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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.”
A variation of my lemon buttermilk 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 it freezes well, too.
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.)
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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
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
- Finely grated zest of 3 lemons (about 3 gently packed tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2-1/4 cups granulated sugar, plus more for the pan
- 3 large eggs
For the Syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 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: 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.)
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Reviews & Comments
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Made this this morning as two loaves. Turned out beautifully. I lined my pans with parchment paper and skipped the sugar dusting. Only changes I made were to soak my poppyseeds in the buttermilk (read that it makes them less dry and more easily digested- whatever…) and I didn’t think there was enough salt so I doubled it to 1 tsp. Might even do 1 1/2 tsp next time. And there will be a next time. So moist. Not too sweet and just the right amount of lemon zing! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, Jenn! A number of questions here, sorry! 1. I see that you can make muffins from this recipe. How many muffins? And since I would use paper cups for them, what’s your best thought about putting the syrup on? 2. I only have 9×5 loaf pans. Will this make 2 of those iris my best bet to do one and then do muffins with the rest of the batter? 3. I also plan to use the SACO powdered buttermilk with these – I saw that one of your readers planned to do that. Any feedback? Reviews on it from Bon Appetit, King Arthur, and America’s Test Kitchen are pretty positive. Thanks for you patience. – Jane
Happy to help!
1. This should make 24 muffins.
2. I would make one 9×5 loaf and muffins with the remaining batter.
3. I haven’t gotten any feedback from readers about the powdered buttermilk but I think it’s worth a try.
Please LMK how it comes out!
Thanks so much. What do you recommend for the syrup when I make muffins in paper cups? Just carefully brush the tops and not overdo so it doesn’t stick to the paper? I can’t figure the best way to do that.
Oh sorry I forgot to address that! I actually wouldn’t do the syrup as I think it will be too messy. Without the syrup though, these won’t stay fresh for long, so best to eat them on the first day or two.
I like to do my recipes in metrics, and I noticed that the sugar measurement is 450 grams, and the cups measurement is 2 1/4 cups. To double check since it seemed like an immense amount of sugar, I mesures out 2 1/4 on my scale and it isn’t even 1/2 of 450 grams. Please provide some type of clarification. Thank you.
Hi Bella, I’ve tested out ingredients for my recipes using both cup measures and my kitchen scale. I have consistently found that 1 cup of sugar is the equivalent of 200 g hence the 450 g for 2 1/4 cups. I know that you may find some variation if you look online, but the measurements I’ve provided came from using my scale. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy if you make the cake.
Is it ok to use regular milk instead of buttermilk? Also how about dry milk powder as a substitution for milk? I have both dry milk and buttermilk in the pantry and don’t really want to go and buy a quart of either because we won’t use it.
Thanks,
Mary
Hi Mary, You really need buttermilk for this, but you can make your own buttermilk if you have milk and either lemon juice or white vinegar. See how here. Hope that helps!
I made this today. Excellent… love the light sweetness. No glaze or drizzle for me and the cake wasn’t too sweet. 🙂
Baked these this past weekend, and by these I mean I went the route of using 2 loaf pans vs the bunt pan, and they turned out perfectly. They still have enough lemon flavor to them if you want to omit the glaze, but they’re fabulous once the glaze is added. Enjoy!
I made this cake today, and it looks just like the picture! More importantly, it tastes great and has a nice texture. I put it in a Bundt pan, and had no problem with sticking. I used a combination of cooking spray and crisco to make sure all the crevices were well-greased, and then floured it.
This was divine! I made it exactly as directed. It was straight-forward and delicious.
I absolutely love this cake! My husband, who is not a huge lemon dessert fan, is devouring as I type! I also had problems with the cake sticking, but just a bit on one side. The syrup is such a great idea! I’ve had pound cake with syrup, and cake with glaze, but the combo on both! Wow!
Hi,
Just made the recipe in two pound cake pans. Turned out beautiful. I made the buttermilk as your recipe because it was hard to find here in Puerto Rico. I buttered the pans generously and after sprinkled with sugar put them in the refrigerator while preparing the cakes, and the cakes came right out of the pans easily once cooled.
After tasting the batter, I found it very delicious but quite sweet and decided to use limes instead of lemons for both the syrup and the glaze, the final result was lemony, sweet and crisp.
I did used the whole recipe of the syrup since I was going to freeze one of the cakes and for that one I added the extra syrup, wishing it would help keep it moist once the cake is defrosted.
Thanks so much and the best for this new year.
I don’t leave reviews but this is, hands down, the best cake that I have ever made (and I enter competitions). Absolutely fantastic. I love the natural lemon flavor and the fact that it doesn’t need to “hide” behind a rich frosting. I even made/served it without. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Also, to make sure that the cake comes out of the pan, every single centimeter of the pan needs to be coated with spray/sugar. And the resting period, where the cake will naturally contract (pull away from the pan), has to be honored. But, the sugar caramelizes and, in my spouse’s words, “the crust makes the cake.”
