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My Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake Is The Big, Healthier Dessert You Need For Your Next Gathering
My lemon poppy seed bundt cake has become one of my go-to desserts when I’m feeding a crowd. I first made it years ago in 2018, but recently re-tested it to include fresh lemon juice and zest, and a better flour blend. This last time was over winter break when we had more than a dozen people staying with us, and that’s when I knew it was a winner. Here’s why I think you’ll love this updated lemon bundt cake even more now:
- Bright, buttery lemon flavor – Fresh lemon juice and zest give this cake a vibrant citrus pop, studded with poppy seeds and drizzled a subtle, sweet glaze.
- Super moist, tender, and nutty crumb – The key is superfine almond flour and sour cream to keep the texture moist and rich. This is one of the moistest cakes I’ve ever made!
- Big dessert for holidays and gatherings – Bundt cakes are naturally big and make such a great centerpiece when you’re feeding a crowd! I also keep slices in the freezer, so I can grab one at a time for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
- Better for you – It looks and tastes like dessert, but this cake actually has over 8 grams of protein, with no gluten, white flour, or refined sugar.
- Easy to make – Despite it’s impressive size, this lemon poppy seed bundt cake is super simple to prep. It usually takes me only 15 minutes to get it in the oven.
If you’re a fan of a bright, lemony dessert that feels special enough for celebrations and simple enough for everyday moments, it’s this one. Make it with me!
“Made this today for the second time. It’s absolutely delicious! Great recipe. No one could tell it was healthy.”
-Amanda
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my lemon bundt cake recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake:
- Flours – I use Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour for a nutty, tender crumb (many brands are too grainy but not this one!), and pair it with tapioca flour to add lightness and a little structure. I used to make this recipe with almond flour alone, and prefer the texture with this blend, but you can replace the tapioca with more almond flour if you need fewer carbs. You can also swap in einkorn or even white flour instead of tapioca if you’re not gluten free.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – Unless you want to use actual sugar, this is by far the best alternative because it makes the lemon bundt cake moist. You can use other granulated sweeteners, but the result will be more dry. Check my sweetener conversion chart if you do.
- Unsalted Butter & Sour Cream – For richness and moisture. If you want to lighten it up, use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Or for a dairy-free option, use coconut oil instead of butter and thick coconut cream instead of sour cream.
- Eggs – You can try egg alternatives if you have to, but they might not provide enough structure here.
- Vanilla Extract for flavor, Baking Powder for lift, Poppy Seeds for that classic look and texture, and Sea Salt to bring out the sweetness.
- Lemon Glaze – This is just a blend of Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend, lemon juice, and vanilla. Any powdered sweetener works, but Besti dissolves best, so your glaze is smooth and not gritty. You can also use cream instead of lemon juice in the glaze if you don’t want the glaze to be lemony.
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How To Make Lemon Bundt Cake
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Cream the butter and Besti. In a large bowl, beat them with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. This step makes a big difference in the cake’s final texture.
- Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and salt.
- Combine and add lemon. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in the lemon juice and zest.
- Bake. Pour the batter into a greased bundt pan (I use this one) and smooth the top. Bake the lemon bundt cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, loosely covering with foil if it browns too quickly.
- Let it cool. Let the cake cool briefly in the pan, then carefully turn it out onto a cooling rack or platter to cool completely.
- Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered Besti, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. You can add more sweetener as needed. Drizzle over the cooled lemon poppy seed bundt cake just before serving.
My Recipe Tips
- Forgot to soften the butter? Soft, room temperature butter is crucial to cream properly and introduce enough air to avoid a dense bundt cake. If you forget, here is my trick: Fill a stainless steel bowl with boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes. Empty and dry the bowl, the place it upside down over the butter on a plate. The butter will soften in a few minutes from the residual heat!
- Your other ingredients should be at room temperature, too. If your sour cream or eggs are cold, they can shock the butter and make it solidify. The good news is they won’t take as long at room temp to avoid this as butter does.
- This batter is fairly thick, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. Resist the urge to thin it out, or your cake might not set.
- Baking time can vary depending on the size and shape of your pan. This is the bundt pan I use (pictured above), and I love it for several reasons. It’s nonstick without PFAS, it’s lighter in color (important so the cake doesn’t get too dark!), and it’s a good size for this recipe, although I don’t fill it all the way to the top. You can use other bundt pans
- Want to make this without a bundt pan? You can use two 8-inch round pans, two standard loaf pans, a 9×13 pan, or even a muffin tin (for muffins or cupcakes, which are my second-favorite option!). The timing will vary with each type of pan. I usually start checking around 20-25 minutes for shallow pans or muffins, or 35-40 minutes for deeper pans.
