Lemon Poppy Seed Yogurt Loaf Cake
A lemon-zested yogurt loaf with fine poppy-seed speckles and a simple lemon glaze. Makes twelve slices.
This lemon loaf pairs a yogurt-and-oil batter with a small scattering of poppy seeds. Fresh zest supplies the citrus aroma, while lemon juice appears in both the cake and its white glaze. It is a simple American-style loaf cake for afternoon tea, with no butter creaming or layered frosting.
Bake in a lined loaf pan, then let the cake cool completely before adding the glaze. The hands-on work is short, but cooling takes much longer than mixing. Plan on about 3 hours 45 minutes including baking, cooling and glaze setting; warm rooms may extend the cooling time.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Whisking the dry ingredients distributes the baking powder and poppy seeds. Yogurt and neutral oil mix into the eggs without a butter-creaming step. Folding only until the flour disappears limits overmixing, and glazing a completely cool loaf keeps the topping on the surface.
Before you start · Equipment
Kitchen scale, precision scale, 23 × 13 × 7 cm (9 × 5 inch) metal loaf pan, baking parchment, two mixing bowls, whisk, spatula, fine grater, cooling rack and wooden skewer.
Everything you’ll need.
Get your ingredients ready, then follow the quantities in the recipe below.
See ingredient amounts
This guide describes the original 12 slices. Use the recipe card for amounts adjusted to your chosen yield.
A citrus loaf for the cake collection
Lemon zest and small poppy-seed speckles run through a pale yellow crumb. The simple glaze provides a sweet citrus finish. This is a home-style American-inspired loaf, not a regional authenticity or kitchen-testing claim.
Use the specified metal pan
A 23 × 13 × 7 cm pan gives the batter room to rise. A smaller or deeper pan can change the baking time and risk overflow. Paper lining avoids introducing unmeasured oil into the formula.
Fold rather than keep beating
Once wet and dry mixtures meet, stop when the dry flour disappears. Scrape the bowl so no flour pocket remains, but avoid prolonged beating. The poppy seeds should be spread evenly through the batter.
Check the centre before cooling
A browned top alone does not show that the centre is baked. Check the deepest part with a skewer and look for dry crumbs or a clean skewer. Cover the top loosely with foil if needed and continue baking until wet batter is gone.
Keep the glaze on a cold loaf
A warm cake can melt the glaze and make it soak in. Allow about 10 minutes in the pan, 2 hours on a rack and 20 minutes for the glaze to set; cooling may take longer. Spread the measured glaze only when the centre and base feel cool.
Store the cooled cake
Once cooled and glazed, cover and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3 days as a conservative storage choice. Serve individual slices after a short rest outside the refrigerator. For longer storage, wrap unglazed slices well and freeze for up to 2 months for quality; thaw in the refrigerator before glazing or serving.
About the ingredients
- Flour and baking powder
Use 250 g plain all-purpose flour and 8 g double-acting baking powder. Self-rising flour has a different leavening and salt balance. Weigh the flour rather than packing a cup. The listed pan size is part of the formula.
- Regular whole-milk yogurt
Use 180 g plain unsweetened regular yogurt. Greek yogurt, sweetened yogurt or sour cream changes water content and texture. Briefly take the eggs and yogurt out while you prepare the pan; do not leave perishable ingredients out for hours.
- Oil, eggs and sugar
The batter uses 90 g neutral canola oil, 150 g egg without shells and 180 g granulated sugar. There is no butter or additional pan grease. Oil substitutions and egg-size changes alter the formula and nutrition.
- Lemon and poppy seeds
Grate only 6 g yellow outer zest, avoiding bitter white pith. Use 40 g strained lemon juice in the batter and a separate 15 g in the glaze. All 15 g poppy seeds go into the dry mixture; none are added as an extra topping.
- Powdered sugar glaze
The glaze contains 100 g powdered sugar and 15 g lemon juice. Sift before mixing. Spread all of it over a cold loaf. Additional juice, sugar, frosting or garnish is outside the measured recipe and nutrition.
