• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Beans and Legumes
    • dairy-free
    • Freezer-friendly
    • Make Ahead Recipes
    • Whole Grain Recipes
  • Weeknight Meals
    • Quick & Easy
    • Slow Cooker
  • Baked Goods and Desserts
    • Breads
    • Cakes and Pastries
    • Cookies
    • Egg-Free Baking
    • Muffins
  • Vegan Recipes
    • Beans and Legumes (V)
    • Breads (v)
    • Breakfast (V)
    • Vegan Cookie Recipes
    • Desserts (v)
    • Mains and Dinners (V)
    • Salads (V)
    • Snacks (v)
    • Soup (V)
    • Whole Grains (V)
  • Gluten-Free Recipes
  • about
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy

The In Fine Balance Food Blog logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • WFPB
  • GF
  • Sweet Things
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Recipe index
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
    • WFPB
    • GF
    • Sweet Things
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    • Recipe index
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    You are here: Home » bake

    Published: Mar 17, 2018 · Modified: Feb 13, 2022 by Trish · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

    Pretty Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

    buttermilk lemon poppy seed cake with lemon frosting

    This bright Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is bursting with spring flavor. Made with buttermilk and served with an easy lemon glaze.

    lemon poppy seed cake with lemon frosting

    Spring is just around the corner... I think officially Spring will arrive in just a few days. I can feel it in the sunshine ☀️ - it is warm and bright and happy. And has totally inspired this pretty lemon cake. A Lemon Poppy Seed Cake.

    This is a simple and straightforward cake, and so it does not need much story to go with it. Not too sweet, light and lemony.

    How to serve this lemon cake

    I love this kind of cake at brunch. Classic lemony buttermilk cake. And poppyseeds just remind me of spring.

    Served in super thin slices, it will feed a crowd, and fits nicely on a dessert table between fresh fruit, cookies, and brownies.

    Small slices are small commitments. Your brunch guests will appreciate that they have room to sample more than one thing from that sweet spread.

    lemon poppy seed bundt cake
    lemon poppy seed cake with lemon frosting
    lemon poppy seed cake with lemon frosting

    I like this served with a simple lemon glaze. You could skip the glaze and lightly dust with icing sugar instead.

    How to make lemon poppy seed cake

    • Firs get your lemon's ready: zest the lemons, then reserve their juice. Set aside.
    • Prepare bundt or tube pan - spray inside of the pan with cooking spray, then dust with a tablespoon or so of white floor, shaking and tilting the pan to ensure it is evenly coated. Set aside.
    • In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and salt. Stir with a whisk so that poppy seeds are evenly distributed in the flour mixture. Set aside.
    • Next cream butter and 2 cups granulated sugar together until well whipped, light coloured and fluffy. I like to use a stand mixer for this, but a handheld mixer will do as well. Then add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each egg.
    • Now add the remaining ingredients to the egg, sugar and butter batter as follows: alternating flour and buttermilk, and starting with ⅓ of the flour mixture, add the flour mixture to the eggs and sugar and beat at low speed until just combined, then add ½ of the buttermilk, beating again until just combined, continue alternating flour and buttermilk, ending with flour. Beating gently after each addition. Add lemon zest and juice and again beat gently until just blended.
    • Spoon batter into prepared pan, tapping the pan to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.
    • Allow cake to cool in the pan at least 10 minutes on a wire rack before attempting to remove from the pan.
    • Allow cake to completely cool before frosting.
    • The cake should be frosted the day it is served. The cake can be made up to one day ahead of time.
    • To make the glaze, combine glaze ingredients with a whisk until smooth and creamy. Glaze should drip from the whisk in long thin strands. Adjust thickness by adding more lemon juice) or more icing sugar.
    poppyseed lemon cake with lemon frosting on a cake stand with glaze in the background
    lemon poppy seed cake with lemon frosting
    4.5 from 2 votes

    Pretty Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

    A simple and fresh - perfect for spring - a classic buttermilk lemon cake.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time45 mins
    Total Time1 hr 5 mins
    Servings: 12 -24 slices

