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Incredibly light and tender homemade Poppy Seed Cake, is easy to make and perfect for brunch or dessert!
I'm a huge fan of simple, classic recipes, like this Poppy Seed Cake. This cake is NOT dense, rich or overly sweet, and that's part of why I love it so much! It's like a step-sibling to angel food cake in how light, and mildly sweet it is. I also think it's beautiful in its simplicity; no frostings or glazes, but just a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Serve it for brunch with a side of fruit, coffee or tea. It could also be served as a light dessert–I'm thinking some sugared strawberries on top and maybe even a spoonful of fresh whipped cream would be divine.
My mom has been making this poppy seed cake for years ( the original recipe came from her friend–thanks Ciel!) and it's one our family has grown to treasure.
How to make Poppy Seed Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Cream together butter and 1 ¼ cups of the granulated sugar. Stir in ¼ cup milk and vanilla.
- Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in poppy seeds. Set aside.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the ¾ cup milk, a little bit at a time, stirring gently after each addition, starting and ending with flour.
- Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until they stand in soft peaks and then beat in remaining ½ cup sugar. Fold egg whites into cake batter.
- Pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the bundt pan before inverting on a cooling rack.
- Sift powdered sugar over the top of the cake before serving.
Storing and Freezing Instructions:
Store the cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days. To freeze, allow the cake to cool completely, then covered tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
More popular bundt cake recipes:
- Banana Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Nothing Bundt Cake
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Poppy Seed Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/3 cup poppy seeds
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, , divided
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup milk, , divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large egg whites, *
- powdered sugar, for garnishing, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
- Cream together butter and 1 ¼ cups of the granulated sugar. Stir in ¼ cup milk and vanilla.
- Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in poppy seeds. Set aside.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the ¾ cup milk, a little bit at a time, stirring gently after each addition, starting and ending with flour.
- Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until they stand in soft peaks and then beat in remaining ½ cup sugar. Fold egg whites into cake batter.
- Pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the bundt pan before inverting on a wire rack.
- Sift powdered sugar over the top of the cake before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe February 2017. Updated October 2020.
I am going to try this recipe. I love baking from scratch. My question is, I only have a silicone bundt pan, do I need to grease and flour it? I would hate for the cake to stick when inverted. Thank you for your response.
Yes even with a silicone bundt pan, it’s a good idea to lightly grease and flour it, especially for scratch cakes like this. Silicone can be a little unpredictable with sticking, and poppy seed batters can cling more than others. A light coat of nonstick spray plus a dusting of flour will help it release cleanly. So glad you’re baking this from scratch — let me know how it turns out!
Thank you for your response. I will certainly do that. Im making it for our Christmas eve celebration.
do you soak the poppy seed in milk? my grandma did but i don’t know how long.
No! No soaking required in this recipe.
I’m confused does step 2 and 3 ingredients get added together before step 4? I don’t see any place that talks about combining steps 2 and 3. Thank you.
Great question! Yes—after you cream the butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla (Step 2), you’ll gradually add the dry ingredients from Step 3 to that mixture in Step 4, alternating with the remaining milk. So Steps 2 and 3 are kept separate until Step 4 when they come together. Hope that clears it up!
-Stacy