- Grease the bundt pan really well. I rub softened butter into every curve, so it releases cleanly. Bundt cakes love to stick, but the pan I mentioned above helps a lot.
- Check for doneness in the thickest part. The most reliable way to know this lemon bundt cake is done is to insert a toothpick into the thickest area of the ring. Don’t go by outside appearances alone.
- If the cake gets too dark, tent the top with foil and reduce the oven temp by 25 degrees F. This is helpful, but I found the biggest impact was the pan I mentioned above, as its lighter color prevented the part touching the pan from getting too dark.
- You might need to adjust the glaze. When it’s too runny, it runs off the cake. If your glaze seems thin, add more powdered Besti to thicken it. If you want it extra thick, blend it with a little softened cream cheese.
- Glaze right before serving. This glaze slowly soaks into this lemon poppy seed bundt cake, so I drizzle it on just before serving to keep that bright, glossy finish.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
By
My lemon poppy seed bundt cake is bright, sweet, and moist, with no white flour or refined sugar. A healthier, crowd-pleasing dessert!
Ingredients
[ See substitutions ]Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Cake:
Lemon Glaze:
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Grease a bundt pan (this is the perfect size for this recipe) and set aside.
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In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the butter and Besti, until fluffy.
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Beat in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
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In another large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and sea salt.
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Beat the dry ingredients into the wet, about a cup at a time.
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Beat in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
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Pour the batter to the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown. Cover loosely with foil and continue baking for 10-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
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Let the lemon bundt cake cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack or large plate, and cool completely.
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To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered Besti, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. If it’s too thick, you can add a little more lemon juice as needed. Drizzle over the cake right before serving.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/16 of entire recipe
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you make the batter correctly, get the baking time right, prevent sticking or burning, and get the perfect bright, glossy glaze.
- Storage: Keep the cake in the fridge for up to a week. For the freshest taste, add the glaze the day you serve, but leftovers are great even with it on.
- Meal prep: This cake is perfect for special occasions. It feeds a crowd, looks impressive, and you can make it ahead!
- Freeze: Keep in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. I like freezing slices and pulling out a couple at a time for an easy breakfast. You can warm individual slices straight from the freezer, but for the entire cake, thaw in the fridge for 1-2 days.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Low Carb Holiday Cookbook!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
261 Comments
Lisa
0I wanted to love this cake so much! I took it to our family Easter dinner and I was so embarrassed when I took a bite of it. My son’s mother in law had tasted it already and didn’t say anything, fortunately, she has a good sense of humor and we laughed about me trying to poison everyone. Do you realize the recipe 2 TBSP of the lemon extract? That is way too much; I found out the hard way. I hate to waste so much almond flour, let along four free-range eggs. I was not happy to say the least.
I came home and looked up other low carb recipes and found that they call for one half a TEASPOON of lemon extract along with lemon zest and lemon juice, only a small amount though, so I made that recipe tonight, along with the lemon glaze; it was so good! I see another one that has more lemon juice and zest and I am going to try that one as well since this other one doesn’t have a lemony enough flavor without the glaze.
Lorel
0You know, I made and loved this cake and have been baking for many years. Your extract is most likely imitation and not pure. Another tweak I forgot to mention was baking at 375 instead of 350. That in itself would bake out some of the flavor. I did it at a higher temp to obtain a crispier sugar crunch on the outside. It doesn’t dry it out either!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Lorel! I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for sharing the tip about the higher temperature.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa, Sorry this happened to you! I appreciate the feedback. The lemon extract I use (link on the recipe card) is not that strong, and I’ve made this recipe 4 times with it with no off-taste. So, unfortunately, I think it was a difference in extracts, sorry about that! You should definitely use less if yours is very concentrated, and I added this note to the recipe so that people know. I hope you’ll try it again with less extract or consider trying the one I used.
Ruth EttingeR
0Hi I’m Ruth. I followed directions and my cake turned out really good. All except the glaze. It was soaked up by the cake. Any suggestions?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ruth, Did you drizzle on the glaze while the cake was still hot? The heat would probably melt the glaze. Next time, cool the cake first. I’m glad you liked the cake otherwise!
Debbie C
0Hi,
Okay so first I followed everything to a tee…my comment and recommendation to all is that you have the cake cool in the pan at least a GOOD 30 minutes before taking it out to completely cool on rack, half of mine crumbled out I somehow saved it than I let it sit longer, tried to fix it and finally got it out but kinda a mess and I wouldn’t care but bringing this to family on Easter. 🙁 I did not make the glaze yet and my cake looks darker than yours so wondering if I just put the powered sugar on top if that would work just as well? Thanks hoping everyone like it on Easter … 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Debbie! Thank you for the tip! Thanks for stopping by!
