Poppy Seed Cake is a recipe my Nana used to make us when we were younger. It has almond flavoring and topped with a sugar glaze. This cake is delicious with a cup of coffee for breakfast or as a simple dessert.
If you like loaf cakes be sure to try this easy cake mix banana bread and zucchini bread.
When I visited my aunt over the summer, she gave me a copy of our Nana’s recipes. I have mentioned Nana in previous posts but just to reiterate, she was a great cook!
This is her poppy seed cake recipe. When I was little I thought that she named this after our “Poppy”, our grandfather. Come to find out it was the name of an ingredient. Oh well, I will still pretend it was named after him.
Ingredients needed
flour, baking powder, milk, sugar, poppy seeds, eggs, vegetable oil vanilla, butter extract, almond extract and orange juice.
How to make Poppy Seed Cake
Scroll to the bottom for full, printable recipe and ingredient list.
This loaf cake recipe makes two loaves, one for you and one to give away or freeze for later.
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Mix: Mix together eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, butter and almond extract. Stir in milk.
- Combine: Add in flour, sugar and baking soda.
- Separate: Divide batter into 2 prepared loaf pans.
- Bake: Bake for 1 hour.
How to make poppy seed cake glaze
- Combine: Mix together sugar, orange juice, almond extract, vanilla extract and butter extract in a saucepan.
- Heat: Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. This usually takes about 5 minutes.
- Glaze: Pour over cakes while they are still warm.
The recipe calls to take the bread out of the pan and pour the glaze on. You can remove it or keep in in the pan for less mess.
Can you freeze?
Yes you can freeze this loaf cake! Allow the cake to completely cool and then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. I wrap a couple times to ensure the cake stays moist and keeps all of those yucky freezer smells out. Next wrap in foil and then place in the freezer. It lasts about 4 weeks in the freezer. Simply leave out on the counter to thaw when you are ready to eat.
Recipe tips
- Make sure to either coat the baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper so that you can easily remove the cake.
- Add the glaze on when the cake is warm.
- Try not to over mix the batter to keep the cake light and moist.
- Can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Do poppy seeds go bad?
They do not go bad but can start to loose flavor over a long period of time.
You May Need…
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I like to bake my loaf cakes in a glass loaf dish but metal works too.
More easy and delicious cakes
- Pineapple Cake – This is a great cake for summer! Filled with pineapple bits and topped with pineapple glaze.
- 7Up Cake – 7-up is the secret ingredient in this classic cake.
- Orange Poke Cake – Tasty cake with orange JELL-O.
- Apricot Nectar Cake – One of the most popular cakes on the blog.
- Chocolate Sheet Cake – A classic chocolate cake with a delicious chocolate frosting.
***If you made this recipe, please feel free to leave a comment and star rating below.
Poppy seed Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons butter extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
- glaze
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon butter extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Mix bread ingredients in a mixer bowl until well combined.
- Pour mixture into 2 greased loaf pans.
- Bake for one hour.
- Mix together glaze ingredients into a small saucepan.
- Cook on stove over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
- Remove bread from the pans and pour glaze over warm bread.
Notes
- Make sure to either coat the baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper so that you can easily remove the cake.
- Add the glaze on when the cake is warm.
- Try not to over mix the batter to keep the cake light and moist.
- Can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Taylor
Delicious! That glaze on top is everything!
Kristyn
This cake is the best!! It is so soft & moist! I think I need to bake some this week! It’s always a hit!
Jen
This is exactly what I needed with my afternoon coffee! Loved it!
Toni
This was SO good! My kids loved it!
Rachael Yerkes
This is the best cake ever!