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With a burst of fresh citrus flavor in every bite, Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is the perfect sweet treat for any lemon lover. This cake is tender and moist with a fun crunchy pop from poppy seeds.
My love affair with lemon continues with this cake. It has bright, fresh lemony flavors swirled into a sweet batter loaded with poppy seeds. Sure, I can pick up a piece of poppy seed cake at the coffee shop, but one bite of this homemade deliciousness, and I’ll never make that mistake again.
I absolutely love poppy seed cake. I always have, and I think it’s particularly good with a cup of hot tea in the afternoon.
Ingredients Needed To Make This Recipe
- All-purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Sour Cream
- Vegetable Oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Lemons
- Poppy Seeds
- Confectioners Sugar
PRO TIP #1: zest your lemons BEFORE you squeeze out the juice. Yes, I’ve forgotten before, more than once, and I always have a big laugh about it until it’s time to try to zest a flattened-out lemon.
Now, it’s time to share the two main reasons I love to make this cake.
- The taste. I am a lemon fanatic, and this cake is loaded with fresh flavor from lemon juice and zest.
- It’s easy to make. You don’t need a stand mixer, and actually the recipe can be made by using a whisk. Plus, is bakes up beautifully in a loaf pan.
Can You Freeze Lemon Poppy Seed Cake?
Yes, you can. This recipe lends itself to freezing beautifully. Make the cake according to the instructions, let it cool, then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Place in the freezer to keep for up to 3 months.
Pro Tip #2: slice the cake and wrap each piece individually and place it in the freezer. When you are ready to enjoy a piece of cake, just thaw however many pieces you need. YUM!
More Lemony Recipes To Try
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Grilled Lemon Chicken
- Bourbon Basil Lemonade
- Lemony Asparagus and Pea Pasta Salad
- Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins With Lemon Glaze
- Lemon Shandy
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Measuring Cup
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 lemon (large or 2 small) zested and juiced reserve 2 teaspoons of juice for glaze
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat a 8X4 loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or whisk, beat together sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs and juice of ½ large lemon (all of small lemon). Add in zest and vanilla and mix until smooth. Stir dry ingredients into wet mixture using a wood spoon or spatula until just combined. Stir in poppy seeds, mixing well.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. Test cake by inserting tooth pick into center. When done, tooth pick should come out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen caked from pan using a sharp knife around the edges. Turn cake onto plate.
- Mix together confectioners sugar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Spoon over cake. Slice and serve.
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Hi, can you substitute lime juice for lemon?
Hey there Judith!
Good question! I’ve never personally tried making a lime poppy seed cake, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Obviously the flavor will be different from the original recipe but using lime wouldn’t change the texture at all, so I think it’s definitely worth a try. I would use the same measurements for the lime juice and zest as you would use for the lemons, and let me know how it turns out because I am very interested! Thank you for your interest in this recipe, I hope this helps!
Best,
~Donya
Hi! You missing how much vanilla in the recipe.. I assumed it would have been a tsp. so I added it in. The loaf is in the oven as I type… Wish me luck!
Thank you
Oh goodness! Thanks, Denise. I updated the recipe. Sounds like you are a great cook so I’m glad you added in the vanilla. Let me know how the cake turned out.
XO,
~Donya