Lemon Poppy Seed Cake – Meet Polky Mama Dota

There’s something undeniably chic about polka dots, isn’t there?

Maybe that’s why this cake has so many fans—even if the flavor stirs up a bit of controversy.

Lemon and sweet together?
Not everyone’s ready for that kind of flavor drama.

Over time, I’ve noticed three very clear types of citrus dessert people:

Group One: The Haters

“It’s cute, but no thanks. I like my flavors straightforward.”
They probably think lemon in cake is like putting ketchup on a croissant.

Group Two: The Lovers

“It’s lemony, it’s sweet, it’s art.”
They’ll defend it with their whole soul. “You just don’t get it!”

Group Three: The ‘Meh’ Crowd

“It’s okay, I guess?”
Not totally against it… but never fully sold.

Me? I sit somewhere between Group Two and Group Three.
To be honest, I sometimes love the look of the cake more than the flavor.
(Thank you, polka dots. Thank you, Mom.)

My mom was the queen of polka-dot dresses—and let me tell you, she was very hard to impress!!
That’s exactly why I named this cake after her: Polky Mama Dota.

But here’s the thing:
I’ve never been totally satisfied with citrusy cake.
Group Three is unpredictable, and their reaction always depends on what lands on their spoon.

So I made it my mission to solve that lemon-face moment.
You know the one—scrunched eyes, confused brain, flavor betrayal!

This lemon poppy seed cake has been one of my trickiest experiments yet.
But that’s the joy of baking—tweaking, testing, tasting. And occasionally starting over.

And yes, about those purple bits…

They were supposed to be lavender.
But I didn’t have any on hand (classic).

So I leaned into my Persian roots and added Gol Gav Zaban instead.
Yes, it translates to “cow’s tongue flower” (wild, I know), but it’s a calming herbal tea that tastes like a warm hug.

Will I switch back to lavender one day? Maybe.
But for now, Gol Gav Zaban brings a little unexpected charm that I kind of love.

So here’s what I’m wondering:

Would you try this cake?
Do you think lemon desserts deserve more love—or are you firmly Team Vanilla?

And just between us…
Believe it or not, I’ve had customers order the entire box of mixed amaretti cookies just to get the three citrusy flavors.
I wasn’t even sure if those would be a hit—but clearly, some of you are ride-or-die for citrus!

So I’m curious:
Which group are you in when it comes to lemony desserts?
Let me know—I’d love to hear what your taste buds think.