How to make Lemon Poppy Seed Yogurt Loaf Cake
Prepare the lined loaf pan and dry mixture. Whisk eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, lemon zest and juice, fold into the dry ingredients and bake. Cool completely, spread the lemon glaze and cut twelve slices.
1. Prepare the pan and dry mixture
2. Whisk the yogurt mixture and fold the batter
3. Bake and cool the loaf completely
4. Glaze and cut twelve slicesWatch How To Make It
chefzelish.com
Lemon Poppy Seed Yogurt Loaf Cake
A lemon-zested yogurt loaf with fine poppy-seed speckles and a simple lemon glaze. Makes twelve slices.
Ingredients
0 / 12 readyIngredient amounts for 12 slices
Dry mixture
Yogurt and lemon mixture
Lemon glaze
Let’s make it.
Prepare the pan and dry mixture
Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) conventional, or 320°F (160°C) fan. Line the base and all four sides of a 23 × 13 × 7 cm metal loaf pan with baking parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides; use no extra grease. Whisk 250 g flour, 8 g baking powder, 2 g salt and 15 g poppy seeds in a large bowl until evenly distributed.
Whisk the yogurt mixture and fold the batter
In a second bowl, whisk 150 g egg, 180 g yogurt and 180 g granulated sugar until combined. Whisk in 90 g canola oil, 6 g lemon zest and 40 g lemon juice. Pour into the dry mixture and fold with a spatula just until no dry flour remains; scrape the base of the bowl without beating for several minutes. Transfer all batter to the lined pan and level the top. Do not taste the raw batter; raw flour and eggs can carry harmful germs.
Bake and cool the loaf completely
Bake on the middle rack for about 50–60 minutes. Start checking at 50 minutes: a skewer inserted into the deepest centre should come out clean or with a few dry crumbs, not wet batter, and the top should feel set. If the top colours too quickly after about 35 minutes, cover loosely with foil. Continue baking if the centre is still wet. Rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out by the parchment and remove the paper. Cool on a rack for about 2 hours, or longer until the centre and base are completely cool.
Glaze and cut twelve slices
Whisk 100 g sifted powdered sugar with 15 g lemon juice until smooth. The glaze should spread slowly rather than run like water. Spoon all glaze over the completely cooled loaf, allowing a few drips down the sides; use a small spatula to scrape the bowl so the measured glaze is retained. Let it set for about 20 minutes. Cut the entire loaf into twelve equal slices, including both ends. No additional seed or zest topping is included.
Nutrition per serving
1 of 12 equal loaf slices, including all measured lemon glaze. Estimates may vary with ingredients and brands.
- Calories
- 268 kcal
- Protein
- 4.5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 40.9 g
- Fat
- 9.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.3 g
- Fiber
- 0.9 g
- Sugar
- 24.1 g
- Sodium
- 143 mg
Checked 10/14/2026. Values are per the serving described above, regardless of recipe yield.
Notes from the kitchen.
Helpful tips
Total time is about 3 hours 45 minutes: 20 minutes preparation, 55 minutes baking and 150 minutes cooling/setting. The bake can take 50–60 minutes; the loaf must cool completely even if that exceeds the estimate.
Make it your own
This formula uses regular whole-milk yogurt, canola oil and plain flour. Greek yogurt, butter, self-rising flour, lemon extract or gluten-free flour are not equivalent swaps and have not been validated here.
Storage & freezing
Cover the fully cooled cake and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below; use within 3 days. Freeze well-wrapped unglazed slices for up to 2 months for quality and thaw in the refrigerator.
At the table
Twelve equal slices include the entire loaf, both ends and all 100 g powdered-sugar glaze with its 15 g juice. Additional toppings, ice cream or cream are excluded. This is calculated nutrition, not a measured cooked slice weight.
A little something delicious.
Keep this recipe close for the next time the craving strikes.
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