This lemon poppy seed pound cake is easy to make, and perfect for a picnic. These loaf cakes are sweet, moist, and sticky, and you can also create a tangy lemon glaze drizzled and spread over top. This lemon and poppy seed loaf cake is very similar to a pound cake. The cake itself isn’t overpowering with lemon flavor, but it still has a nice lemon flavor to it. If you’re a total lemon fanatic then you can definitely add a bit more lemon zest to the batter.
It’s quite dense and soft in texture. Buttery and of course lemony. The lemon glaze really adds to the cake though and adds a little extra pop of lemon flavor, so don’t leave it off! It’s just two easy ingredients and you can mix it up in no time.
Ingredients;
- Butter, for greasing pan
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, more for pan
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions;
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch loaf pan.
- In a bowl, combine lemon zest and sugar and rub with your fingers until it looks like wet sand. Whisk in buttermilk, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk dry ingredients into the batter, then whisk in oil and poppy seeds.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean, about 1 hour.
- Let cool in pan until warm to the touch, then turn out onto a baking rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Turn cake right side up.
- Whisk together remaining 4 teaspoons lemon and the confectioners’ sugar.
- Use a pastry brush to spread glaze evenly over top and sides of cake. Cool completely before slicing.
