Lemon Poppy Seed Honey Cake

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Light and fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Honey Cake! This delicious cake is full of lemon flavor, studded with poppy seeds and is sweetened with Local Hive™ Honey's Washington Raspberry honey!

This post is sponsored by Local Hive™ Honey, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Short Stack Kitchen possible!

Today's post features Local Hive™ Honey's Washington Raspberry honey, one of 3 varietals that is part of their newly launched Harvest Reserve gift box! The gift box also includes their Oregon Blackberry and Cali Citrus varietals, along with so many goodies! Save 15% on all order at Local Hive™ Honey, when using my discount code, shortstackkitchen15 through 12/31/22.

The Washington Raspberry varietal is very light and bright, with fruity notes similar to raspberry, citrus and green apple. It compliments the lemon flavor in this cake so perfectly.

Lemon Poppy Seed Honey Cake Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour - I'm keeping this recipe simple by just using all-purpose flour.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda - Leveners for the cake.
Salt - Just a bit to round out the flavors.
Poppy Seeds - My recipe calls for 2 tablespoons. I would refrain from adding more than what is written as it can dry out the cake.
Unsalted Butter - You'll want to use room temperature butter. You can quickly bring it to temp by cutting into small cubes.
Oil - Any neutral oil will do, such as avocado, canola or grapeseed oil.
Honey - This cake is only sweetened with honey. I used Local Hive Washington Raspberry varietal.
Vanilla - Vanilla paste or extract will work.
Eggs - Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. You can quickly bring them to temp by submerging in hot tap water for 15 minutes.
Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest - I'm using a combination of lemon juice and lemon zest. The lemon juice will help tenderize the cake, while the zest adds the intense lemon flavor.
Buttermilk - Makes the cake tender and gives a slight tang. You'll also want to use room temperature buttermilk as well. You can quickly bring it to temp by microwaving it in 15 second busts.

Lemon Poppy Seed Honey Cake Instructions

Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below!

Step 1 - With a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on medium, the butter, oil, honey and vanilla until light and fluffy. About 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl half way through.

Step 2 - With the mixer running on medium, drizzle in the lemon juice and mix for an additional minute.

Step 3 - Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each egg is added. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Step 4 - Add buttermilk and lemon zest and mix on medium until well combined. About 1 minute.

Step 5 - In 2 additions, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds & salt) and mix on low just until combined. Do not overmix.

Step 6 - Transfer batter to a greased 10-cup bundt pan and bake at 325ºF (162ºC) for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Step 7 - Allow to sit in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.

Step 8 - Make your lemon honey glaze by combining confectioners sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and honey. Pour over your cooled cake and enjoy!

Expert Tips

Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. It's the best and most accurate way to bake. You can read more about this below.
If you're not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.
Use room temperature ingredients as this will ensure a smooth batter.
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. The stuff in the bottle contains unwanted preservatives and the real stuff just tastes better.
Do not skimp on the lemon zest. The zest gives the cake it's lemony flavor. Lemon juice alone does not add much flavor.