Note from Tori: This recipe has been retested and updated with new photos for 2014! I improved the recipe by cutting the butter in half and adding vegetable oil to make the cake more tender and moist. I also used full fat dairy and added a bit more lemon juice. It was always tasty, but it’s so much better now. Enjoy!
This lemony sour cream poppy seed bundt cake is delicious year-round, but it’s particularly appropriate during the Jewish holiday of Purim. In addition to eating triangle foods like hamantaschen and kreplach, which represent Haman’s ears or his triangular-shaped hat, many Jewish families celebrate Purim with a vegetarian feast in honor of Esther. The meal often includes items like chickpeas, nuts, and poppy seeds. This tradition of eating nuts, legumes and seeds has roots in the intermarriage between Queen Esther and her husband Ahasuerus, the king of Persia.
Queen Esther was Jewish, King Ahasuerus was not. When Esther came to live in the king’s palace, tradition says she became a vegetarian in order to avoid eating food that was not kosher. For protein, she was said to eat nutrient-rich seeds, nuts, and legumes instead of meat. Poppy seeds are a natural outgrowth of this seed and legume tradition; in eating them we are celebrating Queen Esther and her role in the Purim story. Poppy seeds are also seen in the Jewish religion as a symbol of fruitfulness. Accordingly, I think this cake would also make a great addition to a Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah or Shavuot menu… or really, any time of year! Who needs an excuse to bake a lemony poppy seed bundt cake?
There are three different ways to top this beauty, with powdered sugar, a lemon icing or a warm lemon glaze. They are all tasty, though I don’t recommend using more than one topping– you’ll be on sugar overload! One topping should do it, or serve it naked if you don’t need the extra sweetness and you simply want to enjoy a slice with tea or coffee. It’s sweet, moist and delicious all on its own. 🙂
By the way, a friendly heads up: if you are about to take a new job that requires a drug test, skip this cake. Poppy seeds can cause a false positive for heroin use. So if you’re filling out job applications, think twice about this one. Try some fruit or chocolate-filled hamantaschen instead!
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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup poppy seeds
- 1 cup milk (full fat recommended)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature) (1 stick)
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil - canola and coconut work well
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, separated (room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream (full fat recommended)
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Lemon Icing Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Warm Lemon Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-10 inch Bundt cake pan (12 cup capacity) and set aside.If you prefer a crunchier, more seed-filled texture, leave the seeds whole. If you prefer a less crunchy cake with a more pronounced poppy seed flavor, grind the seeds in a coffee grinder. In a small saucepan, combine poppy seeds (whole or ground), milk, and honey. Stir till combined and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let mixture boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes or until lukewarm.
- Place poppy seed mixture into a mixing bowl along with butter, oil and sugar. Beat on high until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add egg yolks to the mixture and beat again on high. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and sour cream and beat until blended.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually combine dry and wet ingredients, beating together until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
- In a separate clean and dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks.
- Gently fold the egg whites into the poppy seed batter.
- Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bundt pan depths vary, so make sure the batter fills the pan ¾ full or less. Do not fill beyond ¾ or your cake might overflow during baking. Use a spatula to gently push the batter to the outside of the pan, pushing slightly up the walls. This will help to get rid of any air pockets that might interfere with the pretty details of the pan.Smooth the batter on the top so it is flat and even all the way around the pan.
- Bake cake in preheated oven for 55-65 minutes. When the edges darken and pull fully away from the sides of the pan and the cake browns all the way across the surface, it’s ready. You should be able to insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the cake and have it come out clean.The top of the cake might be a bit domed. If it bothers you, you can trim it down with a knife to flatten—and snack on the freshly baked trimmings. Yum!
- Let the cake cool for exactly 10 minutes, then invert it onto a flat plate. Tap the Bundt pan gently to release the cake. If your cake sticks, use a plastic knife to carefully loosen the cake around the center tube and sides. Allow cake to cool completely.
- I have a few topping options for this cake. I prefer the lemon icing, personally, but they are all delish. I don't recommend combining options or you'll be on sugar overload! One topping should suffice, or none at all if you want something less dessert-like to serve with tea or coffee. 🙂
- Option #1: Dust the cake with powdered sugar. To keep things neat, I like to do this part on a wire cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper underneath to catch extra sugar. You can simply do it on a plate if you prefer. Put 3 tbsp of powdered sugar into a handheld mesh strainer or sifter. Sprinkle sugar onto the top of the cake by tapping the strainer or sifting to release an even shower of sugar around the surface of the cake. Simple, yummy. Do this right before you serve to keep it looking pretty and fresh... it's a moist cake and it may "soak up" the sugar if left for a long period of time.
- Option #2: Frost the cake with lemony frosting. Again, best to put the cake on a wire cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper underneath to catch the drippings. Mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice in a small mixing bowl to form a tangy frosting with the texture of thick honey. With the help of a spoon, generously pour the frosting over the top of the cake so that it it drizzles down the sides, but doesn't cover the entire cake completely. Allow icing to dry completely before serving—this usually takes about 30 minutes.
- Option #3: Warm lemon glaze. This one is decadent! In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with 3 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp water. Warm up the glaze till it’s heated through and bubbling around the edges. Pour a few tablespoons of hot glaze over the warm cake slices just before serving. Oy. Vey.
