Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This gorgeous Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is the perfect understated, yet elegant cake that is moist with lots of vibrant flavor from all the fresh lemon zest. It comes complete with a sweet lemony glaze resulting in an incredibly delicious cake. Perfect for any occasion.

Lemon Poppy Seed 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.

I say this cake is understated because it’s so delicious and lemony, but yet so simple to make. Not to mention they’re perfect for any occasion. It’s such a classic cake with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, it’s a no brainer.

• The Basics – This recipe has your typical cake ingredients; flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, butter, eggs. Make sure you eggs and butter are at room temperature. You’ll also want to use unsalted butter since we already add salt to the cake batter.
• Lemon Zest – 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 ½ cup of zest, but it may take more or less for you depending on the size of your lemons.
• Buttermilk – The buttermilk will help us create a nice fluffy, and moist cake.
• Poppy Seeds – 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.

Lemon Glaze

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!

Which Lemons Are Best

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.

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F 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.
2. 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 over medium speed.
3. Add the eggs and mix them in until well incorporated then pour in the buttermilk. Let everything mix together until smooth. Add half the dry ingredients, and mix well. Add the rest of the flour mixture and give everything one last mix until fully incorporated. Do not over-mix!
4. Pour the batter into your, ahem, generously greased bundt pan and bake for 55-65 minutes. 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.
5. 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, it should come out easily if you generously greased the pan. Let the cake cool for a bit, about 10 to 20 minutes, then drizzle the cake with the lemon glaze, cut into slices and serve.

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.

How To Store Lemon Poppy Seed 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.

Can I Freeze This 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 cake cool completely. Cut it in individual slices, wrap each one in plastic wrap then place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

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