This luscious Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is quick and easy to make for a weekend brunch, potluck, or just for a slice of something delicious to enjoy with your morning coffee!
Breakfast cakes are in a world of their own, aren’t they? While I may try to only have dessert once a week, I can TOTALLY enjoy a breakfast cake (of some sort) each morning without blinking an eye. Maybe it’s because breakfast cakes are really easy to portion. Maybe it’s because they go so well with a cup of coffee. Or maybe it’s because I know I’m going to need the fuel for a slam-packed day, but goodness, I can get behind a breakfast cake.
Some of my favorite breakfast cakes include: blueberry scones, cinnamon coffee cake, and this oh-so-awesome pumpkin spiced coffee bundt cake with a cold brew icing.
Today’s breakfast cake is also an anytime cake. It’s a Mother’s Day cake, a “gosh, I’m awesome and I deserve this” cake, and an “I can’t refuse anything with lemon” cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If we’re claiming that this lemon poppy seed bread is the *best*, we’ve got to have some evidence to back that up, right?! Here’s why we think this loaf is the best around:
- It’s luscious – this lemon poppy seed loaf has a secret ingredient (cream cheese!) that adds weight, body, and a luscious texture that you won’t find in most quick breads.
- It’s perfectly textured – moist, not too dense, with a perfect crumb.
- It has the yummiest lemon glaze – the lemon glaze is insanely delicious and really takes this bread over the top!
- It’s allergen-friendly – this cake can be made gluten and dairy-free with a few simple swaps!
Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Recipe Ingredients
At first glance, this list may look long, but truly, it’s filled with super simple ingredients that can be found in your local grocery store (and maybe even your pantry/fridge)! Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
For the Loaf
- Gluten Free Flour – to start, you’ll need 2 cups of gluten free flour. We always use King Arthur’s Measure for Measure GF flour when baking!
- Baking Powder – in addition to the flour, you’ll also need 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Sea Salt – a 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt will also go into the batter.
- Lemon Zest – 1 tablespoon of lemon zest is responsible for this bread’s subtle brightness.
- Poppy Seeds – what is a lemon cake without poppy seeds?! We’ll use 1 teaspoon here.
- Butter – you’ll also need 1 cup of room temperature unsalted butter.
- Cream Cheese – ready for the secret ingredient?! 2 ounces of softened cream cheese is the STAR of the show here.
- Vanilla Extract – 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract helps to round out the loaf.
- Coconut Sugar – 1 ½ cups of sugar sweetens the bread beautifully. We opted for coconut sugar here because it really adds a lovely brown sugar-like flavor to a baked good. The reason this cake has a lovely brown color is because of the coconut sugar! If you prefer regular granulated sugar though, go for it!
- Eggs – 5 large eggs will bind everything together.
For the Glaze
- Powdered Sugar – now for the glaze! We’ll start with a ½ cup of powdered sugar.
- Poppy Seeds – you’ll also need a 1/2 teaspoon of poppy seeds.
- Lemon Juice – 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice brightens the glaze and adds that classic lemon flavor.
- Lemon Zest – 1 teaspoon of lemon zest finishes it all off!
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
Here are a few simple ways to make this recipe your own:
- Go dairy-free – to make a dairy-free version of this recipe, simply swap the cream cheese for Kite Hill dairy-free cream cheese and the butter for ghee or coconut oil.
- Not a fan of poppy seeds? – Feel free to leave them out. Omitting the poppy seeds won’t change the end product at all, and you’ll have a lovely lemon loaf.
- Swap your citrus – If you don’t have a lemon on hand, use an orange, blood orange, or lime instead. Grapefruit would be tasty too!
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf
While baked goods can sometimes feel a little bit tricky, this one is actually quite simple to pull together. Here’s how you’ll do it.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk together the flour, zest, poppy seeds, and salt – in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, poppy seeds, and sea salt.
Step 2: Add the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract to a large bowl, and beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until fully combined and fluffy.
Step 3: Add the coconut sugar to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix for an additional minute, then beat in the eggs.
Step 4: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a ½ cup at a time, mixing thoroughly with each addition.
Step 5: Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, or grease with butter, then pour batter into the pan. Bake – bake the lemon poppy seed bread for 50-55 minutes, until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Then, let the bread cool for at least one hour.
Step 6: In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, poppy seeds, and lemon juice. Pour the glaze over the bread, sprinkle with lemon zest, slice, and serve!
Lemon Loaf Recipe Tips
Have extra lemon juice or zest? – squeeze the extra juice and freeze it in ice cube trays, and freeze the zest on a piece of parchment paper, then transfer to a small baggie or reusable container. Keep them in the freezer for use in another recipe.
How to Serve Lemon Loaf
Let the loaf cool. Then, cut it into thick slices and enjoy!
How to Store
This lemon loaf keeps best in an airtight container either on the counter or in the refrigerator! Stored this way, it’ll stay fresh for 4-5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
First off, you’ll want to wash your lemon, since you’ll be consuming the zested rind. Then, holding the lemon in one hand and a zester in the other, move the lemon up and down the zester (very similar to how you’d shred cheese), until you have the amount of zest you’re looking for. The trick is to only remove the yellow top layer, leaving the bitter white pith behind.
There are endless possibilities for using leftover lemon zest (and juice)! Some of our favorites are Lemon-Ginger Green Juice, Arugula Salad with Lemon and Sea Salt, Lemon Chicken and Rice, Lemon Curd, and Lemon Bars. And that’s just for starters!
More of Our Best Baking Recipes
If you tried this recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf, or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Pound Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, we used this one for gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar
- 5 large eggs
For the Glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, poppy seeds, and sea salt.
- Add the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until fully combined and fluffy.
- Add the coconut sugar to the bowl and mix for an additional minute, then beat in the eggs.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, or grease with butter, then fill with the batter. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool for at least one hour, then make the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, poppy seeds, and lemon juice. Pour the glaze over the bread, sprinkle with lemon zest, slice, and serve!
Recipe Notes
- For Dairy-Free: substitute coconut oil for the butter and Kite Hill almond cream cheese for the cream cheese.
Nutrition
Very good! I added some lemon juice to the bread because I love lemon. Everything I’ve made from this website turns out great. I have full trust in Fed and Fit!
So kind, Teresa! Thank you so much!
Do you think this could be made into muffins?
Thanks!
Absolutely! You’ll need to reduce the cook time – we haven’t tested it to know for sure, but I’d pull the muffins out after 25 minutes and check them with a toothpick! They may need a few more minutes, but they shouldn’t take much longer than 25-30 minutes total.
So yummy! Made this last weekend and it was delicious. Moist, flavorful and super easy. Even non-paleo husband approved. Thinking of how to give it a gingerbread twist next….seems like a great base recipe to play with.
So glad you enjoyed it! Gingerbread would be amazing!