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups all purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 cups white granulated sugar
    • ¾ cups unsalted butter softened
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 cup butter milk
    • zest from 2 lemons
    • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

    lemon glaze

    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1-½ cups icing sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350
    • Zest the lemons, then reserve their juice. Set aside.
    • Prepare bundt or tube pan - spray inside of pan with cooking spray, then dust with a tablespoon or so of white floor, shaking and tilting the pan to ensure it is evenly coated. Set aside.
    • In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and salt. Stir with a whisk so that poppy seeds are evenly distributed. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and 2 cups granulated sugar together until well whipped, light coloured and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each egg.
    • Now add the remaining ingredients to the batter as follows: alternating flour and buttermilk, and starting with ⅓ of the flour mixture, add the flour to the eggs and sugar and beat at low speed until just combined, then add ½ of the butter milk, beating again until just combined, continue alternating flour and butter milk, ending with flour. Beating gently after each addition. Add lemon zest and juice and again beat gently until just blended.
    • Spoon batter into prepared pan, tapping the pan to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Test with a wooden tooth pick, it should come out of the center of the cake clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan at least 10 minutes on a wire rack before attempting to remove from the pan. Allow cake to completely cool before frosting.

    for the frosting:

    • In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice with 1-½ cups icing sugar with a whisk until smooth and creamy. Glaze should drip from the whisk in long thin strands. Adjust thickness by adding more lemon juice) or more icing sugar. Once cake is completely cool, drizzle glaze over cake.
    • Cake should be frosted the day it is served. Cake can be made up to one day ahead of time. Once cooled, wrap unfrosted cake (remove from pan) with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to frost.

    Notes

    For a buffet or as part of a dessert table, I like to serve this cake in very thin slices - you can easily get 24 from a cake this size.
    Cake can be made a day ahead. Do not frost cake and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one day. Frost before serving.
    Frosting is meant to be a runny glaze. It should drizzle off your whisk in ribbons. Add more sugar or lemon juice to adjust texture. 
    Trish Cowper | the infinebalance food blog
    Tried this recipe?Mention @infinebalance or tag #infinebalance!

    I'm using this simple bundt pan for this cake. A straight-sided tube pan will work nicely too.

    « Simple Wheat Berry Lunch Bowl
    Summer Pasta Salad with Tofu »

    The latest recipes

    freshy baked artichoke dip in a white casserole dish

    The best hot artichoke dip

    vanilla chia seed pudding with blueberries

    Easy Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

    Apple cinnamon french toast casserole out of the oven

    Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

    vegan carrot pate with seseame seeds

    Carrot Cashew Paté

    oatmeal and apple butter bars

    Apple Butter Bars (vegan)

    healthy vegan oatmeal cookies lined up on a cooling rack

    Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kimberly Baxter says

      March 26, 2018 at 10:38 pm

      This cake looks so beautiful I can taste it with my eyes!

      Reply

    Leave a reply: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Trish Cowper

    Hi. I'm Trish.

    I'm a curious home cook, just as enthusiastic about healthy ingredients and whole foods as I am about cookies.

    more about me →

    Popular

    • The best hot artichoke dip
    • Easy Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding
    • Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
    • Carrot Cashew Paté
    • Apple Butter Bars (vegan)
    • Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate
    • Vegan Cream of Celery Soup
    • Make-Ahead Kale Salad

    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
      • Cookie Policy
      • Disclosures
    • Disclaimer

    recent posts

    • The best hot artichoke dip
    • Easy Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding
    • Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
    • Carrot Cashew Paté
    • Apple Butter Bars (vegan)
    Trish Cowper

    Hi. I'm Trish.

    I'm a curious home cook, just as enthusiastic about healthy ingredients and whole foods as I am about cookies.

    more about me →

    Popular

    • Raspberry Lemon Muffins
    • Perfect Lemon Muffins
    • Spiced Cranberry Rum Sauce
    • Tahini and Greek Yogurt Dip
    • Mediterranean Eggplant Stew
    • Strawberry Banana Jam
    • High Protein Pasta and Carrot Salad with Cumin
    • Carrot Mash with Miso

    Footer

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up!! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme

    7ads6x98y