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Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake is bursting with lemon flavor! This tender and moist bundt cake is full of real lemon flavor – from fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. It’s dotted with poppyseeds, and absolutely drenched in a silky lemon glaze. This cake stays moist for days – not that it’ll last long enough for you to find out!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake:
- Ingredient Overview:
- Recipe Substitutions & Variations:
- How to Prevent Bundt Cakes from Sticking in the Pan:
- How to Make Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake:
- Serving + Storing:
- Expert Baking Tips:
- FAQs:
- Special Tools:
- More Lemon Recipes to Love:
- Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake Recipe
Why you’ll love this Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake:
- Fresh Lemon Flavor – This bundt cake is bursting with flavor from fresh lemon juice and zest – in the cake AND the glaze!
- Tender Cake – This is not your typical bundt cake – it’s fluffy, ultra tender, and stays moist for days! The texture is similar to pound cake, but fluffier.
- Showstopper Cake with Low Effort – The bundt pan does all the decorating for you! Well, you still have to pour on the glaze yourself – but that’s easy!
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).
- Butter – I prefer salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if that’s your preference.
- Vegetable Oil – Using just a bit of oil with the butter helps keep the cake super tender.
- Eggs – Use large eggs, at room temperature.
- Lemons – Use fresh lemon zest and juice. Have tons more lemons to use up? Try my Lemon Meringue Cheesecake or Lemon Curd next!
- Milk – I used 2% milk.
- Sour Cream – Use full-fat sour cream at room temperature for best results.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it with a flat utensil for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour will lead to too much flour, and a potentially dry bake.
Recipe Substitutions & Variations:
- Gluten-free/ Dairy-Free – I have not tested a gluten-free or dairy-free version of this recipe.
- Sour Cream – Sour cream is best, but you can use full fat plain yogurt in a pinch.
- Lime Version – Follow the recipe for my Key Lime Bundt Cake!
How to Prevent Bundt Cakes from Sticking in the Pan:
My never-fail trick to keep bundt cakes (or any cakes!) from sticking is to use shortening and flour. Use a paper towel to wipe shortening into your pan, being sure to get it in all the little nooks. Then, sprinkle four into the pan, tapping it around to completely coat things. Tap out the excess, then pour in your batter.
How to Make Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake:
Step 1: Start the Batter. Rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar – this enhances the flavor by drawing out the oils in the citrus! Then, cream together the butter, oil, and sugars in a large mixing bowl.
(Yes, I know the photos below don’t match each other – The one on the left was from a different photoshoot in direct sunlight – and I forgot to get a photo of the lemon zested sugar the day I photographed this cake. Apologies!)
Step 2: Finish the Batter. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, lemon juice (it may look a bit split after this – that’s normal!), and sour cream. Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt, and poppyseeds until almost combined, then add the milk.
The batter will be semi-thick.
Step 3: Bake. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake as directed in the recipe card below.
Step 4: Make the Glaze. Whisk together lemon zest and juice, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Pour over the warm cake. Top with lemon slices and extra lemon zest for a polished finished look!
Serving + Storing:
I like glazing the cake while it’s still hot, straight out of the pan – the heat helps the glaze melt nice and evenly on the cake.
Once the glaze is set, slice and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-4 days.
Expert Baking Tips:
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
FAQs:
You can bake this cake in two loaf pans instead of a bundt pan. Or, you can bake it in a 9×13 pan. For both of these options, start with a little less than half the bake time, adding more as needed until done.
Special Tools:
- Bundt Pan – You’ll need any 10-cup bundt pan for this recipe (or see alternatives in the FAQs, just above).
More Lemon Recipes to Love:
- Lemon Curd Cake
- Lemon Basil Cookies
- Lemon Tiramisu
- Overnight Raspberry Lemon Sweet Rolls
- Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment & star rating!
Click the little stars in the header of the recipe card below to leave a comment & star rating, letting me know how you liked the recipe. I take all feedback seriously, & leaving a rating helps my small business immensely!
Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 4 large lemons, zested
- 2 cups granulated sugar , 420 grams
- 1 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature , 226 grams
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 26 grams
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed, 73 grams
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature , 240 grams
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 390 grams
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp poppyseeds, 30 grams
- 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature , 120 grams (I used 2%)
For the Lemon Glaze:
- 1 large lemon, zested
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups powdered sugar , 230 grams
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350° F. Use a paper towel to liberally grease a 10-cup bundt pan with shortening, making sure to coat all the nooks quite well. Add a handful of flour and tap it into all the nooks of the pan, coating the shortening. Tap out the excess. If you see any bare spots, be sure to go back and get them with shortening + flour. This is my no-fail method to prevent cakes sticking in the pan!
- Start the Cake Batter: Rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar until it resembles wet sand. Set aside.Beat the softened butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for about 30 seconds, until creamed. Beat in the oil, for about 30-60 seconds, until it's creamed into the butter. Add the lemon zested granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on high for 2 minutes. Add two eggs at a time, and beat on medium for about 30 seconds or so, until combined. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and mix on medium until just combined. The batter may a look a bit split at this point – that's completely normal and it will be fine, don't fret! Mix in the sour cream on medium until just combined.
- Finish the Cake Batter: Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and poppyseeds. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are about halfway mixed in. Then, add the milk and continue mixing on low speed until everything is almost combined. Gently fold any stray streaks of milk or flour in with a spatula.
- Bake: Bake for 55-60 minutes. (The batter may puff up a bit past the top of the pan while it bakes, but it has never overflowed so don't panic. It'll settle back down when it's cooling!) A skewer or knife inserted into the pan (be sure to use something longer than a toothpick, since bundt pans are quite deep) should pull out some moist crumbs, but not wet batter. Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then, loosen the edges with a butter knife and invert onto the rack to cool completely.Tip: It shouldn't stick, but if it seems to be sticking, keep the pan inverted over your rack and tap all around the pan firmly with a metal spoon or something similar to help knock out the cake.
- Make the Glaze: While the cake cools, whisk all the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, starting with 2 cups powdered sugar. Taste, and add up to 1/4 cup more if it's a bit too tart for your taste.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Slice, and enjoy immediately! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temp for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Making this now. Am I overlooking the poppy seeds? How much do you use?
Thank you!
Hi Marcia! Thanks for catching that – I neglected to add those to the recipe card. I’ve fixed it now – it’s 3 tbsp of poppyseeds in with the dry ingredients. Let me know how you like the recipe!
This lemon poppy seed recipe is really good. Thanks for sharing it.
Glad you liked it, Edna! 🙂
This is one of our new favorite cakes! Thanks so much for sharing a delicious recipe!
Thank you so much!!! Glad you love it!
We adore lemon poppyseed in this house! Delicious recipe!
Thank you!!