A tender raspberry lemon poppyseed loaf cake that bursts with bright lemon and fresh raspberry flavor. Soft and moist, it finishes with a thin lemon glaze for a perfect balance of sweet and tart.
If you like loaf cakes and quick breads, try other recipes like blueberry crumb muffins, chocolate chip banana bread, pumpkin muffins or orange almond muffins.
This recipe was first published May 13, 2021.
This lemon poppyseed loaf is wonderfully versatile: swap in different berries to change the flavor. I most often make it with raspberries, as in this recipe, or with blueberries. The cake keeps well in the refrigerator and makes an excellent breakfast or brunch treat—slice a piece and enjoy with coffee.
If you prefer not to use the lemon glaze, a thin smear of cream cheese is another delicious option.
About fifteen years ago Starbucks sold raspberry poppyseed muffins that were particularly memorable; this loaf cake is a close cousin of that flavor profile. It’s a lovely bake for special occasions—Mother’s Day, weekend brunch, or any time you want something simple and delicious.
Ingredients
Below are the ingredients used in this loaf and a few substitution notes.
- Butter – use real butter, not margarine.
- Sugar – cane sugar or regular granulated sugar works.
- Vanilla extract.
- Eggs.
- All-purpose flour – this recipe was developed with all-purpose flour. If you want to try gluten-free, many bakers have success using a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Baking soda.
- Baking powder.
- Salt.
- Lemon zest.
- Lemon juice.
- Buttermilk – if you don’t have buttermilk, make a substitute by stirring lemon juice or vinegar into milk and letting it sit for a few minutes.
- Poppyseeds.
- Raspberries – fresh berries are best; frozen raspberries can release too much moisture when thawed.
- Powdered sugar – for the lemon glaze.
- Optional: a drop of pink food coloring for the glaze.
How To Make Raspberry Lemon Poppyseed Loaf Cake
1. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. A stand mixer makes this easy, but a hand mixer will also work.
3. Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated but not overbeating.
4. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and poppyseeds.
5. Measure the buttermilk and lemon juice. If you’re adjusting quantities, you can measure ½ cup of buttermilk in a glass measuring cup and add lemon juice to reach the required volume.
6. Add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients to the batter alternately, mixing on low until just combined. The batter should be pale yellow and smooth.
7. Gently fold in the raspberries with a spatula so they don’t break up too much.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
9. Cool the loaf completely before glazing. For the lemon glaze, whisk sifted powdered sugar with a small amount of lemon juice and a tablespoon or so of water until you reach a thin but not runny consistency. Add a drop of pink food coloring if desired, then drizzle over the cooled loaf.
FAQ
A crack is normal and shows the loaf rose properly in the oven. It doesn’t affect flavor or texture.
Yes. Blueberries or chopped strawberries work well; adjust handling so berries don’t bleed into the batter excessively.
Mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice with 1 cup milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. For this recipe’s ½ cup buttermilk, use ½ cup milk plus ½ tablespoon lemon juice.
More Lemon Baked Goods
- Blueberry Lemon Crumb Muffins
- Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake
- Lemon Curd
- Lemon Dutch Baby
- Cinnamon Apple Loaf Cake
Raspberry Lemon Poppyseed Loaf Cake
1 loaf cake
20 minutes
1 hour
1 hour 20 minutes
A tender raspberry lemon poppyseed loaf cake finished with a lemon glaze.
Ingredients
loaf cake
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2½ tsp poppyseeds
- 1 pint raspberries
lemon glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- lemon juice, a squeeze
- optional: pink food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl.
- Beat for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Mix in vanilla extract and lemon zest.
- Add the eggs one at a time until combined.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and poppyseeds.
- Measure buttermilk and lemon juice, then combine.
- Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients to the batter, mixing on low until almost combined.
- Gently fold in raspberries with a spatula.
- Pour batter into the loaf pan.
- Bake 60 minutes, rotating the pan at 30 minutes; test with a toothpick for doneness.
- Cool the loaf completely.
- Whisk powdered sugar with lemon juice and water to make a thin glaze; add food coloring if desired.
- Pour glaze over the cooled loaf and serve.
Notes
Measure ½ cup buttermilk in a glass cup and add lemon juice until the volume matches the recipe if needed. To check doneness insert a toothpick into the center; if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, the loaf is done. The cake often tastes even better the next day. Store chilled, wrapped in plastic wrap.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 318
Total Fat: 11g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Trans Fat: 0g
Unsaturated Fat: 4g
Cholesterol: 81mg
Sodium: 431mg
Carbohydrates: 50g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 28g
Protein: 5g
Nutrition figures are estimates from online calculators and should be used as a general guide.