Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake (Printable)

A moist bundt cake featuring fresh lemon, crunchy poppy seeds, and a zesty lemon glaze finish.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1 teaspoon salt
05 - 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
06 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
07 - 2 cups granulated sugar
08 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
09 - 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
10 - 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
11 - 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
12 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Lemon Glaze

13 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
15 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest

# Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease and flour a 10- to 12-cup bundt pan.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
03 - Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in lemon zest and vanilla extract.
05 - In a small bowl, blend together buttermilk and fresh lemon juice.
06 - On low mixer speed, alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined to avoid overmixing.
07 - Pour batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the surface.
08 - Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
09 - Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth and pourable; add additional lemon juice if necessary to achieve desired consistency.
11 - Once fully cooled, drizzle glaze evenly over the cake surface. Let the glaze set before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's forgiving enough for a weeknight baker but impressive enough to bring to a dinner party without apology.
  • The poppy seeds add a subtle nuttiness that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is.
  • One cake feeds a crowd, and the aroma alone is worth the 70 minutes of your time.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not optional; cold eggs and cold buttermilk will break the emulsion and leave you with a grainy, separated batter.
  • Don't invert the cake before it's completely cool, or you'll end up with a stuck, torn disaster; I learned this the hard way.
  • Fresh lemon juice makes an enormous difference; bottled juice tastes flat and one-dimensional by comparison.
03 -
  • Use a microplane zester for the finest, most flavorful lemon zest; a box grater leaves pieces too large and bitter.
  • If your bundt pan is vintage or scratched, spray it with cooking spray and dust with flour even more generously than you'd think necessary.
  • Slice with a thin, warm, wet knife, wiping it clean between each cut; this keeps the glaze from dragging and makes presentation look professional.

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