Everyday lemon poppyseed cake is packed with lemon flavor and sprinkled with the perfect amount of poppy seeds! Once baked, the cake gets topped with a simple lemony glaze and is ready to be enjoyed for dessert or as a delicious breakfast treat!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good cake with frosting but sometimes I want a snack cake for a mid-day luxury! Snack cakes don’t require a fork to eat and slice up easily for a treat on the go. The lemon glaze on this lemon poppyseed cake isn’t messy to eat like a frosting and doesn’t “weight you down” either!

As we enter spring and summer, I’m finding myself craving most zesty, fun flavors! I like calling this an everyday cake because it’s easy to make uses ingredients that are readily available. The batter comes together in one bowl and makes a cake that’s perfect for snacking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

For the cake:

Softened butter
Granulated sugar
Vegetable oil: canola oil works too!
Eggs
Lemon juice
Lemon zest
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Poppyseeds

For the glaze:

Powdered sugar
Lemon juice
Poppyseeds

The texture of this snacking cake is super tender and soft with a tight crumb. It’s not as dense as a pound cake but heavier than a traditional fluffy cake. It’s super moist and would be delicious with a cup of coffee or tea.

How to make the best lemon poppyseed cake:

Prep: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×9 baking pan. Set aside.
Combine the wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, sugar, and oil. Then crack in eggs, add lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix until combined (it’s ok if this looks a little lumpy).
Add the dry ingredients: Sprinkle in flour, baking powder and poppyseeds. Mix to form a batter, then transfer to your greased baking pan.
Bake and glaze: Bake for 45 minutes. When the cake is almost done baking, make the glaze from powdered sugar, lemon juice and poppyseeds. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle on the glaze while still warm. Enjoy immediately or let cool completely.

The cake itself is so flavorful with the perfect balance of sweet and tart. It uses both lemon juice and zest which creates a fresh, bright flavor that just can’t be replaced with artificial flavorings!

Keep in mind, a little bit of poppy seeds can go a long way! All you need is ¼ cup to give this cake a slightly nutty flavor with little pops of crunch!

My top tips:

This recipe calls for both butter and oil to create a super moist cake. You’ll just want to be sure the butter is softened before starting this recipe. Softened butter is what helps give this cake a tender crumb!
Remember to zest your lemons before juicing them! It’s much easier to get the zest off the exterior when the lemon is still whole and firm.
Be sure lemon seeds don’t make it into your cake batter! I recommend squeezing your lemons over a strainer to prevent any unwanted seeds from getting into your cake.
The glaze in this recipe yields a very light layer. For a thicker layer, I’d recommend doubling the glaze ingredients. After glazing, you can slice and serve this cake warm or wait until it cools completely.

Looking for more zesty lemon recipes? Try these out!

Print Recipe