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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
Stacy
0Could I make this in an 8×4 bread pan? Half the recipe for one pan?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Stacy, Yes that will work fine as long as you half the recipe.
Florence Spratt
0I found chia seeds are a good substitution for the poppy seeds. The cake looks so nice with those little specks!
Colleen Levac
0This is by far the absolute best cake. I’ve made it 4 times to date. I have also done a variation where I leave out the poppy seeds and add a cup of raspberry’s. Omg yum! Thank you so much for this recipe
Eva
0Just made this cake today and am eating it as I type! It turned out AMAZING! It’s so moist and delicious! The glaze is a bit sweet, but the cake isn’t so together it’s perfect! Thank you so much for the great recipe! Keep them coming!
Brianna Carmony
0This was an amazing recipe to make. It was so good. The only suggestion I would have would be to go a little easy on the lemon juice in the glaze. It tasted amazing as a whole but if you eat just the glaze and don’t like as much sour I would correct the glaze only slightly. But this recipe was really amazing.
Maggie
0Can I use amaranth or chia seeds if I do not have poppy seeds?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Maggie, I haven’t worked with amaranth, and chia might make your cake too gummy. Your best bet would probably be something like sunflower seeds or whole flax seeds.
Amanda
0Hi Maya. Just wanted to say the flavor and texture of this cake is awesome! Love it! I followed the instructions, and the cooling instructions, but the top of my cake still stuck in the bottom of the pan. :-/ I salvaged it but would love to know if there was something else I could have done to keep this from happening. I just taped the amazon link in the post and the pan you are recommending is the exact pan I have/used, and it’s not old. The non-stick surface is still fine. The other issue I had was that the glaze was super thin. I had to add a lot more erythritol, and wondered if I should have let it sit or something? I really want to make this again, but hope to hear your suggestions first 😉
Florence Spratt
0Hi, Amanda. I’ve been using one of those removable bottom bundt pans for my lemon cake so that I use very little greasing to the bottom. Once the cake is done and cooled, I pull out the cake with the inner tube, drizzle it with the glaze, and, if I’m freezing it, I cut it up with a piece of parchment paper between each piece. Voila, the thawed pieces (I even warm them a bit) are just as if they came out of the oven. This is a family favorite for sure.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Amanda, I’m glad you liked the flavor and texture. Sorry to hear it stuck! You can try greasing it more next time, did you grease it well? The glaze thickness varies a bit depending on how tightly packed the powdered sweetener is, so feel free to add more to thicken it as needed.
Nicki
0If I omit the poppy seeds, will I mess it up?
Wholesome Yum
0I don’t think so, Nicki. Let me know if you try it that way.
Mika
0I tried it without poppy seeds and turned out delicious! Didn’t affect the texture.
Debbie
0I have a Bundt pan with lots of smallish scallops. The first time I made this I greased it with butter. I let it cool in the pan and got the cake out ok, but it took some work. This time I greased the pan with Crisco, which I don’t even have for use with food, but it worked like a dream. I let the cake cool and it came right out! Thanks so much for all your work here Maya. You are so thorough and every recipe I have tried, is great!
Debbie
0This cake came out so well. I was afraid it was going to be too sweet, as our sense of sweetness has greatly reduced since eating a keto-like diet. It was great! I also would be interested in a coconut flour version too. I used the glycerine based lemon extract and it was excellent. I used less sweetener and added butter to the glaze, to reduce sweet impact, which we liked. Thank you, Maya!
Margaret Harasym
0Wonderful! Replaced 1 cup of the almond flour with 1/4 cup coconut flour. The almond flour I have is more like meal, so the coconut flour is a nice texture difference. Also used fresh lemon juice and zest in place of some of the sour cream..keeping 3/4 cup wet ingredients total. Lastly, I used 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with the poppy seeds for extra fibre. Very happy with the results.
Renee Walker
0Would this work if I subbed Coconut Oil for the butter? Making for a non-dairy friend…
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Renee, Yes, that should work. So nice of you to do that!
Nancy Simmons
0Can you leave the cake out for a couple of days before you refrigerate?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Nancy, it would probably be fine for a day or two.
Ashley
0I loved this recipe, however I wanted to share with my friend, who can’t have nuts… Is there anyway to sub the almond flour?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ashley, Possibly sunflower seed flour could work but you’d taste the flavor in there.
Dana
0I really like the taste and texture of this cake – I’ve been using the powdered monk fruit/erythritol as the sweetener – can I use granulated monk fruit/erythritol in place of the powdered?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Dana! The icing needs a powdered sweetener so it’s not grainy. You can use granulated (which I do) in the cake itself.
Kathryn Hernandez
0This cake is great! For those that found the cake too dense. I have found if I beat the eggs in a flourless cake before adding them it comes out fluffier.
Lorel Butler
0I made this today because yesterday I made my family a “real” lemon poppy seed cake-and I’m trying to talk my husband into keto eating. I thought if I could serve them side by side, he could see if there is much of a difference! He thought the keto version was more delicious-so after the first of the year he’s going to join me!!
I omitted the vanilla extract and used the zest of one small lemon-along with the juice and added a bit of butter to the glaze!
Absolutely divine! Thank you!!
Denise
0Can I use swerve in this recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Denise, Yes, you can. Check the low carb sweetener conversion calculator here.
Sarah
0Hello,
I was wondering if there is something I can use in place of sour cream?
I was also wondering if I can replace the erithrytol with any granulated sugar, is the measure the same?
Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sarah, Whole milk Greek yogurt would probably work instead of sour cream, but carbs would be a little higher. Yes, you can use granulated sugar – it would still be gluten-free but no longer low carb or keto. The amount would also be a bit less sugar compared to erythritol – check the sweetener conversion calculator here.
Lori-Ann
0Made the cake yesterday for a family dinner and it was very well received. That being said I used a 12 cup bundt pan too but the batter didn’t really rise so it was a smaller cake.
I can’t help but wonder why it didn’t rise. Is it because there wasn’t any xanthum or guar gum added? Did it require more baking powder?
Regardless, it was delicious and is definitely worth repeating the recipe with perhaps a few adjustments to improve the final result.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lori-Ann, I’m glad your family liked the cake. Xanthan gum helps with texture but doesn’t typically affect rising. Was your baking powder fresh? That could be part of it. The other part might be that the batter needed to be mixer more to create more air. Almond flour never rises as much as traditional wheat flour, but it should rise some.