Molly Yeh on the Inspiration Behind the Real Simple Birthday Cover Cake

We may be biased, but we think our birthday cake is the best, and it’s all thanks to the amazing Molly Yeh, host of Girl Meets Farm on Food Network, mom of two, owner of Bernie’s restaurant in East Grand Forks, Minn., and the author of the newly released cookbook Sweet Farm! Molly developed the recipe for the pretty pink Lemon Poppy Seed Birthday Cake that appears on the cover of our April 2025 issue. Our staff went crazy for it, and we think you will too. I chatted with Molly recently to get more insights into cake, her new book, and why she loves REAL SIMPLE.

What’s your favorite part about the delicious cake you developed for our 25th birthday?

Molly Yeh: First of all, the lemon poppy seed flavor combination. It’s very nostalgic to me. When I went grocery shopping with my mom as a kid she would buy a container of lemon poppy seed muffins, and I would snack on one while she pushed me around in the cart. Second, I love that the cake’s decor isn’t too fussy; it feels loose and organic. And, finally, it’s pink, but there’s no food dye! That feels very REAL SIMPLE.

Do you have any controversial cake opinions? 

MY: Totally. I think that a majority of cakes in the world are not moist enough or dense enough. I lay awake at night thinking about how to get more moistness and denseness into every square inch of cake. I don’t mean to offend other cakes, but my preferred texture is borderline cookie bar, borderline blondie. I could see how people wouldn’t like that. That’s OK.

What’s one mistake people often make when baking a cake?

MY: Overmixing. Mixing develops the gluten in the flour, which is great for bread or pizza dough, but not great for cake. To prevent it, stop the electric mixer before the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, and finish mixing by hand.

Can you share a simple tip that will make frosting a cake easier?

MY: Flip the top layer upside down before stacking it on the other layers. That will give you a smoother, flatter, less crumby surface for frosting and decorating.

Tell me about Sweet Farm! 

MY: I’ve always considered myself a baker first. When I have a few free moments to daydream and get lost in creativity, I think of what kinds of sweets I can make next. I got a lot of satisfaction in creating the desserts chapters for my first two cookbooks. But I always knew that my career could never be complete without making a book entirely about sweets. 

Do you have any birthday traditions in your house with your two daughters?

MY: Months in advance I ask them what kind of cake they want, and then they say something outlandish, like my younger daughter wants a blue cake for her birthday. And then I marinate on that idea and try to think of how I can check the box of it being blue, but also delicious and not using a whole bottle of food coloring. So for my daughter, I’ll do a blueberry cake on the inside, and I’ll probably use some of the cake scraps to make pops to go around the outside. So I guess the tradition is, I think about their cakes way too much.

Do you have any birthday traditions personally?

MY: My birthday tradition used to be to eat a breakfast sandwich. Sometimes it was from McDonald’s, sometimes it was from scratch. Now it’s to eat a goat cheese salad, which is so random. I don’t like big parties. I’m definitely a less-is-more, go out to lunch with three of my best friends type of person. One year I did have a BYO salad party that was big and awesome and epic. We got salads from every type of meal and every type of food group. 

Do you consider yourself a better cleaner or tidier? 

MY: I’m a better tidier for sure. I don’t know how to clean. I’m bad at cleaning. I just use all-purpose spray for everything.

What is the most—and the least—organized part of your kitchen?

MY: The most organized part is my spice drawer because I just reorganized it. You can see all of the labels now. And the least organized part is the drawer where I keep all of the mini cookie cutters and molds and fruit picks. It’s the Bento box building drawer.

Do you make Bento box lunches for your kids?

MY: I make lunch for my older daughter every single day, and I love it so much. But the drawer needs to be real simplified.

What advice would you give your 25-year-old self?

MY: Quit it on the eyeliner. Bangs don’t work for you. And definitely say yes to Nick, my husband, when he proposes. Nick proposed a month after I turned 25 because I always told myself I wouldn’t get married until I was that age.

Can you share what REAL SIMPLE has meant to you over the years?

MY: It’s like a spa for my brain. It’s not about trends. It’s not about trying to be cool. It’s not about the rat race. It has made my life more organized and more calm. And when I look at these spaces that I’ve organized after being inspired by REAL SIMPLE, I truly get happier. In that sense, I really feel like the brand makes the world a better place. It’s almost like meditating to me, like the anti-social media. In a world that’s so saturated with people clamoring for attention, this is not that. And for that, I am grateful.