- Personally, I like the icing option... I think it's the prettiest and the extra touch of lemony sweetness is absolutely delish. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Although this cake was complicated and had many steps, it was worth it! The result was light and airy, not too sweet, and a very pretty cake. Next time I will do all the prep and measuring in advance where possible as I had to keep going to different places to gather everything. I used a pan with a center post since I didn’t have a bundt pan. It has a bottom that lifts out and the cake didn’t stick to it at all (buttered and floured). I used 2/3 cup of the poppy seeds and 3 eggs as my large eggs were bigger than usual. I will use a little more lemon in the cake, I didn’t have enough zest and a little less in the icing. Having baked for more than 50 years, this will be my favorite cake from now on. Thank you Tori, this is a crowd pleaser.
Glad to hear it!
Made the cake as directed. No glaze or frosting. Excellent texture and taste. Enjoyed even by the non poppy seed lovers.
Another recipe of yours that will enter the family pantheon
Thank you
Your site is WONDERFUL Tori!!!!. I gave up eggplant because of the excess oil. Your egg white solution encourages me to wake up early and run to the market tomorrow = I will make enough for the week.
I would like to make your Poppy Seed Cake asap.
Do you think the recipe would work with less sugar = if so might you suggest an amount of sugar please?
I plant to visit you site consistently = except me OFTEN!
Thank you, Rosa
Hi Rosa! 🙂 Glad you’re enjoying the site. I don’t like to recommend amounts in baked recipes without testing myself. The cake is quite sweet, so I think cutting a bit won’t be a problem, but I hesitate to recommend a measurement without first trying it myself.
I’ll be making this cake later today. A small, very small, and quibble: heroin doesn’t have an ‘e’ at the end.
Yes! Not unless it’s the female hero. Corrected, thank you!
Well due to the fact that I was in a hurry, I completely overlooked the egg white step at the end! Didn’t see it till my cake was 1/2 done baking, and I was left with a condusing cup of egg whites haha. Fortunately it still turned out really delicious (a tad on the dense side, more like a sweet bread) and no one could tell the wiser. Can’t wait to make it properly and see how amazing it’s supposed to taste!
The Poppy Seed Cake made a huge hit for my family. It is the most moist cake I have ever made. I used 1/2 to 3/4 cup poppy seeds instead of 1 cup. The cake freezes well and worth keeping one in the freezer when unexpected company arrives.
Is there a parve version of this recipe? Would love to make it for the Purim Seudah next week but also serving your Honey Garlic Chicken!
Hi Chana! This is really best as a dairy cake, I don’t recommend subbing to make it parve. However, it’s interesting to note that often Purim is celebrated with a vegetarian meal in honor of Queen Esther– in which case, a dairy cake would work just fine. 🙂 More on that here: https://toriavey.com/what-is-purim/ Not that I am trying to change your plans, the honey garlic chicken is a great recipe. Instead of the cake, you might pair the chicken with this salad which is parve, seasonal and incorporates the symbolic poppy seeds: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/citrus-avocado-salad-with-poppy-seed-dressing/
this is a great recipe did it yesterday and everyone enjoyed it thanx
hi there!
I love this cake–and everyone who has eaten it has loved it too–so I’m making it to bring to family next week. How do you think it freezes? Wondering if I was to bake/let cool /invert/then put it back in the bundt pan & into the freezer–how would it hold up? Bad idea? I’ll be too busy to make it later in the week. Any suggestions for me would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Nika– it should freeze ok, but I am not sure I would put it back in the bundt pan before freezing. When cake is completely cool and out of the pan, try wrapping it in two layers of plastic wrap, then place in the freezer. It will need to thaw at room temperature for 6-8 hours up to overnight.
So I had the personal problem of my cake sticking to my pan. No matter how well my pan was greased, my cake stuck in the pan. Next time I’m going to try a different greasing method and see how that goes. Until then I am going to non-stop snack on the cake that did come out of the pan because it was DELICIOUS. I would not change a single thing about this recipe. It is spot on. Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Hi Carson! Glad you’re enjoying the cake. 🙂 Bundt pans can really be tricky to grease. Next time, try brushing the pan with melted unsalted butter, making sure to brush inside all of the details so nothing is left uncoated. Next, sprinkle some all purpose flour into the pan, it will take about 1/4 cup of flour for a standard sized bundt pan. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and shake it well to coat the entire inner surface of the buttered pan. Remove the plastic wrap and tap out any excess flour, then proceed with filling the pan with batter as described in the recipe. Good luck!
I grease the bundt with crisco and a brush and then I pam it!
This was amazing! The cake was super moist and delicious! I did a few changes like adding some orange zest and orange juice along with the lemons. I also only whipped up 2 egg whites since my eggs were fairly large. My whole family loved it and we gobbled it up in a day.. so be warned. EXTREMELY TASTY.
Hello! This recipe looks perfect, I am just wondering if it can be baked as a two layer 9 inch round cake? Or will the bake only work in a bundt pan?
Hi Sophia, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Since we haven’t tried it this way, I’m not quite sure how to adjust the bake time accordingly or if the amount of batter would work in the 9 inch pans. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. Perhaps someone else has tried?
Just made this cake last night with the round 9″ pans- came out great. I still baked at 170celcius, and it took about 30 minutes to cook to perfection (we are at altitude though, so this might vary a bit- just start to check with a toothpick after 25 minutes)
I then put a thin layer of the glaze between the cakes to make them stick, and the rest of the glaze drizzled on top!