Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

This Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is light and fluffy, perfectly sweet, and studded with crunchy poppy seeds.  It’s a simple, classically delicious cake to make whether you are expecting guests or just want something sweet.

Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

There’s something about lemon poppy seed that is just so nostalgic, and the combo is a classic for a reason.  Poppy seeds are able to pack so much nutty flavor and delicate crunchy texture into a teeny, tiny package.

Our version of Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is topped with a homemade, sweet and tangy lemon glaze that drips all over the top.  It’s so simple, but just so beautiful and perfect for serving company, bringing as a housewarming gift, serving mini versions for a baby shower or simply making for yourself at home.

The bright lemon flavor is perfect for any time of year and tastes amazing with a little dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries. If you love the lemon poppyseed combo, be sure to try our Lemon Poppyseed Bread too.  Or, if you’re simply looking for more of the best lemon recipes, we’ve got you covered.

Ingredients in Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

• Flour – I’m using all-purpose flour for this recipe.
• Baking Powder – this is what makes the cake rise in the oven.
• Salt – sea salt is our favorite.
• Sour Cream – any type of sour cream will work great.  You can also substitute whole fat Greek yogurt, or even low-fat Greek yogurt if you are trying to cut calories.
• Sugar – you’ll need regular white granulated sugar.
• Eggs – any type of large eggs will work. It’s best if you use room tempreture eggs for this recipe. If you forget to take your eggs out of the fridge to come to room tempreture, you can always put them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes or so. This will keep your butter from seizing if you add cold eggs.
• Lemon Zest – use fresh lemon zest saved from the lemons you use to make the glaze.
• Oil – You can also use melted butter for this recipe.
• Poppy Seeds – you can find these in any spice section of your grocery store. You can also find poppyseeds in the bulk spice section of a lot of supermarkets and they are much less expensive if you can find them bulk.
• Powdered Sugar – any type will work.  We suggest sifting it first.
• Lemon Juice – use fresh lemon juice and be sure and save the zest for the cake.
• Vanilla Extract – pure vanilla extract tastes best.
• Lemon Extract – use your favorite brand. 

Lemon Soaking Syrup (Optional but really adds an amazing lemon flavor and dense texture)

• Lemon Juice from 2 large lemons or about 1/2 cup lemon juice
• Sugar

Lemon Glaze for Bundt Cake (You can drizzle this on the cake when the cake if fully cooled.

• Powdered Sugar
• Lemon Juice
• Lemon Extract
• Vanilla Extract

Tips on Making the Best Bundt Cakes

1. Use the right size of pan. It’s important to know how many cups of liquid your bundt cake will hold. The large bundt cake pans hold about 12 cups. The smaller bundt cake pans will hold 9-10 cups of cake batter. (If you’re not sure, you can always make the recipe for the 12 cup recipe. Be sure to only fill the bundt cake pan 2/3 full. If you have leftover cake batter, you can make a couple cupcakes or individual bundt cakes with the leftover batter.
2. Use a non-stick Bundt Cake Pan. My favorite are the ceramic bundt cake pans but any non-stick pan will work.
3. Coat the pan with butter. Add some room-temperature butter (about 1 Tablespoon to the pan. Use your hands or a paper towel to cover the entire inside of the pan. Add a few tablespoons of flour to the pan and tap the pan while turning to coat the butter with flour. This will ensure your cake will easily come out of the pan. You can also use a nonstick spray make especially for cakes. It is made with oil and flour and does almost as good of a job as the butter and flour method.
4. Fill the pan properly. The cake batter should only fill the pan 2/3 of the way. If you’re not sure what size of pan you have, make the larger bundt cake recipe and only fill your pan 2/3 of the way. If you have leftover batter, make a couple cupcakes. You don’t want to overfill your bundt cake pan and make a mess in your oven or have a hard time getting your cake to bake all the way through.
5. Use a long toothpick to test if your cake is done. Cook according to the time in the recipe. Pay attention to the cake the last 10 minutes of baking. If your cake looks done, use a long toothpick and insert it into the middle of the cake. Pull the toothpick out, if there is batter on the toothpick, you need more cooking time. If there are just a few crumbs on the toothpick, it’s has finished cooking and you don’t want to over-cook your cake. Remove it from the oven.
6. Give the cake time to cool. When your cake out of the oven, let it cool for about 10 minutes before trying to flip the cake. As it cools, it will start to release from the sides of the pan.
7. When it’s time to flip the cake, flip it on a wire rack. If you turn it onto a plate or platter, the bottom will get siggy as your cake cools. Transfer it to a platter or decorative plate when it’s cool.
8. Despite all your best efforts, if your bundt cake falls apart when you flip it and you can’t piece it all back together and hide any blemishes with glaze, make it into a trifle with the pieces!

What Size Bundt Cake Pans Can I Use?

You can use either a 9 cup or 10 cup bundt cake pan for this recipe.  Obviously, the 10 cup cake pan will yield a slightly shallower cake.  If you want a larger cake, we have given a conversion for using a 12 cup bundt pan below.

This is also a great recipe for making mini bundt cakes – just be sure and adjust the bake time accordingly.

Storing and Freezing

• How to Store: Wrap any unfinished cake in aluminum foil, or a cake carrier with an airtight lid, and your Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake can be stored for up to 2 days at room temperature, or up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
• How to Freeze: Wrap your unglazed bundt cake well with plastic wrap and aluminum foil.  Place in a larger freezer bag if it will fit, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.  Once you are ready to eat, pull from the freezer and store at room temperature, or in the fridge, overnight.  Glaze at least an hour before eating so it has a chance to set.

Here are more easy bundt cake recipes!

• Lemon Bundt Cake
• Apricot Nectar Cake
• Lemon Funfetti Bundt Cake
• Coconut Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake
• Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
• Lime Bundt Cake
• More Cake Recipes
• Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
• More Dessert Recipes
• Old Fashioned Pineapple Cake with Caramel Topping

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Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is a simple, classically delicious cake to make whether you are expecting guests or just want something sweet.  It’s light and fluffy, perfectly sweet and studded with crunchy, nutty poppy seeds.