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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
Fatima W
0I made this for Eid celebration. I weighed all the ingredients as UK cups are 250ml instead of 240ml like American cup sizes. I used the whisk attachment on my stand mixer – too lazy to use hand mixers! I baked for 40 minutes and then a further 20 minutes covered with foil. I could not tell the difference between this and a non-Keto cake lemon poppy seed cake from my pre-Keto days. Absolutely delicious and easy to follow instructions. There are lots of Keto lemon poppy seed cake recipes out there, some of which I’ve tried and not liked, but this one is a definite keeper!
Tawny
0I lost my beaters for my hand mixer so I used a KitchenAid mixer. What attachment would be best? I used the wire whisk the whole time, would the flat beater have been better?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Tawny, Either the whisk or paddle attachment will work fine in this recipe.
Tawny
0Thank you so much! It turned out delicious except the outer part was a little hard. Might have to adjust the time.
Lucy Nairy
0I loved the recipe it was amazing!! I did everything recommended besides the icing. Instead, I used 2 egg whites, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and a cup of powdered monkfruit (tasted really nice). For the bake time I cut 10 min off and it came out really fluffy and bouncy. I would recommend leaving it to sit for a while after taking it out of the oven so the bundt cake doesn’t crumble.
Adriana
0This looks amazing! I’d love a coconut flour version as my husband and kiddos have nut allergies so almond flour is out for me.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Adriana, I don’t have a swap for coconut flour yet, but I’ll see what I can do.
Joyce
0Best lemon pound cake ever! I made it with softened coconut oil and the texture and flavor were wonderful! I didn’t have lemon extract, so I added in a few drops of lemon essential oil instead. I also didn’t have poppy seeds and skipped the frosting. It was perfect!
Janice
0I just made this today, and while it was super easy to prepare, I think next time I will bake in a loaf pan instead as I experienced the same issue as many others that have commented on here that it stuck when removing from the Bundt pan. I made sure that the pan was greased quite liberally and still had issues. I will still take my ugly cake to a BBQ today because it tastes absolutely wonderful and it’s just for family anyway, so they are not picky by any stretch! Oh….and I used almond extract instead of vanilla extract for the cake, and what a delicious flavor the cake has! Definitely 5 stars for the flavor, texture & crumb, but I gave this recipe 4 stars only because of the issue I had while using the Bundt pan, which has a lot of creases in and produces a beautiful jello mold, so it could have been just the pan choice that I used.
Gina
0Hi, this cake looks great I’d love to try this but don’t have the right tin. If I cooked as two loaf pans or cup cakes do you know roughly how long I would need to bake them? Thank you.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Gina, Yes, two loaf pans will work great. I have not tested this myself, but you may need to adjust the bake time so the recipe fully bakes through the center.
Hajdi
0Just baking this in the oven, smells amazing! Can’t wait to try it. I would love to see any low carb recipe with coconut flour in the future!
Brian
0Hi,
Love your recipes. You’re one of my go-to’s. I would love to see a coconut flour pound cake recipe for friends with nut allergies!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Brian, Great suggestion! I’ll see what I can do.
Danielle Murstein
0Just found this site, which looks great! For the keto lemon poppyseed pound cake, can plain greek yogurt be used instead of sour cream?
Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Danielle, I have not tested this recipe with yogurt so I can’t guarantee you will get exactly the same results, however, the recipe should still work with greek yogurt.
Mary
0Thinking about making this for Mother’s Day. Just a question on the 23g fat grams. Is this from the butter? Can you use something else. Thank You
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Mary, Butter, eggs, sour cream, and almond flour all account for the fat in this recipe. This website is low carb, so we don’t shy away from fat here 😉 If that’s not you, then no problem. You can substitute the sour cream with yogurt, which will help to bring the fat down. Enjoy!
Theresa Gerhard
0I just finished making the lemon poppyseed cake in the bundt pan. I baked for 40 min. covered and then checked it in 5 min. and it smelled burned. I took it out and let it rest before removing from the pan. It was burned and would not come out of the pan even though I loosened it with a knife. When it did come out it fell apart. I think it should have only baked for about 35 min. I would add a comment to your recipe that it may only take 35 min in a bundt pan.
I was very disappointed.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Theresa, Sorry to hear you had issues with it. It could be that your oven runs hot – try a lower temperature next time – or it might be a difference in the size or shape of your pan, which can affect the baking time needed. It does need to cool completely before you loosen with a knife and try to remove it, otherwise it will fall apart. Hope it works out better next time – try checking on it sooner.
Xi xi
0Coconut flour recipe would be amazing!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Xi xi, Sorry, I don’t have a coconut flour version of this recipe at the moment.
Eunice C.
0I’m pretty new to healthy baking. This recipe was AMAZING. My only issue is that it’s honestly so good…. that I could probably eat the whole thing at once. Advice…. freeze that sucker if you don’t want the entire cake to turn into your serving lol!
Lydia Eubank
0NO criticism. This cake is delicious!!!
Lori
0Can this be made with your Wholesome Yum Allulose/Monkfruit sweetener? I prefer the flavor of it over Erythritol.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Lori, Yes, you can use the Monk Fruit Allulose sweetener. cut the amount of sweetener down to 3/4 cup and you will be good to go!
Melody
0I would love to see a nut free version of this! I want something I can send to school for my daughter’s birthday, but it’s a nut free classroom, or else this would be perfect. The birthday cake looks great, but it also has nuts.
Debbie
0I have made this cake several times, always with great results. Today for the first time it stuck to the pan and I can’t figure out why. Can you help? I thoroughly greased pan with Crisco. Used ingredients you list in same quantities. I let the cake cool completely in the pan…might that have been the reason? I am mystified.
Sharon Reum
0If you let a bundt cake cool completely, it will stick. Only cool for 15 minutes.
Lori
0Cooling a cake in the pan all the way will usually cause it to stick. You can gently re-warm the pan over a very low flame for a few seconds, turning constantly…it helps. Normally 15-30 min is the max you should let a cake cool in the pan to avoid sticking (the oils solidify as they cool)
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Debbie, I’m not sure. The cake should cool slightly (15 minutes or so) so it holds it’s structure when you turn it out.
elidre
0Good taste, though a little oily. I don’t mind a moist cake but this was very moist and fairly oily, so that combination made it a bit heavy. I ended up eating about 2 servings and it was super filling. This was the first dessert I prepared with erythritol (used Swerve granulated) and the final product tasted like it was prepared with sugar which was a pleasant surprise. Will probably make again.
Talia
0I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!!!
The first time I made this cake it was way too delicate and kept falling apart, so decided to make them as cupcakes.
I have made these so many times and they always come out perfect.
Love the flavour, the texture and they come out super moist.
Definitely recommend this recipe.
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.