Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

Lemon poppy seed cake is a super easy lemon loaf cake recipe. This moist lemon cake is filled with poppy seeds and finished with a simple lemon icing.

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

Hi hi! Just popping in to share the recipe for this super simple but crazy delicious Lemon poppy seed loaf cake. I love making loaf cakes - they are super easy, and you can dress them up or keep them simple. This is a basic lemon poppy seed loaf cake, full of lemon flavour and perfectly moist. It is finished with a punchy lemon icing which is brushed on once the cake has cooled, giving it that perfect crackly outer crust that is just so delicious.

I have a bunch of loaf cakes and quick breads on my site - generally quick breads such as banana bread have a higher ratio of leavening to dry ingredients, while loaf cakes are more cake based batter, such as a pound cake or a carrot cake, but either name goes here.

This easy lemon loaf cake can be made in advance - it actually tastes better the next day once it has had time to sit, and is the perfect any time cake.

Easy Lemon Loaf Cake Recipe

This lemon poppy seed cake is super simple to make, and comes together quickly. I used a neutral oil and sour cream to provide the fat in this recipe - the sour cream provides moisture and flavour. Lemon poppy seed cake is super simple to make:

• Combine sugar and lemon zest. Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar for any lemon based recipe helps to release the lemon oil from the zest, and gives you a super fragrant lemon cake.
• Add the dry ingredients. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients - flour, almond meal, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl stir together the wet ingredients.
• Incorporate wet into dry. This is a super easy stir together cake. I like to whisk for a little then switch to a rubber spatula to make sure I haven't missed anything.
• Transfer to the pan. Pop your batter into the pan and smooth down, then add a little line of butter if desired to help the cake crack evenly. Bake until done, then leave to cool and turn out.
• Glaze. Once the cake is fully cooled, brush with the lemon glaze. Leave to sit to cool for a little, then you are good to go!

What is a pullman pan?

I baked this lemon poppy seed cake in a pullman pan, which is basically just a loaf pan with square sides. The one I have comes with a lid, which makes it great for making square loaves. I love how square loaf cakes look - the pullman pan makes them stand up nice and tall.

If you don't have a pullman pan then no worries at all - a regular loaf pan will work just fine. I would use one that measures approximately 9"x5" (23cmx13cm).

What is the purpose of baking at a lower temperature?

When I was testing this lemon poppy seed loaf cake, I noticed that when I baked at a higher temperature, the centre got super domed and there was a super sharp edge to the cake with a pronounced middle. I tried two ways around this - decreasing the leavening, and decreasing the baking time.

Reducing the leavening (baking soda and powder) gave a cake that was too dense, but reducing the baking temperature did the trick. Baking at a slightly lower temperature means that the cake bakes more slowly, giving it less of a chance for the middle of the cake to rise aggressively. I use this method in my chocolate loaf cake too, as I found baking it at 350°f / 180°c gave a large dome in the middle of the cake.

This reinforces how important it is to make sure that your oven is at an accurate temperature. If your oven is running at a different temperature to what it says (either hotter or cooler), this can make a huge difference to the outcome of your baking. I recommend getting an oven thermometer to pop in there just to check!

How to glaze a loaf cake

This lemon poppyseed cake is finished with a super simple lemon glaze, made from powdered sugar and lemon juice. Instead of being added to the top, I brushed it all over the cake, including the sides and ends. Adding the glaze to the cooled cake like this means you get a super delicious crunchy layer all over the cake.

How to zest a lemon

This seems like a strange thing to write about, but the way that you zest a lemon can make a big difference. Firstly, it is important to only remove the outer layer of the lemon, the yellow part. Underneath the zest is the pith, which can be slightly bitter. I like to use a microplane or a zester. Press the zester lightly against the surface of the lemon. I prefer to hold the lemon still and move the zester to ensure I don't go over the same spot twice.

If your recipe uses both zest and juice, make sure that you zest the lemon before you juice it. Trying to get zest off of an already juiced lemon sucks.

Tips for lining a loaf pan

When I make a loaf cake, I prefer to use the 'sling' method, which is where you line the pan with parchment extending over the sides of the pan. This means that it is super easy to pull the cake out once you are done. You don't have to tip it upside down to get it out the way you would if you didn't line the pan.

If you trust the non stick of your pan feel free to leave the lining off, but I much prefer it for insurance purposes. I like to clip the paper down with binder clips - I leave them on for the first part of the bake until the cake starts to rise up the sides, then remove so they don't get accidentally baked in. Clipping them down stops the paper from flapping down and getting stuck to the surface of the cake.

How to get a crack down the middle of a loaf cake

This is a sneaky little optional trick for how to control where your loaf cake cracks. If you take a little softened butter and pipe a line down the middle of the cake, the cake will crack evenly down the middle. This works most of the time - you can see mine cracked down the middle then has a little subsidiary fracture next to it too.

I do this with softened butter, but you can also dip either a knife or a bench scraper into some melted butter and mark a line down the middle.

If you aren't worried about your cake cracking down the middle (I feel so ridiculous writing this haha), then feel free to leave this step off, I just thought it was a super interesting trick and wanted to share!

FAQ for lemon poppy seed loaf cake

• What tools and equipment do you use?
  You can see a full list of all the tools I use here

• Which pan did you use?
  I used a pullman pan, but you can use a regular loaf pan too if you like, a 9"x5" (23cm x 13cm) works best.
• Can I leave out the almond meal?
  Yes, you can replace it with the same weight of all-purpose flour. If you can find almond meal, it is super delicious in there and gives the cake a great texture.
• What is neutral oil?
  Neutral oil is anything that is neutral tasting - light olive oil, canola, vegetable oil etc.
• Can I leave out the poppy seeds?
  Yes - if you don't want to add the poppy seeds then you can leave them out and just have a simple lemon loaf cake.
• How to store lemon poppy seed loaf cake
  Store lemon poppy seed loaf cake lightly wrapped at room temperature, or in an airtight container at room temperature. It will keep for 3-4 days.
• Can I substitute sour cream?
  If you don't have sour cream, you can substitute with greek yogurt.
  

For more loaf cake recipes, check out:

• Chocolate Loaf Cake
• Cranberry Loaf Cake
• Carrot Cake Loaf with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Made this recipe and love it?

If you made this recipe then I would LOVE for you to leave me a review below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it!

A note on salt and oven temperature

It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.

All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan / convection, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.

Using the double / triple function in the recipe card

You will notice that there is a '1X' '2X' '3X' button in my recipe card. This can be used for doubling or tripling a recipe. However, please note that this only doubles the ingredient quantities in the ingredients list and NOT in the method. If there are quantities or pan sizes in the method of the recipe (for example weigh out 150g brown butter), you will need to scale this number manually. It will also not change the baking time in the recipe so you will need to adjust this yourself too. It is always a good idea to read through a recipe fully before doubling it just to check this. If you would like to scale this recipe or convert for another pan size, use my calculator!

Tools and equipment

For a list of my go-to tools and equipment, I have a post you can refer to here.

Why is this recipe in grams?

I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking!

Recipe For Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

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