This Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is the perfect way to indulge yourself in lemon freshness that brings you back to summer. Imagine the warm breeze on your face as you bite into the sweet and tangy moist cake. Be prepared to be blown away! It’s also much cheaper to make than it would be to buy that plane ticket to the tropics!
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Delicious and easy, this poppy seed lemon cake will have you going back for seconds! The citrus of the lemon works with the nutty texture of the poppy seed and undertones of vanilla to create a flavor that keeps you coming back for more. Top it off with the lemon glaze for more sweetness.
If you like lemon desserts, you will love my mini lemon bundt cakes, Lemon Cool Whip Cookies and this blueberry lemon ice cream too!
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Recipe
- Quick and easy: With only 15 minutes of prep time, you’ll have this poppy seed loaf baking in no time!
- A masterful balance of flavors: The lemon offers a citrusy zest that is tamed down by the vanilla and poppy seed to give it a tangy, sweet, and slightly nutty flavor.
- Versatile: You can have it as a dessert or for breakfast!
Ingredients
- Flour: Provides the foundation for this lemon poppy cake. We use standard all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Sugar: Sugar adds the sweetness to the recipe. It counters the tartness of the lemon and provides balance. You can swap it out with brown sugar or use both though the brown sugar may change the color slightly.
- Poppy seeds: Normal black poppy seeds give this lemon poppy seed loaf its crunchy texture. They add a nutty flavor that complements the lemon.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is an important ingredient that helps the poppy seed lemon cake rise.
- Lemon flavor: Lemon zest and lemon juice play an important role in this recipe. They give the cake a citrusy and tangy flavor that keeps it light. The juice helps the cake retain its moisture. Be sure the zest is finely grated. Fresh lemon juice is best, especially since you need zest too!
- Milk: Milk provides moisture and aids in giving the lemon and poppy seed cake its tender texture. Use whole-fat milk to get the best results. Lower fat or even buttermilk can be used as substitutes.
- Oil: Oil helps the cake stay moist longer. It also aids in mixing. Stick with mild flavored oils like canola, vegetable, or sunflower, so you don’t overpower the other ingredients or clash with the lemon. You can use a ½ cup of melted butter instead of oil.
- Eggs: Works as a binding agent and provides important depth and complexity that blends the other flavors together.
- Vanilla: This adds a warm rich undertone to the lemon poppy seed loaf cake.
- Lemon glaze: The lemon glaze is made up of powdered sugar and lemon juice. It adds additional sweetness and helps keep the cake moist. Its consistency can be adjusted to your liking.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Change the topping: You can use a cream cheese frosting instead of the glaze. Simply add some vanilla extract, a dash of lemon juice, 8 ounces of cream cheese, and mix with the powdered sugar. You can also make it crunchy by topping it with nuts like silvered almonds or crushed pistachios.
- Gluten-free: Swap out your flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum to get closest to the original recipe.
- Add fruit or nuts: Add some blueberries for a pop of color and flavor. Or try nuts, like almonds, pecans, or walnuts. Make sure the nuts are chopped!
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 °F and line your baking tin with parchment paper.
Step 1: Dry ingredients. Place the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until ingredients are well combined.
Step 2: Wet ingredients. In a separate bowl combine milk, oil, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk together.
Step 3: Mix together. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to mix until everything is moist.
Step 4: Bake it. Pour the batter into the baking tin. Bake for 45 minutes. Once cooked through, let it cool down in the tin for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Step 5: Make the glaze. Mix the powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to create the glaze for the lemon cake. You can adjust these two ingredients as needed for desired consistency.
Step 6: Drizzle the glaze. Once the lemon poppy seed bread is cooled completely, drizzle with the glaze. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Baked through: The cake is done when you can pull a toothpick or skewer into the middle and pull it out. If it does not come out clean, you need to keep cooking.
- Adjust the glaze: You can make the glaze a thicker or thinner consistency depending on your preference. For a thinner consistency, add more lemon juice and if you want it thicker, add a bit more sugar.
- Room temperature: Bring the ingredients to room temperature before you start baking. Not only does this help them with mixing them together, it helps ensure the cake rises correctly.
- Browning quickly: If the bread is browning too quickly, cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil halfway through baking.
If you love sweet lemon recipes like this, you may also enjoy thees chewy Lemon Brownies.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Keep your lemon poppy seed loaf in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Refrigeration: If you want to extend the shelf life of your cake, you can put it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Let it come back to room temperature before eating to ensure the texture is right.
- Freezing: You can freeze your lemon poppy bread for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve your lemon poppy seed cake as dessert alongside plain vanilla ice cream or our strawberry crunch ice cream, blueberry sheet cake, or chocolate covered blueberries.
- You can also have this poppy seed loaf for breakfast! Enjoy it with coffee like our Dalgona coffee recipe or make your own creamer with our Coffee-Mate copycat pumpkin spice creamer.
- It pairs well with fresh fruit and yogurt no matter what time of day you are having it.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. If you’d prefer to just make lemon cake, opt out of adding the poppy seeds.
No, you don't. Fresh lemons create a more intense and richer flavor than store-bought juice and you will need the zest anyway. If you decide to skip the fresh lemon, you can add a few drops of lemon flavoring to boost the lemon flavor.
This can happen because of a few factors. You either didn’t have enough liquid and too much flour, or you overmixed the batter.
More Delicious Lemon Desserts
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section, I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch baking tin
- medium mixing bowl
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup oil
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°c. Line an 8 ½ inch x 4 ½ inch baking tin with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the all purpose flour, granulated sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, lemon zest and salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
- Add the milk, oil, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract to a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix with a silicone spatula until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked through. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Don't Overmix: The batter is just combined when there are no more streaks of flour visible.
- Browning Too Quickly? Cover the lemon bread loosely with aluminium foil halfway through the cooking time if the top starts to get to dark.
- Glaze Consistency: You may need to use more or less lemon juice for the lemon glaze to reach a drizzling consistency.
Nutrition
This post was originally published January 2017 and it's been updated with a revised recipe, new images, and content.
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