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Sweet and simple Glazed Lemon Ricotta Poppy Seed Cakes. These go far beyond any coffee shop, these mini cakes melt in your mouth. Soft and fluffy lemon cake made with whole wheat flour, creamy rich ricotta cheese, and swirled with poppy seeds. Each little cake is made even more special with a brown butter glaze. This lemon load cake is the perfect winter treat to bake.
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Happy Friday!! After many, many requests, I finally made lemon poppy seed muffin/mini cakes! I baked mini loaves and muffins and they turned out perfect! I love them so much! I’ve been working on this recipe all month long. They started out as a way more complicated muffin/cake that I just did not love. The texture was way too dense and the lemon flavor just was not there. I spent days working on the recipe only to decide I didn’t want to share it.
I ended up forgetting about those particular muffins and figured it just wasn’t the time. Maybe I’d revisit the idea another time. If I was going to share a lemon poppy seed muffin, I really wanted them to melt in your mouth, and be roll-your-eyes-back delicious.
A real winter treat, if you will!
I set the idea aside and moved on. Then, just this week, I made these muffins. It was a last-minute decision (which I’m becoming a real pro at) and one I do not regret. I love these cute little muffin cakes. I promise you, they’re so much better than any bakery sweets.
And healthier too! So we love that.
The details
What was wrong with my original attempt at these muffins was that I was making the recipe far too complicated. For this attempt, I simplified. I used basic everyday ingredients and the result was just what I wanted.
For the batter, paired the light lemon flavors with rich ricotta cheese. This is one of my favorite winter flavor combinations.
Like my favorite banana bread, this is completely no fuss and uses just one large bowl. Start with the dry ingredients. I use whole wheat flour for added flavor, you could also use all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour too. But I prefer using whole wheat flour. Then add baking powder and salt.
Next, the wet ingredients, stir fresh whole milk ricotta cheese, maple to sweeten, avocado oil (or try melted coconut oil, but I like avocado oil for this recipe), large eggs, vanilla, fresh lemon zest, and poppy seeds. I use double the lemon that most recipes call for, but it’s balanced with the ricotta.
Whisk everything to combine and then the batter is complete. You can bake the recipe into 12 muffins or 3 mini loaves. I have a couple of mini loaf pans that I’ve never used, so I thought it would be fun to finally put them to use.
Either muffins or mini loaves are wonderful.
For the glaze, I love a brown butter glaze. Keep it light and not too sweet.
When the muffins/mini cakes come out of the oven, enjoy them warm with the glaze spooned over each.
Delectable!
Hopefully, these homemade treats will make up for all the processed ones we enjoyed in our younger years. I can whole heartily say that these are so much better than anything packaged.
Looking for other yummy bakery items?? Here are my favorites:
Baked Chocolate Fudge Glazed Doughnuts
Better Than The Bakery Chocolate Chip Espresso Yogurt Cake
Blender Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Maple Banana Bread with Cinnamon Spice Butter
Easy Chocolate Cinnamon Crunch Knots
Lastly, if you make these Lemon Ricotta Poppy Seed Mini Cakes, 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!
Glazed Lemon Ricotta Poppyseed Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup avocado oil, (or use melted coconut oil)
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest + 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup honey
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 10-12 muffin tins with paper liners.2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the ricotta, eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, lemon zest, and poppy seeds. Mix until fully combined. 3. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins or use mini loaf pans. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until just set. Remove and use a toothpick to poke a few holes in each cake. 4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Add the butter to a saucepan set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the honey, and lemon juice. Pour the glazes over the warm cakes/muffins. Top with extra poppy seeds, if desired. Enjoy.
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.
So good! I subbed the ricotta for yogurt and coconut oil for olive oil because both are just what I had on hand. Also as someone else mentioned takes close to 50 mins in a loaf pan, just keep an eye on it. High recommend!
Hey Allison,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you:)
I also added the lemon juice with the batter. Should be a separate line at the bottom for Glaze. The texture of the muffins wasn’t great. However— I made the blender peanut butter, banana, choc chip muffins a few days ago and they were delicious
Hey Michelle,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love these! xT
Made a regular size loaf and it’s moist and delicious.
Wondering why you don’t use weight, vs cup, measurements – especially in baking?
Hey Susan,
Happy Sunday!!💕 Thanks so much for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, so glad it was a hit! Just click “metric” below the list of ingredients for those measurements:) xx
My family loved it. We appreciated that it wasn’t too sweet. Very soft from the ricotta! I did a full loaf pan for about 45-50 min.
Thanks so much Brittni! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for making it! xx
Super delicious! I accidentally put the lemon juice into the batter along with the zest – definitely extra lemony but still delicious. I also used extra virgin & unrefined avocado oil since that’s what I had on hand – I was worried this would alter the flavor because it has such a strong smell and deep green color. But the muffins turned out great – super tender & moist. My glaze was really thin, but it finished right as the muffins came out of the oven. Next time I might start it earlier and allow it a few more minutes to sit/thicken up first.
Hey Liz,
Perfect!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! xT
Sorry if I missed this in the instructions, but how many mini loaf pans does this recipe make? Also, from the photos it appears that you are recommending parchment paper lining for the loaf pans. Am I right about that? Another question, can you use unsalted butter in lieu of the avocado oil? Thank
S
Hi Barbara,
This will make 4 mini loaves. Yes, you will want to line your loaf pans with parchment paper and butter should work just fine for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I made this in a 12 muffin pan lined with paper cups. I liked it very much. I thought it was sweet enough without being too sweet. I like that I could taste all the flavors and nothing over powered the others. I used chia seeds instead of poppy seeds because that’s what I had.
Next time I will not use paper cups in the muffin pan. When I spooned the glaze on it got all over the paper cups making it messy to handle.
Hey Christine,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Hi!
Have you tried making a gluten free version? I’m wondering if I can sub Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free flour.
Thank you!
I substituted with Bob’s gf flour and it turned out fine! I had to bake the muffins 32 min – not sure if the 10 extra minutes was because of the flour or because I accidentally put the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in the batter… or because I’m baking at high altitude.
Thanks for sharing Kate!!
Hey Lauren,
That should be just fine for you to use! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Not a fan, dense and the flavor was eh. Perhaps I over mixed it. Normally a big fan this was was a miss for me.
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Was there anything you may have adjusted? Let me know how I can help! xx
Definitely more of a savory flavor than sweet like I anticipated, even with the glaze. Just something to keep in mind!
Hi Calla,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
Yummy, unique muffins! I loved that they don’t have any sugar. I used applesauce in place of the oil and they were great! Can’t wait to have another one with my coffee in the morning!
Hey Erin,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
I made this in a loaf pan … took 50 minutes. Your instructions should specify
Hi there,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try:) I didn’t make it in a regular sized loaf pan which is why I didn’t share those exact instructions! xx
This looks delicious, lemon and ricotta are one of my favorite pairings, and the browned butter glaze is a nice twist. Can this be baked in a standard loaf pan, and if so, how long would you recommend baking it? Thanks.
Hey Donna,
Thanks so much! I would bake for 45 minutes in a regular sized loaf pan. I hope you love this recipe! xx
Needs more lemon zest and sweetener
Hi Kayla,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
DO NOT SKIP THE GLAZE! I repeat DO NOT SKIP THE GLAZE!
Thank you for another incredible recipe. Made this on a low day in the midst of never-ending sickness in our house and it completely lifted our spirits.
Lol thanks so much Liz! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xx