This is a “healthy” lemon poppy seed bundt cake, sweetened with honey instead of refined sugar (if you decide not to glaze it).
While I officially named this Lemon Poppy Bundt Seed, we almost named it Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cake when my two year old pulled up a chair and started throwing things in. Fortunately, most of the items had lids on them like the jar of honey and the jar of poppy seeds. However, we are not sure exactly what and how much of it was in the cup that he threw in the batter. It all happened so quickly. I went to the sink to rinse a measuring cup, turned around, and everything that was within reach was in the bowl. I pulled the items out of the batter, used a spatula to return as much of the batter as possible to the bowl, and decided to proceed since baking it at 350 degrees would most likely kill any germs introduced by my son. It turned out pretty good! I offer my best estimate (confirmed by a later re-do) of the ingredients.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (I used gluten free flour)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 Tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (this is usually the juice of 2 lemons)
- grated lemon rind from two lemons
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Glaze:
- 1/4 cup warm lemon juice
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Directions:
Cake:
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds.
- Add honey, eggs, milk, oil, lemon juice, grated lemon peel, and vanilla.
- Mix until smooth.
- Pour into a greased Bundt pan or two 8 x 5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 – 55 minutes for loaf pan and 55 – 65 minutes for Bundt pan or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. (Click here for tip on testing doneness of Bundt cakes).
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then loosen sides with a knife, and invert onto a wire rack.
Glaze:
- Stir the warm lemon juice in with the powdered sugar. Mix well.
- Slowly pour over the cake while it is still hot.
Printable Recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour I use gluten-free flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 Tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice this is usually the juice of 2 lemons
- grated lemon rind from two lemons
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Glaze:
- 1/4 cup warm lemon juice
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Cake:
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds.
- Add honey, eggs, milk, oil, lemon juice, grated lemon peel, and vanilla.
- Mix until smooth.
- Pour into a greased Bundt pan or two 8 x 5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 – 55 minutes for loaf pan and 55 - 65 minutes for Bundt pan or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. (Click here for tip on testing doneness of Bundt cakes).
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then loosen sides with a knife, and invert onto a wire rack.
Glaze:
- Stir the warm lemon juice in with the powdered sugar. Mix well.
- Slowly pour over the cake while it is still hot.
Nutrition
Here are a few more cake recipes that I like to leave unfrosted and use as lunch box cakes:
Easy Triple Chocolate Cake
Tomato Soup Cake
Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake
Easy Applesauce Cake
What home baked goodies do you make for lunches and snacks?
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Alea says
I love bundt cakes because there is something about them that makes me think it is okay to leave off the frosting. However, I am going to be experimenting with some layer cakes and cupcakes in the next couple of weeks.
halfdozendaily says
YUM!! This sounds & looks SO good! I keep seeing your bundt pan cakes and want one soo bad! lol! But i'm trying to hold out to find one gently used or on Kijiji! Hopefully soon!
Struggler says
So funny! You probably have a great scientist in the making there.
Mary says
That looks absolutely wonderful. I also like your other suggestions for lunch box cakes.
Alea says
Rae- Wish LMG happy birthday from me. I am going to continue playing with cakes this week. If I make any remarkable discoveries I will email you.
Shana- I bet Blaze could come up with his own interesting additions! 😀
Linden- Your tea cake sounds fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe; I can't wait to try it.
Linden says
Here is what I like to send in the lunch box:
Parsnip Poppy Seed Tea Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup nonfat yogurt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (I have used orange rind in a pinch)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded parsnip, packed down in the cup
1/3 cup poppy seeds
Preparation:
Hand mix all the ingredients together, except the parsnip and poppies; stir those in last. The result will be a thick, gloppy mixture that you should spoon into a lightly greased loaf pan. (I prefer to use parchment paper, so that there is no grease sheen to the outside of the loaf.) Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes, although if your oven runs hot start checking at 35 minutes. Remove from the stove when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
This loaf does not rise much at all. Instead, it has a pleasing density that satisfies even when served in thin slices. Perfect with a cup of tea or plain coffee.
Shana says
I may try that but i will probably leave out the dishes…lol. Looks great!
Rae says
Wow, this sounds amazing; I'm definitely going to try this. It's DD's birthday next week and I think she will love this cake. I found a recipe for sugar free frosting the other day made with set honey, cream cheese and cocoa powder; so I'll adapt that to make the cake look special.
Thanks for the recipe!