Patricia Clayborn
0I have a question about the erythritol measurement. Since it is only 60% as sweet as sugar, what would be the equivalent in sweetness? Suppose I want to use Pyure or Swerve? One cup of either one of those would be almost double the sweetness of pure erythritol.
So, should the instructions be “sweetener equivalent to one cup of (traditional) sugar”?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Patricia! I understand these sweeteners can be confusing. I hope this guide helps! https://www.wholesomeyum.com/natural-low-carb-sweeteners-guide-conversion-chart/
Andréa
0Hi,
I don’t follow the keto diet, my problem is gluten so I use sugar in my recipes, specially demerara sugar. Would it be ok if I used sugar instead of erythritol?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Andréa, Yes, you definitely can! You’d need just a little bit less sugar compared to the erythritol amount. I have a conversion chart here.
Bettie
0Yes! I would love this recipe with Coconut Flour as well as others.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Bettie! Will add that to my list.
Sandy Hollingsworth
0Would this pound cake taste OK without the poppy seeds? We love them but my husbands job has random drug testing and poppy seeds show up on drug tests. Does it spoil the taste without them?
Harold J
0What about Chia seeds? It should look the same but have added protien.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yes, Harold, chia seeds would be a perfect addition!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sandy! I think the pound cake would be find without poppy seeds. I hope you like it! Have a great day!
Marsha
0Looking forward to making this – I’m so happy I found your website and so happy being pretty much off of flour for almost three months. All bets are off tho when I go to Italy in a few weeks…
And all these baked goods you make are perfect for the Passover keeping folks in the audience…the proliferation of so many non-wheat options is perfect for the holiday.
Brit
0Oh wow I didn’t even think of that! Normally I avoid anything “risen” even if it isn’t chametz for the spirit of the week but you’re right this is KFP
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marsha! Thank you for stopping by!
Cassandra
0What product is best to grease cake pans? If solid shortening or butter, should the pan be floured with almond flour? Do you use cooking sprays? Thanks for these recipes!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cassandra, I usually use a spray bottle without any chemicals, but you can use any neutral tasting fat to grease the pan. I have not had to flour it, but you could.
Phypno
0Can it be made with full fat yogurt instead of sour cream??
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I haven’t tried that, but it could work. Let me know how it goes if you try!
Sherry Hogan
0I tried to get this into my recipe box but it won’t let me confirm it but somehow there are 4 there and I can’t delete then is there a restriction on it?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sherry, I’m not sure which recipe app you are using but if you are having issues the question would be for the creator of that app. In general, I recommend bookmarking the site and coming back here, rather than saving off elsewhere, because I regularly add updates and tips to make recipes better.
Patricia
0Oh, this looks delicious. I have to be dairy free. Could I use coconut oil for the butter? Could I sub coconut cream for the sour cream? Then add a tad of lemon juice
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Patricia. I haven’t tested that, but it sounds like it might work. Let us know how it goes if you try!
Roberta
0Great recipe! I’ve made a similar one just a couple of days ago, with coconut flour instead of almond flour and coconut cream instead of sour cream, ghee for butter, and using a large silicone mold instead “bundt pan”: it tasted really good even with these substitutions and I’m going to try also your version with this amazing idea for lemon glaze next time (but always adapting for dairy free restriction).
Thank you for sharing!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Roberta! Please let me know how it goes if you try it with those changes. For this recipe I wouldn’t recommend swapping the almond flour with coconut – it will be too dry. But the other changes sound like they might work.
Elaine
0Love lemon anything! This looks wonderful! I do wonder, though, why you use lemon extract instead of lemon zest and lemon juice in the cake?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Elaine! I use lemon extract because it’s more potent. Definitely don’t use only lemon juice because it’s liquid and not that potent. You’d need to modify the other ingredient ratios to get the same batter consistency, and wouldn’t get much lemon flavor with only the juice. You could use lemon zest if you wanted to instead of extract, but you’d need more than the same amount of lemon extract. And, getting that much lemon zest would just take a while, so I used extract mainly for convenience. If you want to use lemon zest instead of extract, you can try 3-4 tbsp of zest plus 1-2 tbsp lemon juice instead. It sounds like a lot, but a bundt cake is pretty large. The conversion is usually double the amount of zest compared to a given amount of extract.