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This light and soft Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is a dream of a pound cake. It has a melt in your mouth crumb and full of zesty lemon flavor. It topped with a delicious lemon icing for an extra pop of tangy lemon flavor. This cake has a perfectly buttery texture and is ideal for any occasion, from a casual afternoon to a special celebration.
This is the best Lemon Poppy Seed Cake! It is full of citrus flavor and has a delicious buttery texture. The poppy seeds gives a perfect nutty flavor to the fresh and tangy lemon cake. It is topped with a lemon glaze for a perfect finish and burst of tangy lemon, making it a crowd pleaser.
For more lemon cake recipes, try Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies and Lemon Brownies.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake: This loaf cake is super soft and delicious, and is full of lemon and poppy seed flavor.
- Lemon Icing: The loaf cake is topped with a simple lemon icing.
- Simple decoration: This cake is decorated with poppy seeds, making it a no-fuss kinda of cake.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: Gives a light and airy cake. I prefer using all-purpose flour with a protein amount that is between 10-11%
- Granulated sugar: The sugar helps sweeten, as well as give moister to the cake.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help leaven and rise the cake, so it has light and fluffy texture.
- Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the cake.
- Egg: Take it out of the fridge 1 hours before baking, so it comes to room temperature (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Oil: Use a flavor neutral oil, such as canola oil.
- Sour cream: Sour cream gives lots of moisture and tenderness to the cake, as well as helps give the cake a great structure.
- Butter: The butter gives the loaf cake a delicious flavor and texture. Bring it out and let it come to room temperature.
- Lemon: Lemon zest and juice is added to the cake to give it lots of flavor.
- Poppy seeds: The poppy seeds are added to the cake for a delicious nutty flavor.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Here is how to make and bake these Lemon Poppy Seed Cake. This recipe needs a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Preheat the oven at 175ºC/350ºF conventional oven and grease a 21,5 x 11,5 cm /8,5x4,5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
STEP 1: Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Give it a stir with a hand whisk to make sure everything has been combined. Set it aside. In a mixing bowl add the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub it together to release all of the lemon zest flavor, until it looks like wet sand.
STEP 2: Then add the butter and mix it together on high speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined on low/medium speed.
STEP 3: Continue by adding ½ of the dry ingredients. Then add the sour cream, oil and vanilla extract and mix it in. Then add the other half of the flour mixture and poppy seeds and give it a final mix until just combined.
STEP 4: Pour that cake batter into the prepared pan and bake it for 55-60 minutes. Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let it cool down completely.
STEP 5: Once the cake has cooled down, make the icing. Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and sour cream together and drizzle it over the cake.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes you can replace it 1:1 with Greek yogurt.
Yes, I recommend waiting, to add the lemon icing until ready to serve it. Make the loaf as instructed and store it in an airtight container or covered by plastic wrap. Add the icing when serving.
I recommend using a cake tester or toothpick. When the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the in the center of the cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
Yes absolutely, you change it out 1:1 with the zest and juice.
HOW TO STORE
Store the lemon poppy seed cake on the kitchen counter in an airtight container or covered tightly by plastic wrap. It's best enjoyed within a 2-3 days.
Other Loaf Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Ingredients
LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE
- 270 g all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 110 g butter room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 200 g sour cream room temperature
- 30 g vegetable oil e.g. canola oil or avocado oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tablespoon poppy seeds
LEMON ICING
- 150 g powdered sugar
- 4-5 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sour cream to thicken the glaze, optional
The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it's recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams. Baking is both an art and a science, which most often requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
LEMON POPPY SEED LOAF CAKE
- Preheat the oven at 175ºC/350ºF conventional oven and grease a 21,5 x 11,5 cm /8,5x4,5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
- Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set it aside.270 g all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl add the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub it together to release all of the lemon zest flavor, until it looks like wet sand. Then add the butter and mix it together on high speed for 3 minutes.200 g granulated sugar, 2 tablespoon lemon zest, 110 g butter
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined on low/medium speed.2 large eggs
- Continue by adding ½ of the flour mixture and on low speed. Then add the sour cream, oil and vanilla extract and mix it in.200 g sour cream, 30 g vegetable oil, 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice, 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Then add the other half of the flour mixture and poppy seeds and give it a final mix until just combined. Scape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all the ingredients have been incorporated.1 ½ tablespoon poppy seeds
- Pour that cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake it for 55-60 minutes. If the cake starts to brown too much on top, you can lightly cover it with aluminium foil to prevent further browning.
- Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let it cool down completely.
LEMON ICING
- Once the cake is cooled down, make the icing. Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and sour cream together and pour it over the cake. It is ready to be enjoyed.150 g powdered sugar, 4-5 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon sour cream
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