Lime & Grapefruit Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

Everyone loves a poppy seed bundt cake, but why should lemons have all the fun? This cake, of course, could easily be made with regular ol’ lemons. It could be made with Meyer lemons, or oranges, or blood oranges, or any citrus fruit that causes your heart to skip a beat. But I particularly love it with this combination of lime & grapefruit.

This cake is dense and moist, with a texture that’s somewhat pound cake-y. Honestly, I’m not really a fan of soft, lofty, light-as-air cakes. This is the kind of cake texture I crave, with a tight crumb and a buttery base.

This bundt cake all comes together quite easily. And what’s not to love about a bundt? They’re quick to put together, they require no slicing or filling, and their rippled backs call for only the simplest of glazes. Or just bathe the whole thing with a light dusting of powdered sugar, no one will be mad at all.

What makes this poppy seed bundt cake awesome

With a good amount of butter, eggs, and whole milk yogurt, this cake is moist and tender. Zest and juice from fresh limes and grapefruit permeate through the cake as well as the glaze. We’ll blend the citrus zest with the sugar in the beginning of our process to help release all those beautiful essential oils. This gives the cake a ton of brightness and flavor. And of course, those little poppy seeds provide the tiniest crunch.

Tips for bundt pan success

As lovely as they are, bundt cake pans are a bit infamous for trapping little bits of cake in their crevices. You went through all the trouble to bake a cake, you let it cool the appropriate amount of time, and then you turn it over to release it from the pan, waiting with baited breath to see if it’ll survive the inversion process… So, let’s get this right, shall we?

This is my #1 best tip for bundt pans. I learned this while working in a large bakery and was so stunned with the results, that I’ve used this trick every time since.

Butter or grease the bundt cake pan generously, rubbing soft butter or oil into all the little crevices. Then, put the greased pan in the freezer while you prep your cake. Don’t take it out until you’re ready to pour your cake batter into it! Once filled, pop it right into the oven. The freezing solidifies the butter and helps your cake pull away from the sides of the bundt pan perfectly.

Other bundt cakes:

• Strawberry Swirl Bundt
• Blueberry Swirl Bunt Cake
• Butternut Squash Cake with Toffee Glaze
• Raspberry Chamomile Tea Cakes

Happy baking!