the texture is so thick and creamy, and it's more rich.
I haven't tried it, but you could try substituting the flour with 1:1 gluten free flour. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
🍋 More related recipes
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Poke Cake
Equipment
- shallow dutch oven or 8" by 12" baking pan
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 lemons zested
- 2 tablespoons chamomile tea
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 cups all purpose flour 360g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
Lemon Curd
- 2 large eggs
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large lemons zested
- ⅔ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed from about 2-3 lemons
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter
Chamomile whipped cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream 35%, chilled
- 3 tablespoons chamomile tea
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Lemon Cake
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (355°F). Grease the bottom and sides of a 8" by 12" baking pan or shallow dutch oven with a bit of butter.
- Rub sugar, lemon zest, and chamomile tea with your fingers until fragrant.1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 2 lemons, 2 tablespoons chamomile tea
- Add butter, oil, and salt. Mix together until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup olive oil, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add eggs one at a time, blending well between each egg. Add vanilla, lemon juice, sour cream, and buttermilk and blend.5 large eggs, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ cup lemon juice, ½ cup sour cream, 1 cup buttermilk
- Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the wet ingredients. Mix gently just until it forms a batter.3 cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Transfer the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 28-32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Lemon curd
- Combine eggs, yolks, and sugar in the saucier. Stir or whisk together to break up the eggs.2 large eggs, 4 large egg yolks, 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Stir together.⅔ cup lemon juice, 2 large lemons, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Place the saucier on low heat and bring the curd mixture to a simmer - stirring constantly. Cook until bubbling and thickened.
- Add butter, stir until smooth, and let it cool completely.⅔ cup unsalted butter
Whipped cream
- Combine the cream and chamomile in the saucier and heat on low heat until it starts to steam. Immediately remove from heat and let steep and cool for 10 minutes. Strain the chamomile out of the cream and chill the cream in the fridge completely.2 cups heavy whipping cream, 3 tablespoons chamomile tea
- When you're ready to top the cake, combine the steeped cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and whip until stiff peaks.½ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assembly
- Poke the back of a spatula into the cooled cake, pushing gently almost all the way to the bottom.
- Pour most of the lemon curd on top of the cake, reserving about ¼ cup for swirling on top.
- Top with the whipped cream and spread it out to the edges.
- Swirl with reserved lemon curd. Poke chamomile flowers on top right before serving. Store covered in the fridge.
Notes
Cake: Make and bake the cake up to 1 day ahead assembly. Store covered in the fridge until you're read to assemble.
Whipped cream: Steep the cream with chamomile and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Only whip it up once you're ready to top the cake. Tips for success:
- Weigh your flour to ensure a perfect cake texture that isn't too moist and isn't too dry.
- Don't overmix the cake batter once you add the flour.
- Don't overwhip the cream or it will be grainy and won't be smooth.
- To prevent a metallic flavored curd, don't cook or store the curd in a metal saucepan or container.
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