Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfectly moist and tender, packed with delicious lemony flavors and sprinkled with just the right amount of poppy seeds. Easy to bake, it makes for a great breakfast, tea-time or dessert, with or without icing. Love all things citrus? Me too! Make sure to give my amazing Orange Pound Cake and Perfect Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake a try!

Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfectly moist and tender, packed with delicious lemony flavors and sprinkled with just the right amount of poppy seeds.

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Guys, I’m so happy and proud to share with you my perfect lemon poppy seed loaf recipe today! I’ve been working on this recipe for quite some time (actually years!) and I finally obtained the results I was looking for: a rich, buttery and moist lemon poppy seed loaf, with just the right amount of poppy seed. The result is just insane… and slightly addictive too!

Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfectly moist and tender, packed with delicious lemony flavors and sprinkled with just the right amount of poppy seeds.

And believe me, when it comes to citrus cake recipes, I’m known for being very picky about the texture. I expect all the fresh and juicy flavors from the citrus (whether I use lemons, oranges or grapefruits), a moist and tender texture enabling the cake to hold its shape when slicing, and just the right balance between sweet and sour. I tried my hands on several lemon poppy seed breads over the years and often found them slightly too cakey and dry, which is a big no-no for me. So I kept trying again and trying again until I understand the science behind and made it to this decadent recipe.

This lemon poppy seed loaf is:

  • Easy to make ✔
  • Rich & buttery ✔
  • Tender & moist ✔
  • Lemony ✔
  • Right balance of sweet & sour ✔

Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfectly moist and tender, packed with delicious lemony flavors and sprinkled with just the right amount of poppy seeds.

An additional challenge: the poppy seeds!

As it turns out, poppy seeds add an additional challenge to your baking recipes as they tend to absorb all the moisture, resulting in tough and dry texture. So the idea is to use just the right amount, not too much, not too little, and spread them out evenly in the batter. Most lemon poppy seed loaf recipes call for 3 Tablespoons poppy seeds in the batter when I, personally found my sweet spot with 2 Tablespoons only. And believe me, it doesn’t make me less of a poppy seed lover (not an addict!).

Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfectly moist and tender, packed with delicious lemony flavors and sprinkled with just the right amount of poppy seeds.

Tips to make best lemon poppy seed loaf

Note that I call it lemon poppy seed loaf and not lemon poppy seed bread. You may wonder what’s the difference between both, and I must admit it’s not very obvious. But generally speaking, bread recipes tend to be on the drier side with very little sugar, while loaf recipes are usually rich, buttery and sweet.

Now a few tips to perfect this lemon poppy seed loaf:

  • Allow “wet” ingredients to be at room temperature before using them: eggs, butter, milk, lemons. If milk is cold, place it just a few seconds in the microwave and monitor closely so it doesn’t become lukewarm.
  • Make sure you sift the flour. Then mix with the other “dry” ingredients: baking powder and salt.
  • Cream eggs and sugar together until pale in texture. Then slowly add the other ingredients as explained in the recipe, always monitoring that the mixer is running on low.
  • Don’t go crazy with the poppy seeds. It’s ok to use more if you want too, but I highly recommend 2 Tablespoons only to get the right moist and tender texture (again, too much of the poppy seed will make your loaf dry).
  • Make the icing to add some extra moisture and sweetness to the cake.

[IMPORTANT NOTE: troubleshooting]

Butter must be softened at room temperature (NOT MELTED). DO NOT try to speed up the process by softening the butter in the microwave or it will ruin the recipe. Use SOFTENED BUTTER, completely softened but not melted. If you end up with a chunky texture while mixing butter and sugar, stop everything, then use a rubber spatula instead and press butter and sugar until creamy. You need to have this creamy texture before going further in the recipe.

Also, when beating the other ingredients, DO NOT beat for too long as it will warm up the ingredients. DO FOLLOW the recipe instructions to a T, one at a time, and never rush any part of the process. This is the best and only way to get a wonderful loaf with a moist texture. I’ve baked it a dozen times with always the same success. You can do it too!

Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfectly moist and tender, packed with delicious lemony flavors and sprinkled with just the right amount of poppy seeds.

More lemon desserts you may love too:

Other easy bread or loaf recipes to try:

Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfectly moist and tender, packed with delicious lemony flavors and sprinkled with just the right amount of poppy seeds.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

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Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfectly moist and tender, packed with delicious lemony flavors and sprinkled with just the right amount of poppy seeds.
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  • Author: Delphine Fortin
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 50 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
  • Category: Cakes and pies

Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfectly moist and tender, packed with delicious lemony flavors and sprinkled with just the right amount of poppy seeds.

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We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!

Ingredients

Scale

For the lemon poppy seed loaf:

  • 1 ¾ cups (225g) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (175g) high quality butter, softened at room temperature (NOT MELTED)*
  • ¾ cup (165g) sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
  • ¾ cup (175 ml) milk

For the lemon glaze (optional):

  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 teaspoons milk

Instructions

For the lemon poppy seed loaf:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease the bottom and the sides of a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan with melted butter or vegetable oil. Set aside.
  2. Sift flour in a medium size bowl. Add baking powder, salt, and mix well. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or using hand mixer on low-speed setting, cream softened butter (NOT MELTED)* and sugar until pale and fluffy. If you end up with a chunky texture while mixing butter and sugar, stop everything, then use a rubber spatula, and press butter and sugar until creamy. You need to have this creamy softened butter-sugar texture before going further in the recipe.
  4. Slowly add the beaten eggs to the mixer, one at a time. Add the lemon juice, zest and poppy seeds. Keep the mixer running on low speed and pour in half the milk with half of the flour mixture. Beat until all ingredients are combined, then slowly add the remaining milk and flour, and beat until combined.
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (remember that every oven is different and baking times may vary a little). Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
  6. When the cake is cooled, make the icing. Start with adding 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to the powdered sugar then add milk, adjusting quantity if needed. The icing should be thick and not too runny. Spoon icing over he cake and let harden before serving.

Notes

* IMPORTANT NOTE. Use SOFTENED BUTTER, completely softened but not melted. If you end up with a chunky texture while mixing butter and sugar, stop everything, then use a rubber spatula, and press butter and sugar until creamy. You need to have this creamy butter-sugar texture before going further in the recipe. This will ensure a perfectly moist texture after baking.

 

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Did you make this recipe?

Lastly, if you make this Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!

Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is perfectly moist and tender, packed with delicious lemony flavors and sprinkled with just the right amount of poppy seeds.