The perfect Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf made from scratch. This lovely one bowl loaf cake is light and fluffy and made with fresh lemons and drizzled with a sugary glaze.
Love lemons?! 💛
If so, you’ll adore this lovely Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf. Soft and sweet, this one bowl lemon cake is so easy to throw together and is a total crowd pleaser.
Drizzled with a tangy lemon glaze, it’s my new fave thing.
I had Lemon Poppy Seed on my mind recently, so I jumped into the kitchen to create a light and moist Lemon Poppy Seed Bread that would rival any store bought kind. It’s the sort of cake you buy to have with a coffee when you’re out, but have you ever made it at home?
It’s incredible easy, and for a similar price, you’ll get twice as many thick, moreish slices to enjoy. But the best part is you can enjoy a piece warm from the oven – amazing!
Just like my popular Cinnamon Apple Cake, this Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf uses oil to make a super light and fluffy loaf. We also add fresh lemon juice and zest for plenty of flavour, not to mention a showering of trusty poppy seeds!
This recipe is going straight to the top of my ‘easy-but-oh-so-tasty-recipes’ to whip out when guests are coming over. It’s perfect for morning or afternoon tea or as a treat for the lunchbox. And it freezes really well too!
Trust me, you’re going to want to make this Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf over and over again! Promise ❤️
TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT LEMON POPPY SEED LOAF
- This is a simple one bowl recipe – no electric mixer required.
- Use a neutral oil for this recipe. I usually use vegetable oil, but I’ve also used a light olive oil or you could use grape seed oil.
- I recommend using fresh lemon juice and zest as suggested in the recipe for maximum flavour.
- Try not to over bake this cake. Every oven is different, so start checking the loaf from about 45 minutes onwards. Insert a butter knife or skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean, you know the cake is ready.
- If the cake starts to go brown on the top and edges but is still not cooked in the centre, place a piece of aluminium foil on top in the last 10 minutes of cooking to help prevent the top from overcooking.
- The glaze is simply three ingredients – icing sugar, lemon juice and milk. To make it a little thinner, add an extra teaspoon of lemon juice, or if you would like it thicker, add another tablespoon or two of sugar. Make your cake is completely warm before adding the glaze otherwise it will just melt right into the cake!
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
Let’s Bake
Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf
Soft and fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf made with fresh lemons.
Ingredients
Lemon bread
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
- 250 grams (1 and 1/4 cups) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- Zest of one lemon
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) greek yoghurt
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) full fat or whole milk
Lemon glaze
- 60 grams (1/2 cup) icing sugar or powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon full fat or whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, lemon juice and zest. Whisk briefly to combine.
- Add flour, baking powder, poppy seeds and yogurt. Start to stir and then add the milk. Gently mix until combined – but be careful not to over mix.
- Add batter to prepared tin. Bake loaf for approximately 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you find the top of your loaf is browning too much, simply add a piece of aluminium foil over the top towards the end of cooking.
- To make the glaze, stir together sugar, lemon juice and milk. If the glaze is too thick, add an extra teaspoon of lemon juice. Drizzle over cake once it’s completely cooled and serve.
Yummy cakes says
Absolutely scrumptious loaf that was in danger of being demolished by a family of 3 in one afternoon – it was that good!!
Thank you so much for such an easy to prepare, delicious recipe!
Perfect when staying in, watching the snow fall.
Jessica Holmes says
Aw that is lovely! So happy to hear that!
Alicja says
Hi, I’m from Poland. I made this cake today. . . I replaced the Greek yogurt with sour cream. Cake is easy to prepare, and after baking delicious! I recommend everyone to try it! Greetings Ala. I baked in a 22 cm round baking pan .
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Camila says
Omg! This is the best recipe ever! Thank you so much!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Sam says
Turned out amazing… And this quick easy loaf satisfied my citrus cravings. The lemon drizzle is a must!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Sam!
Donatella says
Hi Jessica, what a fantastic recipe! Made it today for lunch and everyone loved it.
Is it suitable for freezing?
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Donatella! Yes you can definitely freeze it.
Lynn Tremblay says
I just took this out of the oven and the middle caved in, what did I do wrong? Thank you
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Lynn, there are many reasons why a cake can sink in the middle, but in my experience, the most common is that it is slightly underbaked. If the middle is slightly wet and undercooked when you cut it that may be why!
Lynn Tremblay says
thank you for the reply, making it again tonight, fingers crossed! Your apple cinnamon cake is one of the best cakes I have ever eaten, delicious!
Jessica Holmes says
Aww love that Lynn!
Beni says
Hello I have to questions
Did you use green lemons or the yellow ones?
Can I use orange instead ? If so what are the equivalences for juice and zest?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, this recipe as been tested with regular lemons. You can definitely use oranges instead – same quantity. Or you might like to try my Orange Poppy Seed Cake.
Melissa says
What s the different using butter instead of oil
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Melissa, oil ensures a lovely soft and light texture.
Alyssa says
Could I use olive oil instead of regular oil and full fat plain yogurt instead of Greek?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes you could Alyssa!
Emily says
Do you think I could easily convert this to make cupcakes and just shorten the cooking time?
Jessica Holmes says
Hey Emily, yes I think you could!
Shf001 says
Can we replace greek yogurt with regular yogurt in this recipe?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, it should be ok but I would recommend greek yogurt if you can – it’s less sweet and offers a lovely tang (like sour cream) in baked goods.
Jitha says
Tried this . Was very very easy and supremely delicious. The loaf turned out to be a little dense and also, the top was not brown like how it is in your pictures .
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Jitha!
Jitha says
Is it supposed to be dense ? Also, how do I achieve the even browning of top?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jitha, the cake should be soft and moist due to the oil and yogurt. If it was dense and you didn’t change any of the ingredients, you may have over mixed the batter. The browning should happen naturally due to the sugar content, but every oven is different so I wouldn’t worry about the colour.
Sue says
I tried it today and it was amazingly good. Thank you for the easy recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Sue!
Josh says
This was so good! And so easy!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Josh!
CakeLover says
Hi. Hope you’re well. Does this recipe fit a 1IB or 2IB loaf tin?
Jessica Holmes says
Hello, a 1lb pan should be ok!
Nadia says
Does it fit in a 2lb loaf tin?
Nadia
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Nadia, the size pan you use will just change the shape of your loaf. If it’s thinner, it may cook faster.