Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
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This lemon poppy seed cake is bursting with bright citrus flavor, packed with nutty poppy seeds, and drizzled with a tangy lemon glaze—perfect for sharing (or not!).
A variation of my popular 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—ultra-moist and melt-in-your mouth tender.
The recipe yields two loaves that stay fresh for days. My grandmother would have called it “company cake” since it’s the perfect treat to have on hand when friends and family come over. And if you love the lemon and poppy seed combo, don’t miss my lemon poppy seed muffins!
(Note: This recipe was originally a Bundt cake, but due to readers having issues with sticking, I updated it in January 2025 to loaf pans, which can be lined with parchment for easy removal.)
“The cake was moist and lightly lemony and the proportion of poppy seeds spot on…It’s a GEM.”
What you’ll need to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- All-purpose flour – Provides structure and gives the cake its tender crumb.
- Baking soda – Helps the cake rise by reacting with the acidity in the buttermilk and lemon juice.
- Salt – Enhances flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Poppy seeds – Add a nutty flavor and subtle crunch, giving the cake its signature texture.
- Buttermilk – Keeps the cake moist and tender while adding a slight tang that complements the lemon.
- Lemon zest – Infuses the cake with bright, aromatic lemon flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice – Adds a fresh, tangy citrus punch to both the cake and the glaze.
- Unsalted butter – Provides richness, moisture, and a soft texture.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the cake and the syrup that keeps it extra moist.
- Large eggs – Bind the ingredients together, add moisture, and contribute to a light, fluffy texture.
- Confectioners’ sugar – Used in the glaze to create a smooth, sweet finish that enhances the lemon flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Whisk well and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice. 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 to 4 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Give the bowl another quick scrape, then, with the mixer on low, beat in a quarter of the flour mixture.
Add one-third of the buttermilk mixture.
Beat in another quarter of the flour mixture, then a third of the milk mixture. Keep going—another round of flour, then the rest of the milk. Finally, mix in the last of the flour. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then give it a quick mix to make sure everything is fully combined.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the loaves in the pan for ten minutes on a rack.
While they cool, 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.
Make the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
When the cakes are cool, gradually brush the warm syrup all over the cakes, including the sides, letting it soak in as you go. Finally, spoon the glaze over the top of the cakes, letting it drip down the sides. Let the glaze harden before slicing. The cake will keep nicely for 3 days or frozen (without the glaze) for up to 3 months.
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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
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
For the Glaze
- About 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the long sides of the pans with parchment paper “slings” and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray again.
- 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 pans and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 55 to 65 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.
- Set the cakes on a cooling rack, and cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife along the unlined sides of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan. Using the parchment slings, lift the cakes out of the pans and place onto the rack, leaving the parchment paper in place under the cakes. Let cool for about 1 hour.
- When the cakes are almost cool, make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- When the cakes are cool, carefully transfer them to serving platters.
- Gradually brush the warm syrup all over the cakes, including the sides, letting it soak in as you go.
- To make the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Add more confectioners' sugar or lemon juice as necessary to make a thick but pourable glaze (it should be a little thicker than you'd think, about the consistency of molasses or honey). Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the cakes sit for about one hour to allow the glaze to set before serving.
- 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
- 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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Baking this cake at 325 convection for 65 minutes will give you an over baked cake. It is so dry. I will decrease the baking temperature next time. Three stars for flavor- needs much more lemon flavor for my tastes and less sugar too. I’m worried that cutting the sugar may effect the moisture level. I will try this one again though- I think it’s got potential
Hi Tiffany, I suggest using the standard (non-convection setting) for baking as the convection setting tends to make baked goods dry. Hope you have more success the next time you make it!
Came out perfectly the second time! My friends say it’s so good “it’s dangerous” 🙂 thank you very much for the advice
Glad it worked out!
Tiffany I hope you give this cake another go because it’s an exceptional one! And has become a standand-by in my recipe collection of “most requested.”
I also want to share with you,as a former professional who cooked in some well known resort properties, I NEVER use convection setting when baking. It’s used for cooking only. Also, and this is just from years of experience, ovens tea vary. So if you try this again, maybe check it 10-15 minutes sooner than what is in the recipe. The oven I have now bakes & cooks much quicker/faster than previous ovens I’ve had.
Please try this again, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
Lisa in Laton
I made this Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake for my grand son’s birthday cake. It was my first Bundt Cake and I was a little nervous about the whole thing. However, I followed your recipe exactly, and it was PERFECT! I used melted shortening and almond flour to prep the pan. It popped right out without any problems. Thanks so much for this great recipe. Everyone loved it. My husband even had a second piece, and he doesn’t like cake!
Obsessed. This recipe is perfect. Just the right blend of sweet and tart, and so delicate!
A little note for anyone who is baking in a warmer climate: I tend to have to bake things a bit under the time in their recipes because of the weather where I live. I never realized how much the weather affected baking until I moved from Maine (where I could bake everything strictly according to recipe times and it would come out great) to Hawaii (where everything I bake gets done in significantly less time than it took in Maine). I baked this for 52 minutes in a bundt pan and it came out just right.
Thank you so much–this is definitely going to be one of my go-to cakes now. I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
This is just the most perfect Bundt cake – I have made this recipe so many times now and it never ever fails – fabulous recipe and fabulous tasting cake
Can this be made into two loafs? If so what would recommended baking time?
Yes, You can use two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans instead of a Bundt pan. 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. Hope you enjoy!
This cake was gorgeous came out very soft and nice
Unfortunately I did not read the comments before I made it. It was a disaster when I tried to get it out of the pan. I was making it for my daughter’s birthday and she lives overseas and has not been here in over 10 years for her birthday. No time to re do anything so we are having lemon poppyseed crumble!! Making lemonade with our poppyseed mess!!
I found this recipe on Google and I must say I was lucky. Just tried it and cake came out perfect. The steps are very clear and the use of butter and sugar for the pan was something new to me but it just made the cake elegantly leave the pan and onto the cooling rack. Thank you for sharing your recipe 😊
I make this cake whenever I have to bring something to a function (and I’m not making something last minute lol). I’ve made it with and without the poppy seeds and it’s a winner either way. I butter and sugar the bundt pan and never have an issue with sticking (unless I don’t let it cool long enough before removing it!). Thanks for sharing it.
This recipe has become a family and friend favorite. It’s a hit anytime of the year, especially around the holidays because we live in northern Canada where the winters can be long. This is a perfect pick me up and has such a fresh taste that friends and family love it and it’s the most requested cake!