• Read through this recipe carefully. Make certain ingredients are at room temperture where noted. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour the sides and base of two 9″ round cake pans. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream sugar and butter until yellow and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time until incorporated.
• In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder and poppy seeds. Slowly begin to add the flour mixture on low speed into the bowl of the mixer. Do not over beat. On low speed, add in lemon juice, lemon zest, buttermilk and vanilla.
• Divide the batter in half and pour into prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check with a cake tester for doneness. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Once cooled, loosen with a sharp knife from edges of the pans and let rest until ready for frosting. You can wrap in plastic and freeze until needed.

For the Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and light. Do not whip. Slowly add in powdered sugar (on low speed) until icing is fluffy. Add in vanilla and lemon juice.
• Using a tooth pick, add a tiny drop of food gel until the desired color is achieved. A little food gel goes a very long way.
• The icing should be light and fluffy and easy to spread. You may need to adjust the amount of sugar based on the humidity in your area.
• With an off-set palette knife, add a small amount of icing to the fist layer, then add another dollop of icing to the center spreading outwards to the edges with your knife. Top with the second layer of cake and continue frosting. Chill until serving time. Remove from fridge 30 minute prior to cutting this cake.