Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
This lemon poppy seed cake is so moist and delicious because not only is it full of lemon zest and lemon juice, but it has buttermilk in the batter.
Equipment
- Bundt Cake Pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups Cake flour (see notes below if no cake flour)
- 2 – 2 1/4 cups Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ cup Poppy seeds
- 1 cup Unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 5 lg Eggs , room temperature
- 2 tsp Pure vanilla extract (artificial works, but not as flavorful)
- ¼ cup Fresh lemon zest , approximately 3 large lemons
- ½ cup Fresh squeezed lemon juice , approximately 2 large lemons
- 1 cup Buttermilk , room temperature (see notes below if no buttermilk)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Position the oven rack on the lower third position.
- Spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray or generously grease with butter. Set pan aside.
- Add flour (or flour/cornstarch mixture) into a large bowl. Whisk in the salt, baking powder, baking soda and the poppy seeds. Set bowl aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed until it’s smooth and creamy (approx. 1 minute).
- Add the granulated sugar and beat on high speed for 2 more minutes until creamed together thoroughly. Make sure to scrape down the sides a couple of times with a rubber spatula.
- Add the eggs and vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until they are combined. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
- Beat in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
- With the mixer on low, start adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Do this in 3 additions, starting and finishing with the flour and only mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not over mix! This will create a thick batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Use a spoon or spatula to help distribute the batter evenly because the thick batter will not even out on it’s own.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Check at the 40 minute mark by inserting a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Once the cake is done, remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. During this time, prepare the lemon syrup. (See lemon syrup recipe below.)
- Remove the bundt cake from the pan and place it on a cooling rack with parchment paper under and then using a pastry brush, brush the Lemon Syrup all over the bundt cake; allow the cake to cool.
- Prepare the Lemon Glaze (see recipe below) and using a pastry brush, brush the glaze to cover the entire bundt cake. Allow the cake to cool for at least ten minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Prepare ingredients ahead of time:
- Grate lemon zest and juice lemons before you start to mix ingredients.
- Take butter and eggs out of the fridge at least an hour before beginning the recipe. If the butter is still hard, chop up in little pieces so it will soften faster.
- Take buttermilk out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before using in recipe.
- If you don’t have cake flour, use a mix of all purpose flour and corn starch. Whisk together 2 & 3/4 cup of flour and 1/2 a cup of corn starch.
- To make buttermilk from regular milk, add 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let this sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and then stir.
Lemon Syrup
Ingredients
- ½ cup Granulated white sugar
- ½ cup Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine the granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir constantly and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 cup Icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
- 2 tbsp Fresh squeezed lemon juice , approximately ½ a large lemon
Instructions
- Whisk the icing sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl.
- Drizzle over cake. I use a piping bag to get an even drizzle.
Advertisements
I made this for a birthday and it was delicious. I used 2 cups of sugar as I did not see the amount in the recipe. I did use cake flour and real buttermilk. Makes a tender moist flavorful cake! I baked it for 50 min. Would definitely make again!
Sorry for the late response! Thank you for pointing out about the amount of sugar missing in the recipe. I usually use between 2 to 2 1/4 cups of sugar, so you were right on target with your measurement.
Mmmmm