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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Lemon Poppy Seed 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 (see note)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) 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 (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray two 8½ x 4½-in (22 x 11-cm) 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 to 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.
Notes
- If you’d prefer not to buy it, check out some easy guidance on how to make buttermilk using milk and lemon juice or vinegar
- You'll need 3 large lemons for this recipe.
- Freezing 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
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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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.
The method works beautifully and adds a caramelized crust to the cake. I have made this cake countless times and have never once had a problem with it sticking when following the directions.
If you don’t want to butter the pan, get a coconut oil spray and spray every surface of the inside of the Bundt with spray: bottom, sides, center post. Then sugar it generously. Don’t just sprinkle it. The sugar should be visible and shake off excess.
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!