The BEST Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is here! This Bundt cake is so easy to make and has such a gorgeous, tender, lemon flavor with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a handful of poppy seeds for good measure. Add on a tasty lemon glaze, and you have yourself your new favorite lemon poppy seed Bundt cake!

How to make a lemon poppy seed bundt cake

Just like so many of my cake recipes, I aim to make everything as tasty as it is EASY to make. So, yes, we are using a white cake mix as the base. But hear me out! We don’t just use the directions and ingredients on the back of the box. We doctor the cake mix right up by adding in ingredients that make this cake perfectly tender, delicious, and full of gorgeous lemon flavor.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

It’s important that you give your refrigerated ingredients time to come to room temperature before mixing them up with the rest of the ingredients.

The one’s you’ll need to pull out will be:

  1. Buttermilk – If you don’t have this on hand, you can make some by adding lemon juice or white vinegar to whole milk (let it sit for about an hour to curdle).
  2. Sour Cream – I use full-fat sour cream always. You can use plain greek yogurt here, too.
  3. Eggs – large eggs! Don’t use medium or extra large eggs for baked goods unless specified otherwise. The measurement here is typically referring to Large Eggs.

The rest of the ingredients are typically what one has on hand:

  1. Vegetable Oil – You can use melted butter instead if you’d like.
  2. Vanilla – I love using pure vanilla for my bundt cake layers.
  3. Lemon Juice/Zest – Fresh is best, but I understand if you don’t want to deal with squeezing a lemon. However, you’ll need fresh zest from a lemon anyway, so you’ve already committed. 🙂
  4. Flour – a touch of flour has helped me with the texture I was aiming for with this one.
  5. Lemon Emulsion/Elixir – For my lemon lovers, this will amp up the flavor even more. It’s listed as optional, so you don’t have to use it. But hey, it helps!
  6. Cake Mix – White Mix is best for this one, but you can always use a yellow cake mix, too. I prefer the taste and texture of Duncan Hines. But I know that Betty, Pillsbury, etc, will be an okay option, too.
  7. Poppy Seeds – I used 2 Tablespoons, but it’s pretty flexible here. It just depends on how much poppy seed flavor you’re up for in your bundt cake!

Skip the stand mixer

You will not need a stand mixer for this recipe! Just a whisk and a large bowl. Easy peasy! Mix everything together but the cake mix, then sift in the cake mix. Gently stir, and you’re all set.

What bundt pan will work?

I used this one below from Amazon (Linked HERE). It worked beautifully and I love how the glaze looks down the sides of the finished bundt cake.

Image Source – Amazon.

Lemon Glaze

For this cake, it actually works really well flavor-wise without the lemon glaze, but my boys especially loved the glaze! They said it was their favorite part! So it’s safe to say, you’re safe either way.

How to make a lemon glaze

The lemon glaze is only TWO ingredients, and comes together in seconds. All you do is stir together powered sugar and lemon juice until a white glaze forms. If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add in a bit more lemon juice.

Drizzle it right onto the bundt cake, or even on individual slices. Either way, you have tasty lemon glaze perfection.

Looking for more amazing lemon recipes?

I have so many that you’d LOVE! Here’s a few:

That’s it! I can’t wait for you to make my lemon poppy seed bundt cake! It’s a classic that we’ve always come back to for an easy Sunday afternoon, a fun breakfast cake, or even is perfect for company.

I’d love to see if you’ve made it! Make sure to tag @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie so I can join in on all the fun on Instagram. Enjoy!

xo,

Mandy

Get the Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

Soft white cake with lemon zest & juice, and a handful of poppy seeds. Add on a quick and easy lemon drizzle and you have the most perfect bundt cake in a snap!
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Ingredients
 

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

  • 3 whole eggs , room temperature
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk , room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sour cream , room temperature
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • zest of 2 lemons (about 3 Tablespoons)
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
  • * optional 1 Tablespoon Lemon emulsion/elixir , I used the PK Elixir for extra lemon flavor
  • 1 15.25oz box White Cake Mix , I used Duncan Hines for the best taste and texture, but you can use any similar brands, too.

Lemon Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Equipment

  • Bundt Cake Pan

Instructions
 

For the Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees convection bake (if doing traditional bake, you'll just need to leave the bundt cake in the oven a little longer). Prep a bundt cake with a swipe of shortening & dust of flour, or with Baker's Joy cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the cake mix. Sift in the cake mix and gently stir until it's combined (don't overmix). Add to the prepared bundt cake.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center of the bundt cake is baked through. Remove from the oven, then flip out onto a wire rack or cake stand to cool completely.

For the Lemon Glaze

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice, then drizzle onto the cooled bundt cake, or onto the bundt cake slices while serving.