This lemon poppy seed cake is not only tender and buttery, but also boasts a dense pound cake texture. Bursting with poppy seeds for a delightful crunch and nutty flavor. Baked with plenty of lemon zest, orange zest and almond flour, it's a one-of-a-kind treat that's truly the real deal.
Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10 inch bundt cake pan generously with soft butter and dust with flour. Shake off excess flour and set aside.
Wet Ingredients: Using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer with paddle attachment), whisk butter at high speed until creamy. Add sugar and beat the mixture until very fluffy, scraping down the bowl in between, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon and orange zest. Add eggs, one at a time, while continuing to beat, about ½ minute per egg.
Batter: Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk it into butter-sugar-egg mixture in 2 batches, beating at medium speed, and adding lemon juice and orange juice in between. Whisk in the poppy seeds at low speed until well incorporated. Then add almond flour in 2 batches.
Consistency: The batter should have a slow dropping consistency. Adjust the amount of juice needed accordingly.Tip: Each time, fold the flour in evenly and scrape the bottom of bowl to not miss any flour. But don't over mix the batter.
Bake: Transfer cake batter to the prepared bundt pan and bake in the center rack for about 45 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake.
Cool: Remove the cake pan from the oven. Let it rest about 10 minutes and invert the cake from the baking pan onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely before pouring the glaze.
Glaze: Top with lemon glaze if desired. To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar with lemon juice to form a thick mass of slow-pouring consistency, adding more juice, a few drops at a time, if needed. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the cake. Sprinkle some poppy seeds on top and let it set
Video
Notes
Use all ingredients at room temperature.
Measure the ingredients accurately by fluffing the flour, spooning it into the measuring cups, and then leveling it off. For even greater precision, use a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients.
Poppy Seeds: Buy these fresh from stores with a fast turnover. They can turn rancid (off flavor) quickly, so freeze them always.
Glaze: For a more opaque glaze that is not tart, use milk, cream or combine greek yogurt with milk.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or refrigerate for about 5 days, but expect some drying when refrigerated. For freezing, wrap the cake with parchment paper or plastic wrap, place it in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to a month.
For more information on ingredients, variations, recipe FAQs and serving suggestions, scroll up the page to the blog post.