This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
When lemon season hits, this is the cake I bake on repeat. It’s plush, zesty, and flecked with crunchy poppy seeds—finished with a glossy lemon glaze that sinks into every bite.
You’ll love that it’s a simple stir-and-bake situation with real lemon flavor (zest + juice) and a tender crumb that stays moist for days. Enjoy for brunch, as an afternoon snack with a latte, or for dessert with ice cream on the side.
And just like that, we’ve made it to Friday! When I was a kid, Friday was my absolute favorite day of the week. Friday meant it was the last day of school and I had two full days of absolutely zero school ahead of me. It was always such a relief once Friday finally rolled around. Plus, I knew that after school there would be a very good chance I could convince my mom to bake something sweet with me, normally cookies.
I still look forward to Friday, but probably more because it’s been ingrained into me to just love this day. I don’t actually have a favorite day anymore, I usually wake up pretty excited and full of energy to tackle whatever is on my list that day…Monday through Sunday (though I still don’t love Sundays). But something about Friday holds so much excitement. It’s the end of the week (and this week was a great one!), things usually slow down for the next couple of days, and life chills out.
And that right there is reason enough to celebrate…
Which is why I (mostly) reserve Fridays for something sweet. We took a quick break last week to share one of my go-to weekend breakfasts. But this week it’s back to something sweet. Enter this oh so pretty, and perfectly lemon, poppy seed cake. It’s healthy(ish), so easy to make, gluten free (if you need it to be), and most importantly?
Insanely delicious.
The Inspiration.
I’ve talked about this before, but I find a lot of inspiration from the seasons and the produce that goes along with each season. The more time I spend developing recipes, the more I lean on the food itself for inspiration. Currently, winter citrus is my main focus. I can’t stop both cooking and baking with all the wonderful citrus that’s currently in the market.
I shared a savory salmon early this week, and today, it’s cake. And you guys? This cake is so good. I used Meyer lemons for incredible tang and sweetness. I also used vibrant blood oranges in the glaze to add a pop of color.
Best (healthy) lemon poppy seed cake…details.
The cake batter is simple, easy, no fuss, and can even be made gluten free. I used olive oil and Greek yogurt to not only keep the cake light and moist but to add additional flavor. If you’re new to baking with olive oil don’t be scared. It’s actually such a nice oil to bake with and it’s really just an added bonus that it happens to be healthy. You might think you’d be able to taste the oil but you really can’t. It only leaves the cake with a moist texture and a faint fruity hint, which pairs perfectly with the citrus.
To keep the muffins sweet, I used manuka honey Some of you might argue that honey is sugar, and all sugar is the same. I’m looking past this, and instead focusing on the benefits manuka honey is said to have. Just trust me here, it works and it’s good. If you prefer not to splurge on fancy manuka honey feel free to use regular honey too.
Moving along…that citrus honey glaze.
While the cake is so good on its own (really, it is), the glaze seals the deal (literally) and makes this extra special.
The first step is the citrus. I used a Meyer lemon and a blood orange. You can use all lemons too, but I love the color the blood orange adds, so pretty.
I zested the fruits with a Y peeler, then thinly sliced the zest into very thin dainty strips. Set the strips aside for a minute and mix the citrus together with the honey. Some of the citrus honey is poured over the warm cake, which helps to really lock in the moisture. The remaining citrus honey is mixed with a little powdered sugar (only just a little) and all the citrus zest. Spoon this over the cake to finish.
And that’s it…simple, pretty, perfectly sweet, extra moist SO GOOD!
FAQ:
Can I bake this as muffins?
Yes—fill liners about ¾ full and start checking early. They’re done when domed, lightly golden, and a tester shows a few moist crumbs.
How do I get stronger lemon flavor without making it sour?
Use extra zest and rub it into the sugar before mixing. Keep juice amounts the same and lean on the glaze for tang.
Why did my poppy seeds sink?
Gently toss them with a spoonful of dry ingredients or soak briefly, then fold in at the end. A thicker batter also helps suspend the seeds.
Can I halve the sugar?
Reducing sugar will make the crumb drier and the glaze more tart. For a less-sweet cake, cut a little sugar and add a touch more fat or yogurt to keep moisture.
If you make this lemon poppy seed cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Citrus Honey Glaze.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Meyer (or regular) lemon zest and 1/4 cup juice
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose or white whole wheat flour , (for GF see note)
- 1 cup almond flour/meal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Citrus Honey Glaze
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 Meyer or regular lemon
- 1 blood orange
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, using more as needed
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, eggs, yogurt, vanilla, lemon zest, and juice, mix until smooth and creamy. Add the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined, being sure the batter is completely mixed. Stir in the poppy seeds. 3. Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Remove the zest from the remaining lemon and the blood orange with a vegetable peeler in wide strips. Then thinly slice the strips. Alternately, you can just zest the lemon and orange on a Microplane. 5. In a medium bowl, mix together the honey and about 1/4 cup lemon juice. Drizzle 1/2 the glaze over the warm cake. To the remaining glaze, add 1 tablespoon blood orange juice and the powdered sugar, whisk until smooth. Stir in 1/2 the lemon zest and 1/2 of the orange zest. If needed, thin the glaze by adding additional citrus juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until drizzly. 6. Pour the glaze over the cake, letting it fall down the sides. Let set 5 minutes, slice and enjoy warm or at room temp.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Hi! I want to make this kosher for Passover so can’t use regular flour or any rice flours (and the gluten free blends have rice flour). Can I use almond flour for the whole thing? If yes, is it equal substitution for all purpose? Or would you recommend I do the coconut flour substitution? Thank you!
