This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
Almond Poppyseed Loaf Cake is an easy pound cake recipe that’s made in a loaf pan. It’s like a quick bread but a cake all in one, full of almond extract flavor and poppyseed!
Last month, on our family trip to Seattle, we ate several times at Frolik Kitchen + Cocktails, the restaurant in our hotel. Normally I avoid hotel restaurants because they’re usually hyped up chains that don’t serve very good food or have very creative cocktails, but this restaurant was different. The menu was fabulous and everything we had (from breakfast to snacks to dinner) was delicious. I grade every restaurant by the creativity of their cocktail and dessert menus, and that one got high marks for both. (Remember that Rosé Lemonade I made? Inspired by Frolik.)
The dessert menu was pretty unique, which is another thing I’m not used to. I hardly ever order desserts at restaurants because the normal offerings are cheesecake with fruit sauce, creme brûlée, and some sort of chocolate decadence cake, none of which actually taste better than any of my recipes. However, there was one on the menu that caught my eye: Almond Poppyseed Cake. Normally used to seeing lemon poppyseed cake, almond poppyseed was a new flavor combo for me. Also, I was surprised at the offering by a restaurant; almond poppyseed isn’t something I think of as a sexy, modern, millennial-type dessert. So I ordered it. And guess what?
(Obviously, I loved it. We all knew that one.)
Mel ate it. He liked it. He really really liked it! (Get it? ?) He actually liked it more than the peanut butter chocolate whoopee pie. It wasn’t too sweet and it was cake and MEL ATE IT.
Almond Poppyseed Loaf Cake is an easy pound cake recipe made in a loaf pan bursting with almond flavor accented by poppyseed.
AND MEL ATE IT.
This loaf cake is a variation on one I’ve made several times before. I’ve made this cake as a lemon loaf, orange bundt, apple cider pound cake, champagne pound cake…and more. This time I added a hefty dose of almond extract and poppy seeds along with a sweet almond glaze. It’s a cake that’s like a loaf of quick bread…but it’s cak…that makes you want it for breakfast.
While I was making this cake I wondered….why would you add poppyseed to cake? I mean…do they have a flavor? I actually googled it and all I got were recipes for what look like really good lemon poppyseed cakes. So…they’re pretty? I guess? Otherwise the bread would just look like a loaf of cake?
I absolutely LOVE almond extract. There’s a hefty dose in both the cake and the frosting. I would drink almond extract if it tasted as good as it smelled (spoiler alert: it doesn’t).
I know a lot of pound cake recipes start with softened butter, but you’ll notice mine starts with melted butter. This ensures that I don’t have to use a mixer of any kind. That, to me, is priceless. All this cake needs is a bowl and a wooden spoon. I used to want to use my stand mixer all the time and hardly ever used a hand mixer. (I have two stand mixers, after all, because of how much I used to use them.) Now that I make video, I hate using the stand mixers because they look annoying on camera…and I even dislike using the hand mixer.
One bowl easy recipes are what I like these days, especially since making recipe videos add a trillion extra dishes from all the little bowls holding sugar and flour and extract.
If you love the flavor of almond extract you’re going to love this cake as much as I do. Just don’t forget the glaze!
Tips for a perfect loaf cake:
- I love using an 8×4-inch pan. It’s the perfect size for this loaf cake; you’ll get rise out of the cake that way. If you use a larger pan the cake will be flatter.
- Poppyseeds can be found in the baking aisle!
- Be sure to just mix this batter, don’t over mix it. As soon as everything is combined, it’s done.
- Don’t forget the glaze!
- It’s definitely cake but since it looks like quick bread I say eat it for breakfast with coffee. 😉
Almond Poppyseed Loaf Cake
Recipe Video
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ½ cups (186g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup (118ml) milk
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2-4 tablespoons (30-60ml) milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray (the kind with flour) or grease and flour it.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in eggs, one at a time, then mix in extracts. Alternately add milk and flour mixture, stirring in between additions, until batter is combined. Stir in poppy seeds.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 20 minutes in pan, then carefully remove to a rack to finish cooling.
- Make the glaze: whisk powdered sugar, extracts, and milk until smooth. Pour over cooled cake.
- Store loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. I like to slice and freeze the slices in sandwich bags.
Recipe Notes
- Full fat milk is best but you can use low-fat or nondairy. I don’t recommend using fat free milk.
Recipe Nutrition
If you think this recipe is good, try Spend with Pennies’ Almond Poppyseed Cake, Lemon Yogurt Poppyseed Bread by Valerie’s Kitchen, or Iced Lemon Loaf Cake by Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts.
Made this about 5 times now; great recipe and everyone loves it! The only thing I’ve done different in my preparation is add a bit more almond and vanilla extract to the batter, along with a layer of sliced almonds added to the top of the cake between two layers of glaze for some added crunch/texture and authentic almond flavor. So it goes, glaze, almonds, and then glaze again. I let that sit for a few hours to harden and it goes perfect like you said as a breakfast treat with coffee. Definitely my new favorite treat to bake! Thank you for sharing!
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times now, and am a huge fan! Took a little bit of trial and error the first time, but I’ve started baking it at 325*F for 60-75 minutes in an 8”x4” pan.
For others who have an issue with tasting the eggs too much once cooked, or having a rubbery final product, I do recommend making sure you aren’t adding eggs to warm/hot melted butter. That can cause the eggs to start cooking and can give that eggy, rubbery taste and texture.
Overall, this will absolutely be in my constant rotation (especially for every Hobbit Day!)
You ask why anyone would add poppy seeds to cake. It’s because they taste delicious! But in the cakes I’ve eaten there are a lot more than in this recipe. In Russian and Ukrainian baking, poppy seeds are often the main ingredient. But do you use whole or ground poppy seeds in this recipe?
I haven’t tasted the cake yet as it’s cooling. I baked it for 45 minutes. Tested with a toothpick and is done. But the cake sunk down most of the center of the loaf…Why?
I used 2% milk. The only change to the recipe was I used 1 C of regular flour and 1/2 C of almond flour.
Would either make the cake sink in the middle?
The almond flour might be the culprit – I have never baked with it but I know it’s different than all purpose.
Mine turned out really dense/rubbery and I could really taste those 3 eggs. Also tasted overly sweet. I used the metric amounts… maybe a problem? Definitely didn’t over bake or over mix. Took your advice and only used a spoon to mix until just combined, maybe that and the melted butter made it so dense. Had to bin it unfortunately.
I’m sorry that happened. That is really strange. Can you let me know the brands of the ingredients you used?
Featured In
Rate This Recipe
Recipe Ratings without Comment