Oh hey there! Today’s recipe was one that I shot a few months ago, when our orchard was in full bloom. It’s one of my very favourite seasons on the farm, with every tree bursting with pale pink flowers, and the buzzing of honey bees is heavy in the air. There are few things more magical! Blossom time lasts a few weeks, with a couple short days where all the varieties overlap a bit resulting in a magnificent super bloom. Our trees were packed with blooms this year, and we’re looking forward to what seems like a heavy harvest come Fall!

Anyway, lucky for us that lemons are accessible pretty much year round! So even though it’s a few months later than expected, this lemon poppyseed bundt cake is still relevant! I took my favourite loaf recipe (find it here!), and simply doubled it and baked it as a bundt. That’s one of my go-to tricks when I love a recipe, but want it in a different form!

It uses pretty straightforward ingredients and techniques, although I know that greasing bundt pans can sometimes be tricky! I usually simply use butter and have never had a problem with my pan….which, I found for $5 at a thrift store, score! But if your pan tends to stick, you may want to grease it and then lightly flour it to help your cake release. I served it with a simple lemon glaze, but I think it would be so perfect topped with fresh berries for summer too! Enjoy!

lemon poppyseed bundt cake

yields: one 10-cup capacity bundt cake
recipe: Kelsey Siemens

ingredients

1 cup milk + juice from 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons lemon juice)

3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar

zest of 2 lemons

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

4 large eggs

1/4 cup poppyseeds

glaze

juice from 1 lemon

1 cup icing sugar

milk or cream to adjust consistency, as needed

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-cup bundt pan, and set aside. I grease mine by brushing melted butter between all the cracks, you may want to flour it as well if you have a tricky pan.

First, cut one lemon in half, and squeeze the juice from it into a liquid measuring cup. You should get between about 2 tablespoon of juice. Fill the measuring cup up with milk until it reaches 1 cup. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, mix the sugar and lemon zest together until fragrant. I prefer to do this part with my hands. Next, cream together butter and lemon sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on medium high. Add in eggs, one at a time, and mix on medium until completely incorporated.

Next, slowly stream in half of the milk mixture on low speed. Then mix in half of the dry mixture. Then the remaining wet, and finally the remaining dry. Mix on medium-low until batter has almost come together but there are still a few flour streaks. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add in poppyseeds, and fold into the batter with the spatula until everything is just barely incorporated.

Scrape the batter into greased pan, gently smooth out so that it lays flat, and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing from the pan.

Prepare lemon glaze once the cake has cooled. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice and powdered sugar. Add a milk or cream to thin out the consistency if needed. Drizzle glaze over the cake, and serve. Best served the best day, but will keep for several days in an airtight container.

Note:

Try not to overmix once the flour is added, as this is what can lead to exceptionally dense loaf.
How to know what capacity your pan is? Simply fill the bundt pan with water, and then pour into a large liquid measuring cup.
Dry cake? It was likely overbaked. You’ll really want to keep an eye on your loaf at the end of the cooking times, and take it out as soon as it’s set!
Why the variable baking time? Baking times will vary due to: dark pans vs light pans, thick pans vs thinner pans, inconsistent oven temperatures (buy a thermometer that hangs in your oven to find out exactly what’s going on in there!), altitude, etc. Always set your oven for the lowest bake time (or even a few minutes before!), and start checking for done-ness then.