A lemony delight! I’ve made this cake twice and both times the cake didn’t stuck to my Bundt. I do believe the quality of the bundt pan and the oven baking temperature plays a big role. My Nordicware bundt holds the heat well, and gives that outer crust that’s not only delicious but ensures the cake does not stick. Absolutely delicious and a crowd pleaser.
Two stars. Tastes pretty good, but half of the cake stuck to the pan. I’ve made bundt cakes forever, never had this problem? Left with crumbly pieces, not worth bothering with syrup and glaze. See that quite a few others had this problem.
I received extra lemons in my deliver-to-home food box, so went looking for a way to use them. I vaguely remember making lemon pound cake many years ago. (I don’t bake much anymore as my children are all grown and out of the house.) Because I’m so out of practice, I really appreciated the clear, step-by-step instructions. I used loaf pans so I could freeze one, as it’s a lot of cake for two people. However, it’s so delicious I’ll probably eat it up rapidly. I tried to give it five stars, but couldn’t get that function to work.
Great recipe. I can’t have a lot of sugar, so I used 1.5 cups, no syrup, a small amount of glaze to decorate. Perfect for my family. Great texture, flavour and looks good too. Thanks.
My husband and I love your recipes and was so happy to come across this one. Could I double the recipe and make a bunch of tiny loafs? If so, would the oven be the same temp. for mabe 1/2 hour or so ??? I’d like to give as gifts. Thank you so much.
So glad you like the recipes! These should work in mini loaf pans. The timing will depend on the size of the pans.
Followed the directions exactly, using a Bundt pan I have used many times successfully. However, this cake stuck so badly that I am left with a heap of broken pieces. And it tastes good but more like a muffin than a cake. Waste of ingredients.
Amazing, amazing! Made this for a friend on her birthday and she told me her whole family devoured it in a few minutes!
What a terrific cake! I made the recipe exactly as written (choosing the option of greasing and lightly flouring my Bundt pan) and could not have been more delighted with the result. The cake was moist and lightly lemony and the proportion of poppy seeds spot on. I loved how they crackled a little as you bit into your slice of cake! I’m an experienced baker but have never found a Lemon Poppy Seed recipe I’ve been happy with until now. More than happy. It’s a GEM. Thanks for sharing it with us all Jenn!
Amazing! Just what my daughter ordered for her birthday! Great to have the additional notes about preparing the pan. Worked like a charm! So delicious and all from scratch!
Tried this recipe today it was a super hit. Everyone loved it. I followed the recipe exactly as the way it was.
This is an epic lemon poppyseed bundt cake recipe – crunchy outside and moist inside – it’s simply delicious!! Will be my go to lemon poppyseed recipe from now on
Oh my gosh! The first time I made this, my hubby practically ate the whole thing. The 2nd time I made, which is tonight, I gave it to a person who was down on their luck, but wanted to celebrate a special occasion. She was so thankful. She said it smelled so delicious. I ended up sharing your recipe with many others that saw what I made on FB. Your recipe was clear and thorough. Thank you so much!!
Holy moly, this cake was REALLY sweet! It was nice, but I needed a cup of black coffee to get it down. I guess as a children’s birthday cake it might be good. As a casual “something to munch on with your coffee” cake I might try cutting the sugar in half next time. Otherwise it was easy to put together and baked up nicely (and it looks pretty)
I made this cake this morning and we just had it for dessert. It was absolutely delicious! My whole family agreed. The texture is a perfect balance of moist and dense but still light. I used lemons from my garden and the balance of tart and sweet was on point. I’ll definitely make this cake again!
This is lemon poppy seed perfection. I used metric measurements and the crumb is pillowy, soft, moist cake nirvana. Now I’ll look up other recipes on this site. Thank you!
Hello there, my name is Mars
I love your recipes. i have made so many times your apple pies. wonderful can’t make enough.
For your lemon poppy seed cake, instead of using buttermilk, can i use regular milk 2% and instead of butter can i use vegetable oil.
Mars
Hi Mars, Regular milk won’t work here but you can make your own buttermilk if you have milk and either lemon juice or white vinegar. See how here. And vegetable oil won’t work here. If you have coconut oil, you can use that in place of the butter. Hope that helps!
The cake flavor was delicious. The sugary oiled pan did not work out for me.. it basically turned the sugar into a crust that glued itself to the pan. Pretty disappointed after I spent so long on this cake. Great recipe, but next time I will just oil, no sugar.
Made this cake today and it was delicious! The simple syrup adds a nice touch. Followed the recipe exactly and everything worked out perfectly
SOOOOO DELICIOUS! absolutely loved it! I did add a bit of almond extract. Otherwise, followed the recipe to a “T.” Thank you for sharing this recipe…it’s divine.
Hi Jenn,
If I wanted to half this recipe for just one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, should I use 1 egg or 2 eggs. Thanks!
