Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
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This lemon poppy seed cake is laced with fresh lemon zest, filled to the brim with nutty, crackly poppy seeds, and drizzled with a bright lemon glaze. It’s the perfect “company cake.”
A variation of my lemon pound cake, this lemon poppy seed cake is laced with fresh lemon zest, filled to the brim with nutty, crackly poppy seeds, and drizzled with a bright lemon glaze. The texture is just what you hope for in a homemade cake — moist and melt-in-your-mouth tender — and the cake keeps well for days. My grandmother would have called it a “company cake” since it’s the perfect treat to have on hand when friends and family come over.
The cake can be made in a Bundt pan or two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans. Before deciding which pans to use, please see the important notes at the bottom of the recipe. The cake keeps well for days on the countertop and freezes well, too. If you love the lemon and poppy seed combo, don’t miss my lemon poppy seed muffins!
What you’ll need to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
How to make lemon poppy seed cake
To begin: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds.
Whisk well and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice.
Whisk and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), combine the butter and sugar.
Cream on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
Beat well after each addition.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, beat in one-quarter of the flour mixture.
Add one-third of the buttermilk mixture.
Beat in another quarter of the flour mixture, then another third of the milk mixture. Repeat with another quarter of the flour mixture and the remaining milk mixture. Finally, beat in the remaining flour mixture.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and give a quick mix to make sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
Spray the Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and coat with sugar. Make sure the entire pan is covered.
Spoon the thick batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. 
Cool the cake in the pan for ten minutes on a rack. While the cake cools, make the syrup. Combine the water and granulated sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
Invert the warm cake onto the rack. Slip a large piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil under the rack to catch all the drips from the syrup. Gradually brush the hot syrup over the cake, letting it soak in (a little syrup will drip off, but try not to rush so that most of it is absorbed). Allow the cake to cool completely, about one hour.
When the cake is cool, make the glaze. Stir the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl, mixing until completely smooth. Add more confectioners’ sugar if necessary to make a thick, opaque glaze (it should be thicker than you’d think — you want it the consistency of honey or molasses).
Carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
How to Store and Freeze Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Let the glaze harden before slicing. The cake will keep nicely for 3 days if kept covered on the countertop. It can also be frozen (without the glaze) for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Add the glaze after the cake is thawed.)
You may also like
- Warm Lemon Pudding Cakes
- Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- Fresh Strawberry Cake
- Easy Lemon Meringue Pie
- French Apple Cake
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
This lemon poppy seed cake is laced with fresh lemon zest, filled to the brim with nutty, crackly poppy seeds, and drizzled with a bright lemon glaze. It’s the perfect “company cake.”
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup poppy seeds
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk (see note)
- Finely grated zest of 3 lemons (about 3 gently packed tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2¼ cups granulated sugar, plus more for the pan
- 3 large eggs
For the Syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For the Glaze
- About 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 10-inch Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray and dust with sugar. Be sure the entire pan is coated (see note below).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, beat in one-quarter of the flour mixture, then one-third of the buttermilk mixture. Beat in another quarter of the flour mixture, then another third of the milk mixture. Repeat with another quarter of the flour mixture and the remaining milk mixture. Finally, beat in the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and give a quick mix with a rubber spatula to make sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Spoon the thick batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for ten minutes on a rack.
- While the cake cools, make the syrup. Combine the water and granulated sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Invert the warm cake onto the rack. Slip a large piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil under the rack to catch all the drips from the syrup. Gradually brush the hot syrup over the cake, letting it soak in (a little syrup will drip off, but try not to rush so that most of it is absorbed). Allow the cake to cool completely, about one hour. When the cake is cool, carefully transfer it to a serving platter.
- To make the glaze: stir the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl, mixing until completely smooth. Add more confectioners' sugar if necessary to make a thick, opaque glaze (it should be thicker than you'd think -- you want it the consistency of honey or molasses). Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the glaze harden before slicing and serving the cake, about 15 minutes. The cake will keep nicely for 3 days if kept covered on the countertop.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
- Note: You'll need 3 large lemons for this recipe
- Note: As the recipe indicates, I grease the Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and then dust it with sugar. It has always worked beautifully for me, but a number of readers have mentioned problems with the cake sticking. If you’d prefer to use a different method, treat the pan by generously coating it with butter and then dusting it with flour, or use a nonstick baking spray with flour like Pam with Flour or Baker’s Joy. (Also, it's best not to use a Bundt pan with an intricate design for this cake, as they are more prone to sticking.) Another option (that is foolproof) is to use two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans instead of a Bundt pan. Loaf pans are much less prone to sticking, and you can line them with parchment paper for extra insurance. To prepare the loaf pans, spray them with nonstick baking spray, line the bottoms with parchment, and then spray them again. The bake time will be 50 to 60 minutes, and you will only need half of the soaking syrup.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen (without the glaze) for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Add the glaze after the cake is thawed.)
