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Home / Recipes

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

1 hour 15 minutes
4.64 from 47 votes
46 Comments
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by: Joanna Cismaru
03.12.19

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This gorgeous Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake recipe is moist, and paired with a sweet lemony glaze resulting in a delicious cake. Perfect with your cup of tea or coffee!

a lemon poppyseed bundt cake glazed and cut into slices

Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

This lemon poppy seed cake with this killer lemon glaze is simply fabulous. A slice of this cake in the morning with my coffee is what I’m all about. So here’s a nice lemon poppy seed bundt cake that’s to die for. When I feel like eating something sweet I pretty much always turn to bundt cakes because they are so easy to make and so good.

What Ingredients Are in Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

This recipe has your typical cake ingredients; flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, butter, eggs. I used a full half cup of lemon zest in place of lemon juice. Trust me here! The zest adds a world of bright flavor without adding any extra liquid. It took me two big lemons to get a 1/2 cup of zest, but it may take more or less for you depending on the size of your lemons. I also used buttermilk to create a nice fluffy, moist cake.

Let’s talk about lemons! Regular lemons from the store will taste incredible, but if you happen to find some Meyer lemons then scoop them up and never look back. They are a hybrid between an orange and a lemon. The flavor is just unbeatable! You can thank me later.

We can’t forget about those poppyseeds! Hemp seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds are great nutty substitutes for this cake if you need. You can leave this ingredient out as well, the cake will still taste amazing.

The glaze is nice and simple. Powdered sugar, vanilla, fresh lemon juice, and a touch of milk are all you need to make this awesome glaze. You can always adjust the amount of milk called for to create your perfect consistency!

a bundt pan filled with lemon poppyseed cake batter

How to Make Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees and generously spray your bundt cake pan. I’m serious here, generously spray that pan! There are so many nooks and crannies for cake to become stuck. From personal experience, you don’t want a cake getting stuck in a bundt pan! Do you think it’s got enough spray? Nope, give it another coat. For safe measure, of course.

Okay, now the heavy lifting is out of the way. Phew! Now you can mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and poppyseeds together in a large bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or using a separate bowl and a hand mixer), mix the sugar and lemon zest for a few minutes until well combined. Add the butter, and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Pour in the buttermilk and eggs. Let everything mix together until smooth. Add half the dry ingredients, and mix well. Add the rest of the flour and give everything one last mix until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into your, ahem, generously greased bundt pan and bake for 55-65 minutes.

a bundt cake fresh out of the oven with a crackled golden brown surface

How to Tell When My Cake Is Done Baking

Every oven is different, and what works perfectly for me might not be the case for you. Have no fear, toothpicks are here! Use a clean toothpick and poke as deep as you can into the thickest part of the cake. If it comes out clean, then your cake is all done. If there’s some batter stuck to it, add 5-10 extra minutes until the cake is fully baked.

a bundt cake topped with glaze and curls of lemon zest

Tips for Making the Best Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

Here are a couple tips that can aid you in making the perfect lemon poppyseed bundt cake.

  • Don’t over mix your batter.
  • I recommend against using a silicone mold, I’ve never been successful with them and always have a hard time getting my bundt cake out of it. Use nonstick metal pans if possible, they conduct heat well.
  • Make sure your bundt pan is properly sprayed with cooking spray, baking spray or greased with butter. Even if it’s a nonstick bundt pan, it doesn’t hurt to grease the pan. You might even want to use a pastry brush to grease the pan, it makes it a lot easier.
  • A good bundt cake recipe should only fill about 2/3 of the pan. Any more and you’ll end up with rounded tops, which might not be a bad thing, but your bundt cake won’t sit flat on the serving platter.
  • Give your cake sufficient time to cool before getting it out of the pan. Keep in mind that as the cake cools, it will slowly release itself from the sides of the pan, so resist the urge to pull it out immediately. Wait a good 10 minutes before trying to get it out of the pan. Flip it over onto your cake platter, and let it sit like that, it will slowly start to pull away from the pan and down onto the platter. Patience is key.

a lemon poppyseet bundt cake with a slice sticking out

How to Store Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

One question I get asked often is “Do I need to refrigerate bundt cakes?”. My answer is no, you don’t. All you need is a covered cake plate and the bundt cake will keep quite well at room temperature. Besides, refrigerating a bundt cake might dry it out, plus the cold can dull the flavor. So if you have a covered cake plate, your cake will keep just fine for several days.

If you don’t have a covered cake plate, use a bowl, such as the bowl from your salad spinner to cover the cake.

How to Freeze Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

You can absolutely freeze this bundt cake, however I would freeze it without the icing and simply drizzle it with icing when serving.

Let the bundt cake cool completely. Cut the bundt cake in individual slices, then wrap each one in plastic wrap then place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

a plate with a slice of lemon poppyseed cake with a fork, mint leaves, and lemon zest.

DID YOU LOVE THIS LEMON CAKE? TRY THESE!

  • Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf
  • Lemon Orange Cake
  • Limoncello Lemon Cake
  • Lemon Chiffon Cake

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side view shot of a sliced lemon poppyseed bundt cake

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

4.64 from 47 votes
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 15 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 16
Print Pin Rate
This gorgeous Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is beautifully paired with a sweet lemony glaze resulting in a delicious cake. Perfect with your cup of tea or coffee!

