Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Name: Poppy Seed Pound Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup salted butter (* softened ); 3/4 cup white sugar; 1 teaspoon almond extract (*); 2 eggs (* (room temperature)); 1/2 cup sour cream; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/3 cup poppy seeds; 1 cup powdered sugar ((confectioners sugar)); 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (*); 1-2 tablespoons milk

Published: May 12, 2021 · Modified: Feb 21, 2024 by Naomi Andres · 3 Comments

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Loaded with poppy seeds and topped with sweet almond icing, this simple Poppy Seed Pound Cake has an incredibly tender and soft crumb that will make you come back for more!

Slice on poppy seed loaf topped with white icing and poppy seeds.

This would be such a dainty loaf to serve at a tea party cut into small slices or with a savory brunch! It has a rich and tender crumb thanks to plenty of butter and sour cream incorporated into the batter.

If you are looking for more tea party fare, be sure to check out my Earl Grey Scones or these simple Currant Tea Scones for a buttery scone that pairs perfectly with tea or coffee. My Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes or Mini New York Cheesecakes would also be dainty and cute options for a fancy high tea event!

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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
🧈 Ingredients
📃 Instructions
💡 Top Tip
❓ Recipe FAQs
🍞 More Loaf Recipes
📖 Recipe

End of a loaf of poppy seed pound cake with icing dripping down.

This recipe was inspired by a childhood memory of mine. From the time I was 4 until I was 7 years old, my older brothers and I were enrolled in Ukrainian dancing. I remember being at a dancing competition and eating a poppy seed loaf from a bake sale that was moist, absolutely packed with poppy seeds, and topped with delicious icing. This memory popped into my head not long ago and I knew I needed to recreate it myself!

I'm ¼ Ukrainian and poppy seeds are a pretty common ingredient in Ukrainian and other European baking. Their slightly nutty flavor that goes well with almond extract is amazing added to neutral-flavoured baked goods. One of my favorite Ukrainian baked goods is Pampushky, a fried yeasted doughnut filled with sweetened almond poppy seed paste. They are SO good, especially dusted with powdered sugar!

⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe

Buttery and tender. This poppy seed loaf is NOT dry. It has a splendid texture thanks to the butter and sour cream added to the batter.
Full of poppy seeds. There's no skimping here, this pound cake has ⅓ cup of poppy seeds inside.
Topped with a delightful icing. The simple almond icing that tops this loaf is made from just powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract.

🧈 Ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed to make this poppy seed loaf.

Salted Butter - Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature before starting. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the recipe if using unsalted butter.
Eggs - It is very important for the eggs to be at room temperature to incorporate properly into the batter. If you need to bring them up to room temperature quickly, place them in a bowl of hot tap water for 10 minutes.
Almond Extract - The almond flavor complements the poppy seeds so well in this loaf. You may use vanilla extract instead.

See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.

📃 Instructions

Butter and sugar creamed together in a glass bowl.

Step 1: Cream together the softened butter and sugar for 1 minute.

Eggs and almond extract added to bowl of creamed butter and sugar.

Step 2: Add the eggs and almond extract and cream on high speed for 1 minute until fluffy.

Sour cream added to bowl of combined ingredients.

Step 3: Add the sour cream and mix again on high until smooth.

Combined flour, baking soda, and poppy seeds in a mixing bowl.

Step 4: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and poppy seeds.

Combined poppy seed batter in a mixing bowl.

Step 5: Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix!

Batter in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

Step 6: Pour the batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

Step 7: Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the loaf is golden and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Step 8: Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth to make the glaze. Pour over the completely cooled loaf.

💡 Top Tip

Make sure the cake is baked completely before taking it out of the oven. The best way to check if it is fully baked is to insert a toothpick or other tester right into the middle of the cake. If the toothpick comes out with batter on it, bake the cake for more time in 5-10 minute increments of added time.

❓ Recipe FAQs

Where do I buy poppy seeds?

Poppy seeds are often located in the section of the grocery store where the spices are but they may also be by the baking ingredients.

What can I use instead of almond extract?

If you don't like almond extract, you can definitely use vanilla extract instead in the batter and icing for this recipe.

How do you store pound cake?

While pound cake is best served on the day it was made after it has cooled, you can store it in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Can this recipe be made gluten-free?

I have not tested this recipe using gluten-free ingredients, but I would love to hear about it if you experiment with making this pound cake gluten-free.

Slice of poppy seed loaf topped with white icing.

🍞 More Loaf Recipes

Looking for more recipes for quick breads and loaves? Try these:

If you tried this Poppy Seed Pound Cake or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!