Lemon Poppy Seed Cake From Scratch
For this bundt cake, I wanted to make a cake that was reminiscent of a pound cake with a fine, buttery crumb that had lots of lemon flavor and a generous crunch of poppy seeds. To achieve that texture I wanted, it ultimately came down to the amount of butter. I tested the cake with 1 cup and 1 1/2 cup of butter, and more butter was definitely better. The lemon makes its way into this cake in three ways: in the batter by way of lots of zest and some juice, in the tangy lemon syrup that soaks into the warm cake, and in the zippy lemon glaze that is drizzled over top. And for the poppy seed crunch, I add a generous 1/4 cup of seeds. This ensures that every slice is speckled with seeds and every bite has a little crunch.
The Best Bundt Cake Pan
There are a ton of gorgeous bundt pans available on the market these days, and any 10-cup capacity pan will work with this recipe. I particularly like the Nordic Ware Heritage pan I’ve used here for its dramatic peaks and slopes.
More Great Lemon Recipes!
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Easy Lemon Pudding Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies Glazed Lemon Bread Gingered Lemon Bars
3 cups (374g) all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/4 cup (43g) poppy seeds 1 1/2 cups (339g) unsalted butter, softened 2 cups (400g) sugar 3 tablespoons lemon zest (from 4 to 6 lemons) 4 large eggs, at room temperature 1/4 cup lemon juice (from about 2 lemons) 1 cup buttermilk
For the lemon syrup:
1/2 cup lemon juice (from about 4 lemons) 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
For the lemon glaze:
1 1/2 cups (170g) powdered sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon) 1 to 2 tablespoons milk Pinch kosher salt
Whisk the lemon juice and buttermilk together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on medium-low, beat in a third of the flour mixture, followed by a third of the milk mixture. Continue to add the flour and milk, alternating between the two and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back to the touch. Brush the syrup over the still-warm, unmolded cake. You should use up all the syrup. Cool completely before icing. Spoon the icing over the cooled cake. This cake keeps well, glazed or unglazed, at room temperature wrapped in plastic for 3 days. (If glazed, let the glaze set until dry to the touch before wrapping in plastic.)