Ingredients

Poppy Seed Lemon Cake

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup lemon zest
  • 1 cup butter unsalted, room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 4 large eggs

For Lemon Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 to 2 tbsp milk or as much as needed
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Prepare oven and bundt cake pan: Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Spray a bundt cake pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
  • Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds together. Set aside.
  • Mix wet ingredients: In the bowl of your mixer add the sugar and lemon zest. Using the whisk attachment whisk for a couple minutes until the lemon zest and sugar are well blended. Add the butter and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
  • Add the buttermilk and eggs to the mixer and mix well for about 2 to 3 minutes until smooth. 
  • Combine wet and dry: Add half the flour mixture to the mixer and mix until well incorporated. Add the remaining flour and continue mixing until well incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake: Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
  • Make glaze: While the cake is baking, make the lemon glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract. This glaze needs to be quite runny, so add milk as needed, about a tbsp at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
  • Wait before taking the cake out of the pan: Take the cake out of the oven and let it sit in the bundt pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the sides of the cake if necessary, then flip the cake over onto a cake tray. Let the cake cool for a bit for about 10 to 20 minutes.
  • Drizzle with lemon glaze and serve: Drizzle the cake with the lemon glaze, cut into slices and serve.

Recipe Notes

Don't worry if your glaze comes out translucent. As it dries, the colour will become more white. It will also be mostly absorbed by the cake.
I used about 3 large lemons to get 1/2 cup of zest. I did not press the zest down, so it it is a very light 1/2 cup. The number of lemons you'll need varies on the size that you buy.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
 

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 354kcal (18%)Carbohydrates: 52g (17%)Protein: 5g (10%)Fat: 14g (22%)Saturated Fat: 8g (50%)Cholesterol: 84mg (28%)Sodium: 112mg (5%)Potassium: 163mg (5%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 33g (37%)Vitamin A: 455IU (9%)Vitamin C: 5mg (6%)Calcium: 92mg (9%)Iron: 1.6mg (9%)
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:American
Keyword:bundt cakes, lemon poppy seed bundt cake
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. chaymss says

    November 1, 2020 at 10:08 am

    Hello I’m from morocco! I tried your recipe for the first time , I’m glad to tell you it was so delicious and tasty thanks!

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      November 1, 2020 at 10:18 am

      So happy to hear you liked it!

      Reply
  2. Elaine Radu says

    May 18, 2020 at 9:28 am

    5 stars
    Once again, JO, your recipe, and baking tips made me look like a star. Bundt pan well sprayed… Oven time between 50 and 60 mins was perfect; I opted for 50 mins, baking then I let the cake cool for 15 mins, in the pan, on a cooling rack; flipped the pan onto a cake plate and it slid out perfectly. You are so right, JO, the generous spraying of a bundt pan is key to perfect cake release. Thanks again for a great recipe.

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      May 19, 2020 at 9:55 am

      That’s fantastic! We’re so glad you love this recipe 🙂 Let us know whenever you try anything else!

      Reply
  3. Shawnessy Gaynor says

    February 9, 2020 at 9:19 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this cake… absolutely fabulous!!!! Will definitely make again…

    Reply
  4. Chip E says

    February 3, 2020 at 1:14 pm

    5 stars
    Came across this awesome amazing and absolutely perfect and delicious recipe just yesterday when wanting to make something special to take to dear neighbors who have just lost a loved one…mom and I of course, had to try first, as it was a new recipe to me. Not only is this a superb recipe, the instructions and tips were extremely helpful. I would only suggest that anyone using PAM go ahead and use the baker’s PAM which has added flower. No sticking, Cake removal flawless! Cannot say enough good things about this! Thanks, Jo!!

    Reply
  5. Kaite Cherney says

    November 28, 2019 at 12:22 pm

    This cake tastes delicious but has not come out of the pan cleanly any time I’ve made it. Other recipes seem to come out of my bundt pan easily and without issue, but no matter how much I grease and flour before baking this cake it comes out in pieces every single time. If anyone has any tips to make this dough less sticky I’d love to hear about it. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      November 28, 2019 at 12:51 pm

      Let it cool completely in the pan before removing, then loosen with a knife. Possibly the cake was too hot when it came out. Other than that, not sure! We’ve never had an issue with this cake sticking.

      Reply
  6. Mary Thompson says

    October 6, 2019 at 8:37 am

    5 stars
    super scrumptious. I want to make this cake for family on Thanksgiving but can’t use dairy or eggs. Will it be good using substitutes? Anybody with experience with that ?

    Reply
  7. Connie says

    May 5, 2019 at 4:08 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and read your tips. It’s just simply delicious.

    Reply
  8. BARB says

    February 3, 2019 at 2:06 pm

    5 stars
    I made this cake this morning, it came out perfectly. Thank you for the tips. Best bundt cake I’ve ever made.

    Reply
  9. Lorrie Douglass says

    January 22, 2019 at 9:50 am

    5 stars
    This cake was amazing!!! I added the juice of one lemon to the cake batter, & just a touch more juice to the icing. I also added just a drop of yellow food coloring. When I make it again, I will let the cake cool completely before icing it, because the icing did run off, even after cooling 20 minutes. I will also poke holes in the cake while in the pan, & drizzle a little icing over the cake to let it soak In. I will be making it again!

    Reply
  10. angelina says

    October 18, 2018 at 10:06 pm

    i made it today and it turned out good, next time i have to lessen the temperature and 10 minutes less otherwise it was perfect. I would definitely do this again. thanks

    Reply
  11. Faze says

    September 15, 2018 at 8:45 pm

    I made this cake today and I must say it was very moist and tasty.

    Reply
  12. Marie says

    June 30, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    i have used you recipe for wonderful perfect lemon poppy cake and every one loves it
    asking for repeats. i just took one for my friends. thank you for such a perfect recipe.
    this is my 6th time.

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      June 30, 2018 at 7:09 pm

      My pleasure, Marie! Glad you’re enjoying it!

      Reply
  13. Tracy says

    June 29, 2018 at 2:27 pm

    Is it possible to use almond flour (or fine grated almond) instead of all-purpose flour for a gluten free Version?

    Reply
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