Bursting with bright lemon flavor, our Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is a lemon lovers dream come true! Loaded with nutty poppy seeds and topped with sweet lemon glaze, it’s the perfect cake for any occasion.
Sweet, buttery, and just a little tart, our lemon poppy seed cake, with its fresh, bright flavors, is sure to become your go-to cake for family gatherings and potlucks.
Our easy-to-make moist lemon cake is ah-mazingly delicious! Made with simple ingredients, you’ll enjoy making it as much as you do eating it.
If you love lemon desserts, make sure to try our classic French lemon tart (made with homemade lemon curd), and lemon brownies recipes.
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients needed to make our Lemon Poppy Seed Cake recipe. Culinary professionals call this the Mise en Place, which means “Everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also helps ensure you have all of the ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
How to Make a Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to see how to make a lemon poppy seed cake in your home kitchen.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
- Liberally grease a 9 x 4-inch loaf pan and set it aside until needed.
Line the cake pan with parchment paper for easier removal, letting it extend over the edges.
- Add the all-purpose flour, table salt, baking powder, and baking soda to a large bowl.
- Whisk to combine the dry ingredients, then set them aside until needed.
- Add the softened butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl and an electric hand mixer)
- Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add the large eggs one at a time.
- Beating well after each addition, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla extract to the bowl.
- Mix them into the batter until combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the batter with the low mixer.
- Mix the flour into the batter just enough to combine.
- Add the Greek yogurt to the bowl.
- Mix the yogurt into the batter just enough to combine.
- Add the remainder of the flour mixture to the batter.
- Mix it in just enough to combine.
- Add the poppy seeds to the batter.
- Gently fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Place the loaf pan on the center rack of the preheated oven, and bake for 55-60 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
*Check the cake at the 45-minute mark. If it’s browning too quickly, cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil. - Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove it from the pan and place it on the wire rack to finish cooling.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk to a small bowl.
- Whisk the ingredients until the glaze is smooth.
- Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing some to drizzle down the sides.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with additional poppy seeds if desired.
*This recipe can also be used to make lemon poppy seed muffins.
Chef Tips:
Use room-temperature ingredients: For the best results, the butter, eggs, and Greek yogurt need to be at room temperature. This will produce a cake with a tender, moist crumb.
Use fresh lemon juice: While you can use bottled juice, it won’t have the bright, fresh lemon flavor you’ll get by using fresh lemons.
Do not over-mix the batter: The key to making light and tender baked goods is to mix just enough to combine the flour and any ingredients added afterward. Over-mixing will result in dense, tough, and chewy cakes.
Wouldn’t you love to sit down to a slice of our lemon poppy seed cake with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee? It’s the perfect snack cake any time of the day.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container or cover them well with plastic wrap. Keep them at room temperature for 3–4 days or refrigerate for 5–6 days. Freeze whole or in slices for up to two months.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. Meyer lemons are sweeter and less acidic than regular lemons and have a citrusy, less tart flavor. It’s often described as a combination of lemon and orange, with a hint of floral and bergamot notes.
Yes, you can. Cake flour will produce a lighter, more delicate crumb. For this recipe, add an additional three tablespoons and one tablespoon of cake flour to the 1⅔ cups called for.
Yes, you can, but due to the size of the loaf pan, you’ll need to double the recipe. This will also affect the baking time.
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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Equipment
- 9×5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter – room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs – room temperature
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest loosely packed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ tablespoons poppy seeds
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt room temperature
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
- Liberally grease a 9 x 4 inch loaf pan.
- Add the all-purpose flour, table salt, baking powder and baking soda to a large bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
- Add the unsalted butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition, scraping the bottom and sies of the bowl as needed.
- Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix until combined
- With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture, mix just enough to combine.
- Add the Greek yogurt to the bowl, mixing just enough to combine.
- Add the remainder of the flour to the batter, mixing just enough to combine.
- Gently fold in the poppy seeds with a rubber spatula until just incorporated. Do not overmix!
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Place the loaf pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 55-60 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.*Check the cake at the 45 minute mark and If cake is browning too quickly, cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil.
- Remove the pan from oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes
- Remove the cake from the pan and place it on the wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze
- Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and milk to a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the glaze over the top of the cake allowing some to drizzle down the sides.
- Sprinkle the top with additional poppy seeds if desired.
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