Step-by-step Homemade Lemon-Poppy Seed Bundt Cake Recipe

Brighten up your morning with this soft and moist lemon poppy seed bundt cake drizzled with sweet lemon glaze 

Good morning sunshine! I hope your day is as sunny and as sweet as my delicious cake. 
This soft and perfectly dense lemon bundt cake, bursting with lemon flavor and exploding with crunchy poppy seeds, is a sure way to brighten up your morning. 

Add a little (or a lot!) of citrus glaze and you're in for a sticky and lick-you-fingers delicious treat. 

Let's take a look! 

This recipe is pretty easy. All you need to make this beautiful creation is a bundt baking pan. Here is the one I have and I love: 

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Now let's talk bundt cake recipe for a second. Here are a few things you might need to know before you start with this recipe.

 - As in many cakes, you want to start with soft/room temperature butter, which you'll beat well with the sugar (mixes recommended for this step, but not necessary). 

All the nice and fluffy blending should be done with the wet ingredients only. 

When the dry and wet come together the least amount of mixing is the best... to yield a soft and moist cake. 

- Make sure to grease your pan well. Use butter or a cooking spray. 

And no matter what you are using, make sure to get it in each of the folds of the pan. 

I suggest using a brush if possible to avoid the cake sticking and breaking into pieces when flipping it over at the end. 

- It's best if you bake in the lower third part of the oven. Depending on your oven this cake might take between 45 and 50 minutes to be ready. 

I've used my smallest oven and mine was ready right at 45 minutes. My bigger oven normally takes longer. So I suggest start checking at 30 minutes (cover loosely with aluminum foil if the top of the cake gets too dark). 

And around the 45-minute mark test with a toothpick. 

- Let the bundt cake cool down in the pan for 5 to 10  minutes. And flip onto a serving dish or cooling wire rack. I like the cooling rack best... It's a lot lighter and easier to flip. 

Ready to start with this recipe?!? Here is a video recipe too.

   

INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: about 12 servings

1. • 6 oz (170 gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
   • 1½ cup (300 gr) sugar
   • 4 large eggs
   • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
   • zest of 3 lemons
   • juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup) or 1 teaspoon of lemon extract
   • 1 cup (235 ml) milk
   • 3 cups (390 gr) all-purpose flour
   • 1 teaspoon salt
   • 1 teaspoon baking powder
   • 1 teaspoon baking soda
   • 1/4 cup poppy seeds
2. For the icing:
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

PREPARATION:

TIME: about 1 hour

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time while beating at medium speed.

Add the vanilla extract, fresh lemon zest (finely grated) and fresh lemon juice. Beat some more.

In a separate medium bowl, sift the flour with the salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Whisk in the poppy seeds.
Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the wet, while blending at low speed just until combined.
Add 1/2 cup of milk blend quickly.
Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by another 1/2 cup of milk, and the remaining of dry ingredients. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the rubber spatula. 
Blend just until combined - Do not over-mix!

Grease a 10 cup bundt cake pan throughly, with butter or a spray.
Pour the cake batter in the prepared pan. Tap the pan to the counter a couple of times to level and remove air bubbles. You should have about 1 inch empty to the top of the pan, for the cake to grow when baking.

Bake in the lower third of the oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 45-50 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if the top gets too dark (I did it at around 35 minutes).
Test with a toothpick for readiness.

Remove from the oven and let the cake cool down in the pan for 10 minutes while you make the glaze.
Add enough lemon juice to the powdered sugar while mixing, until you get the desired consistency.
Using a cooling rack placed on top of the bundt cake, flip the cake around.
Drizzle with the glaze and enjoy!

RECIPE CARD: Lemon-Poppy Seed Bundt Cake:

Step-by-step Homemade Lemon-Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

Yield: 10-12 servings

Author: Manuela Mazzocco

Brighten up your morning with this soft and moist lemon and poppy seed bundt cake drizzled with sweet lemon glaze

Ingredients

• 6 oz (170 gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cup (300 gr) sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• zest of 3 lemons
• juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 cup (235 ml) milk
• 3 cups (390 gr) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds

For the icing

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. 
3. Add the eggs one a time while beating. 
4. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest (finely grated) and lemon juice. Beat some more.
5. In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk in the poppy seeds.
6. Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the wet, while blending at low speed just until combined. Add 1/2 cup of milk blend quickly.
7. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by another 1/2 cup of milk, and the remaining of the dry ingredients.
8. Blend just until combined - Do not over mix!
9. Grease a 10 cup bundt cake pan throughly, with butter or a spray. Pour batter in the prepared bundt pan. Tap the pan to the counter a couple of times to level and remove air bubbles. You should have about 1 inch empty to the top of the pan, for the cake to grow when baking.
10. Bake in the lower third of the oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 45-50 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if the top gets too dark (I did it at around 35 minutes). Test with a toothpick for readiness.
11. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool down in the pan for 10 minutes while you make the glaze. In a small bowl, add enough lemon juice to the powdered sugar while mixing, until you get the desired consistency.
12. Using a cooling rack placed on top of the bundt cake, flip the cake around. Drizzle with the glaze and enjoy!

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