Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt (Printable)
Tender bundt cake featuring zesty lemon and crunchy poppy seeds finished with a lemon glaze.
# What You Need:
→ Cake
01 - 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 3 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 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
11 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
12 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Lemon Glaze
13 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
15 - 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
# How To Cook:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour a 10–12-cup Bundt pan, ensuring all crevices are coated.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon zest and vanilla extract.
05 - Combine fresh lemon juice and milk in a measuring cup.
06 - With mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and lemon juice-milk mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
07 - Pour batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
08 - Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
09 - Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.
10 - Whisk powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth and pourable.
11 - Drizzle glaze over the cooled cake and let it set before slicing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It stays impossibly moist for days, actually tasting better on day two when the flavors deepen.
- The poppy seeds add an unexpected crunch that makes every bite feel a little luxurious without any real effort.
- You can make the whole thing in one bowl if you're feeling lazy, and it still turns out perfect.
02 -
- Room temperature eggs and milk are not optional; cold ingredients will cause the batter to break and create an uneven crumb that never recovers.
- The moment you start seeing flecks of flour mixed into the wet batter, stop mixing immediately; this is the difference between tender and tough.
- If your glaze is too thick, add lemon juice a tiny bit at a time; too thick and it won't flow, too thin and it runs off the cake completely.
03 -
- Microplane your lemon zest directly over the measuring cup so you don't lose any of those fragrant oils that happen to be where all the flavor lives.
- If your kitchen is cold, warm your mixing bowl under hot water and dry it before creaming the butter; cold bowls slow down the process and make creaming take forever.