Lemon Poppy Seed Poundcake Recipe (2024)

Use Myer lemons, up the zest amnt
Add juice of 1/2 lemon to batter
Canola not olive
Change topping:
Boil 1/2 sugar with 1/4 c lemon juice
Poke holes, pour over after bake
Then bake a few xtra mins
Go heavy on poppy

Please... use grams and millilitres, or have a conversion function. Baking is about precision and cups are an archaic and inaccurate form og measurement.

You could also substitute sour cream, which I do often as I usually don't have buttermilk.

Instead of 1/2 cup buttermilk,
you can use 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup plain yogurt.

Soaking the poppy seeds, in this case in the buttermilk, before baking always makes for better flavour and texture, I find.

I thought this lacked the brightness of lemon flavor. I added the full zest of two large lemons and the proper amount of lemon juice specified by the recipe. I also thought the olive oil weighted it down a bit flavor-wise -- and perhaps muted the lemon. It had a nice crumb texture even with the olive oil, but I could taste the olive oil and I would have rather had a burst of lemon lightness.

Ingredients in metrics (not tested yet):
245 g flour
225 g sugar
133 ml buttermilk
150 ml olive oil
100 g confectioner's sugar

Substituted 2 lemons for 2 tangerinesSubstituted 2/3 c EVOO for 2/3 c melted butterLeft out poppyseeds"Made" buttermilk with 3 T milk + 1 T lemon juiceBEST citrus loaf I've ever had. Finally cracked the code, and will never make it any other way.

Be advised: the EVOO leaves its mark. Imparts a savory element that, for me & my family, detracts from the goal of a bright lemon flavor infused into a dense, rich, mildly sweet pound cake.

Surprised at the number of people who use Meyer lemons and are surprised the cake isn't lemony enough. Meyer lemons are sweeter, milder, and less acidic than regular lemons so would expect they would make a less lemony cake with less zing. Also surprised at the number of people who use a strong EVOL and are surprised that the cake has a strong EVOL flavor. If you don't want a strong EVOL flavor don't used EVOL with a strong flavor. I thought the cake was absolutely delicious.

To those who didn't achieve satisfactory results: Maybe the missing ingredient was patience. Take your time. The combining of the zest and sugar ought to be done with firmness to release the essential oils of the lemon. Whisking should be thorough; separate ingredients should be indistinguishable. Allow the cake to cool before tipping it out of the pan. I think you'll find that patience isn't only its own reward--you'll have your cake, and eat it, too!

I've made this as written and loved it. But lately I have made it substituting orange for lemon and I think I like it even better.

I doubled the recipe and baked in a bundt pan. Very pleased, but next time will increase the lemon juice and the poppy seeds.

Wonderful! This is a beautiful dense cake just bursting with lemony goodness. I only had a 9x5" pan ... cooked perfectly in 55 minutes. I did have a little trouble removing from pan, but that's my fault for not dusting with flour as instructed (new nonstick so I thought I wouldn't need). The lemon glaze is outstanding ... I feel like a fool for not thinking of using lemon juice as a base myself. In any event, it's the perfect topping and I'll use on other cakes in future. Thank you!

I found this recipe very disappointing which is rare for a 5 star rating. It was indeed overly olive oil tasting and I even used half canola and half olive oil based on other comments. I used 3 lemons for rind plus added a few drops of lemon oil and the olive oil still was very pronounced . I would sum this up in one word - meh

This recipe is on repeat in our house, it’s so good! Before making this lemon loaf for the first time, I read others’ notes on not enough lemon flavor coming through; so each time I’ve made it I’ve added 1 tsp lemon extract and I haven’t had that problem! I will also note that I’m also the type of baker who’s lazy and doesn’t add the lemon zest.

This isn’t a very sweet or particularly flavorful cake when made per instructions. It was very moist though. The glaze at the end adds the most lemon flavor and sweetness. Next time I’ll add a lot more lemon and poppy to the cake itself.

I thought this was quite good. I did use 1 tbsp more lemon juice and even 1/2 tsp of lemon extract to get stronger lemon flavor. I swapped out the olive oil for canola oil because my olive oil would be too strong for this. The glaze was essential and I made a little extra, glad I did. Will definitely make again.

This is my go to for dessert or as a side with tea or coffee. Found a lemon poppy muffin ice cream to top it for a real treat. Topped with blueberries.

I made it with raspberry flavored Siggis drinkable yogurt instead of buttermilk since that basically what I had available and cut back on some of the sugar in the mix but not on the pour. Worked out well. Raspberry lemony tang with sweet on top

I agree with many other comments here: not very lemony, and the olive oil was overpowering. However, I am going to try it again with a light & fruity olive oil and more lemon zest, as the cake was very pretty & a delightful texture.

Made this today, on a rainy afternoon. I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup, used whole wheat pastry flour, and reduced the powdered sugar to 1/3 cup. Then I told myself it was healthy! 😉

1T poppy seeds just can't be enough - the merest whiff of poppy seeds! A smattering! Go big, friends!

I am really interested in the substitutions list for this recipe. Wheat is not good for me but I love baked goods. I would love to try this recipe but there's no substitution for wheat flour. Anyone try this with another type of flour that holds together and doesn't dry to crumbles when baking?

Subbed whey leftover from making yoghurt for buttermilk and subbed 3/4 cup of flour for almond flour. Still turned out delicious!

To make dairy-free:Substitute buttermilk for same amount of oat milk plus 1tspn lemon juice. This also works if you don’t have any buttermilk; use same amount of whole milk plus 1tspn lemon juice.

Ran out of eggs and used 1/2 cup greek yogurt in place of 2 eggs-turned out beautifully!

I thought this was delicious. My friend requested orange poppy seed poundcake for Thanksgiving. I found this recipe & zested & juiced one large orange, then mixed orange & lemon juice for the glaze. I do advise you to take extra care when combining the zest with the sugar - keep massaging it until it’s truly sandy all over. Probably key to getting the citrus flavor to permeate the cake. I had to fight to keep a piece for tea today.

One lemon makes ~ 1 tablespoon of zest