Hi Rachel,
I have not tested this recipe with aloud flour, but I would recommend using the same about for substitution purposes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan, I love your recipes! I’m really looking forward to making this – do you think I could use a regular round cake pan (or two?) Let me know if you think that may work and if any tweaks might need to be made. I admit my only reason is that I’m hosting Easter and would like to put my cake in my pretty round cake stand!
Hi Sarah,
You can for sure use a round cake pan! I hope you love the recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I was so excited to try this recipe but for some reason it came out very mushy for me! Not bread-like at all. Any thoughts on why this could have happened? I used Fage greek yogurt and the same types of flour as the recipes. Flavor is still amazing, so it will definitely get eaten! But would really like to try again to get it right.
Thanks!
Hey Claudia! I am sorry you had trouble. Was there anything you did differently at all? It’s so hard to know without having more details. How long did you bake? Where do you live? Any info will be helpful to help me problem solve and figure out what might be happening for you. Hope I can help you! xTieghan
Anyway this can be baked as muffins instead of a cake?
Hi Hannah! Yes, of course! Please let me know if there are any other questions I could help you with! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
I just tried your lovely recipe, and am a little baffled… It turned out beautiful and smells wonderful, but when you eat the cake you can a) taste the olive oil faintly and b) there is no sweetness to the cake despite the 1/2 cup of honey nor a tartness despite the 1/4 cup lemon juice 🙁 could this be because Ive used regular lemons and regular honey in place of meyer and manuka respectively? It is definitely light and moist and the glaze is lovely (although blood oranges weren’t available so it was lemon again), but I can’t seem to figure out if I used too much olive oil or too little honey or both (I followed the amounts for both), or if its the ingredients themselves!
Hey Jill, hmm, this is really odd and I am honestly not sure. You should be able to taste the oil, but it should be subtle and the cake should be sweet. What brands are you using? Is there anything else at all that you might have done differently?
can we do these in the airfryer?
HI! I do not own and air fryer so I can’t advise. I am sorry I could not be of more help. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I’m curious of your opinion if I added blueberries to this instead of the poppyseeds! What do you think?! Sounds super yummy!
Hi! I am sure that would be great, but I would not add more than 1 cup. The cake could get too weighted down with too many berries. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi, I made this recipe with all purpose flour and fage whole milk yogurt and it came out very dense and dry. I think i would cut back on the flour and increase the lemon juice next time.
Hi Lisa! Please let me know how it turns out for you the next time and if you have any questions! xTieghan
Would love to try this recipe, but I’m not sure how to measure almond flour. Do I pack it in or scoop + level like regular flour? Also, would it be possible to use regular whole-wheat flour for this? I also don’t have any poppy seeds, if I leave them out, would it affect the recipe?
Thank you so much!
Hi Justine! You should scoop and level. And yes, you can use regular whole wheat flour. Yes, you can also leave out the poppyseeds. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
So, I’ve been craving lemon poppyseed bread or cake, but every piece I’ve bought on a whim in a bakery has been too cloyingly sweet or a bit too rich for me to even finish one piece. I knew I had to find time to make my own, and here were these beautiful pictures calling me in just when we were invited to dinner at a friend’s…and she was happy to have me bring desert! Especially after she tasted THIS yummy loaf!
My only issue (as with your recipes in general, honestly) was that it was so YUM that it disappeared before I could take pictures to post for you! Beautifil, wonderful, delicious, perfect. Keep ’em coming!
Haha wow that is the best issue I have heard! I am so glad you loved this cake, Toni! I hope you continue to enjoy all of my recipes! xTieghan
delicious. Subbed sour cream for the yogurt (all I had) and used whole wheat pastry flour (again, all I had) and it was fab. So not only do you have a flavorful and moist recipe here–but it was easily adapted to what I had on hand. Thanks for your energy. You inspire me to eat well.
Aw you are too kind! I am so glad you are enjoying my recipes, Sharon! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi Tiegan!
If I were to bake this in a Bundt Tin instead of a loaf pan, how long do you think I should bake this for?
Thank you so much in advance,
Megan
Hi Megan! I have not tested this for a bundt pan, but I would imagine the baking time will be pretty similar. Just be sure to keep an eye on the cake towards the end of baking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This looks so delicious! I don’t have a loaf pan, do you think a bundt cake pan would work?
HI Molly! Yes, I think a bundt cake pan will work. Fun idea! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This cake was DELICIOUS. I made it for a meeting at my house and served it along with the Bursting Blueberry Lemon Cake. My friends were so HAPPY and all wanted to take home a slice to enjoy later.. I used a Cara Cara orange instead of the Blood Orange (my motto: use what you have) and I don’t think it made a difference. The cake was moist and so lemony. The peel in the glaze added a little texture and tang. I wish I had taken a picture but mine looked just like the one above.
Wow that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this recipes, Karen!! xTieghan
Damn girl! I can’t wait to try this and your newly posted fudgy avocado brownies. I am SO STOKED on all the healthier recipes you’ve been putting out there that still allow us to indulge. Your blog is my go to for everything these days. I try to cut out as much processed sugars as possible and also try to eat gluten free, so these recipes are a god send 🙂 thank you thank you! Keep up the amazing work 🙂
I am so glad these look so good to you! I hope you love them when you try! Tieghan