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Calories: 369
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Sugar: 40 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 158 mg
- Cholesterol: 66 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Success!! I haven’t ever had one of your recipes fail! Thank you for the clear and concise directions. After the cake had cooled for 10 minutes, I used a plastic knife to run around the edges to loosen and then I put the glaze on while it was still in the pan. I found that I didn’t waste any and it absorbed it well and then I could easily invert it onto a cooling rack. I did find it needed the full 75 minutes to bake. Ingenious way to grease and sugar the pan to keep it from sticking.
I made this recipe a few weeks ago in loaf pans. My daughter stopped by just after I took the pans out of the oven. She begged me to let her have a piece, of course I did and she loved it. She ended up taking the remainder of that loaf cake home with her without out the glaze. Her family loved the cake. My husband and I had the cake with the glaze. Our favorite!!! My daughter is stopping by tonight and I’m making her family a loaf cake to take home with the glaze. Excellent cake!!! So moist, so delicious. Thank you Chef Jennifer for sharing this recipe.
I used this recipe after deciding not to use a recipe that required a CUP of oil. So glad I did! It was a delicious birthday cake. It was a bit heavier than I anticipated, but with all those delicious ingredients….
I learned the trick of using sugar instead of flour to make the cake not stick. It came out perfectly!
Wow. What an amazing cake! I made this in 2 regular old bread pans and it came out amazing. Super soft and the flavor is to die for. I’m glad that I used this recipe for my first time baking a lemon and poppyseed cake because no way other recipes can top this one.
I made this for a group on New Year’s Eve. Everyone loved the lemon flavor and the crunchy poppy seeds. They said the cake was moist, tender, flavorful and deeply delicious. I served it with a homemade blueberry sauce which people seemed to enjoy as an accompaniment. Just lovely and another keeper of a recipe. Thanks, Jenn!
This looks like exactly what I was hoping for. I’d like to make personal-size mini Bundt cakes with it. Any recommendations on how much to reduce baking time? Thank you!
Hi Lulu, I’d start checking them at 25 to 30 minutes, but keep a close eye on them. Please LMK how they turn out!
Thank you for the advice! You were right on. I made six minis and two small cakes with this recipe, baking the minis for 28-30 min. and the larger ones for about 40. Four of the minis came out well, and the two larger cakes both stuck, though I was able to cobble one back together. I’d experimented with flour/sugar coating and found that spray and flour *right before filling* worked best for me, using the gold Nordic Ware six-mini “Anniversary” pan. Thanks for the great recipe. I’m not a fan of lemon-poppyseed cake myself, but I couldn’t stop eating the broken cake—oops! 🙂 Definitely will make these again.
Just finished making this lemon poppy seed cake. I don’t own a bundt pan so I used 2 8.5″ x 4.5″ bread pans. Baking time was 65 minutes. My bread pans are supposed to be non-stick and they usually are…with bread…but not today 😒. Next time I’ll try the cooking spray and sugar release technique. However, the flavor and texture of this cake is XLNT!!! Bright and not too sweet. The hits just keep on a coming…Many Thanks Chef 👍😉👍
I love anything lemon, especially desserts. This cake is moist, delicious and oh so lemony! Just perfect.
The cake turned out great and even came out of the pan 99.9% with the sugar tip. My only problem was the glaze. It has to be super thick. I may have added a little too much lemon juice, so it was thin. I sifted powdered sugar over the top. It looks festive and smells divine!
My first time using sugar to coat the pan… cake stuck badly.. what did I do wrong?
Hi Robbie, Did you let the cake cool longer for 10 minutes in the pan?
No I actually timed for removal- 10 mins
Hmmm, not sure why it would stick. I tested this cake with both a flour and sugar coating, and it released best with sugar. I suggest reading this article from King Arthur on how to prevent Bundt pans from sticking. Hope it helps and so sorry you had trouble!
Thanks so much for this article, I think we oiled and sugared too early as our cake making got interrupted…this article has lots of great info..
Mine also stuck, and I cooled for exactly 10 minutes the first time. I have a well-cared for Nordic Ware Bundt pan, I read all the tips from King Arthur at the link you gave, and my second cake stuck too. The spoonsful we ate were delicious, but I don’t think I’ll try a third time. Or, if I do, I’ll try dusting with something other than sugar.
Mine stuck too, and I timed the cooling also!