Hi Alexandra, I’d actually use 1.5 eggs (beat one egg in a measuring cup and throw half away). Hope you enjoy the cake!
I made this cake a second time, using fine dry bread crumbs to dust the pan rather than sugar. Released easily! Yum!
I always hesitate to bake as I am not a great baker. This recipe was easy and absolutely delicious! Another winner! Thank you Jenn!
Cake is very flavorful and easy to make. However, coating with sugar most definitely did not work for me on release. Left majority of sides of cake stuck to the pan. Perhaps 10 minutes is insufficient wait time? Next time I will go back to Pam, Bakers Joy spray, or use fine dry bread crumbs
Good Afternoon Jenn. Is it possible to make this cake in a standard 9 inch round pan instead of a bundt pan? If so, should I halve the recipe, as a bundt cake usually holds a larger volume? Please advise, thank you!
Yes, Bethany, you could get away with making this in a 9-inch round pan if you halve the recipe. Bake time will be different so keep a close eye on it. Hope you enjoy!
I just took this cake out of the oven. I had read the reviews that some had a problem getting it out of the pan. I sprayed the pan with Pam baking spray, I also put a piece of parchment paper on the bottom & sprayed that, then added the sugar. Came out immediately & with no issues.
Only 1/2 teaspoon baking soda?? no baking powder??
Yep, that’s correct. Because the cake is made with buttermilk (which helps with the leavening), the baking powder isn’t needed here. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Can I substitute Saco Buttermilk Blend for commercially prepared buttermilk?
Hi Cindie, I’ve never used that product, but I just took a peek at it and I think it will work. Please LMK how it turns out!
After reading very good reviews I bought the powdered buttermilk. Planning on making this cake within the next few days. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Wish me luck!
Good luck – hope you enjoy!
Not gonna lie, this is the best baked item I’ve ever made. I actually ran out of buttermilk so I used 1 cup of Sour Cream and 3T 2% Milk. I was hesitant to make the substitute but it turned out so good I’m afraid to make this again with buttermilk. Coating the pan with sugar didn’t work for me either but I was a bit impatient after baking an hour, maybe I’ll use spray and flour next time. Thanks for the recipe, delicious!!!
Delicious. I would only recommend to others to maybe thickly butter your bundt pan instead of cooking spray. The whole top half of my bundt cake didn’t come out of the mold…
Made this for Easter and it was fantastic! Followed the recipe exactly as written and it was fabulous. The cake popped straight out of the pan-I’ve never used the sugar dusting technique before so I was a little hesitant, but it was perfect! Such a delicious, lemon flavored ending to our meal!
OMG! This cake is die for. My husband loved it and we shared with all our tenants and they couldn’t stop raving about it. Didn’t change anything followed the recipe and it turned out great. Printing the recipe as I write. Will be making it again and share with my friend and family. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
This is a spectacular recipe! Even more delicious than it looks, if that’s even possible. Just follow the recipe, follow the yellow brick road to Lemon Oz
LOL — glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Jenn,
Do you think this cake would ship well? I would cut and wrap each piece individually.
Thanks,
Barb
Sure, Barb, this should keep nicely for several days. Hope your recipient enjoys! 🙂
Good morning Jenn, I only have full fat buttermilk… will this affect the outcome of my cake. Thanks in advance.
That should work perfectly fine — enjoy!
Hi Jenn .
I have Pam baking spray with flour. Should I still sprinkle sugar on it or do without it? Or just greasing the pan with oil/butter and coating the sugar on it is a better option?
Tahera
Hi Tahera, I prefer to use butter and sugar with this cake (for me, it sticks with the baking spray).
Why don’t you make this change to your recipe, especially if you read reviews of the cake sticking in pan? Disappointing to read this in your reply to a review. My cake stuck and I was reading reviews to see if others had this problem.
Hi Paula, definitely a valid question – – I have found that with this cake as well as my lemon pound cake (which is basically the same recipe with the exception of poppy seeds), some people have great luck with the sugar coating and some people have better luck with the cooking spray with flour. Another option 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.
So after collecting your recipes for the better part of a year I finally made the Lemon Poppyseed Cake. I am SO sorry I waited so long – it was excellent! My family devoured it and it will now be top of the rotation. Thank-you for sharing your creations!! Can’t wait to try a new recipe.
Cheers!
Can I make mini loaves and if so how many minutes would I bake them?
Hi Carolyn, Yes you could definitely make mini loaves. The cook time really depends on the size of the loaf pans; if they are really small, I’d start checking around 30 minutes.
Dear jenn
Is it possible to make these into muffins?
If yes, how long would it take to bake them?
Thank you
Dagmar
Sure, Dagmar, you can use this recipe for muffins. I’d start checking them at about 25 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Hello Dagmar,
Did you put the glaze on these muffins?
I was thinking of making them in paper muffin cups, would the glaze work on top?
Thanks,
Ashley
I made this cake over the weekend. It turned out awesome! My husband and I have practically eaten the whole cake!