Light and fluffy Almond Flour Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Cake featuring a blast of fresh citrus flavor studded with fresh juicy berries and little tiny bursts of poppy seeds.
Inspired by Almond Flour Lemon Cake and my Almond Flour Blueberry Cake, I felt compelled to combine forces, add poppy seeds, and conquer the land of fruit infused cakes with this beauty!
Ultra moist and fluffy with bursts of fresh blueberries and little pops of poppy seeds with an assertive citrus flavor, this cake is the perfect addition to any special occasion.
Plus, it is easy enough to prepare for everyday enjoyment as well!
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this almond flour blueberry lemon poppy seed cake recipe.
Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Ingredients:
Almond Flour: Taking the place of all-purpose flour, we’re using finely ground almond flour.
Almond flour produces a light and airy texture and is inherently rich in flavor due to its healthy fat content. It also adds protein and fiber to the mix!
Tapioca Flour: Adding a little starch to almond flour recipes enhances the texture and adds a binding element. Keep it grain-free with tapioca flour or arrowroot flour, or use gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Eggs: Eggs are mandatory in grain-free recipes. Without eggs, almond flour recipes are dense and never fully cook through.
For this reason, I don’t recommend replacing the eggs with an egg-replacer like flax eggs without also making significant changes to the rest of the recipe.
Avocado Oil: Responsible for the moist crumb! I like avocado oil because it contains a decent dose of omega-3 fatty acids, and it has a neutral flavor. Melted coconut oil or melted butter work too.
Pure Maple Syrup: The sweetener!
Fresh Lemons: Fresh lemon zest is what is responsible for the majority of the zesty lemon flavor. Be sure to measure it out, because the amount really does make a difference! We use fresh lemon juice as well.
Fresh Blueberries: One of the selling points of this delicious cake! Sweet blueberries add bursts of juicy berry flavor.
Poppy Seeds: Arguably one of the best parts. Lemon poppy seed cake is undeniably dreamy, and just the right amount of poppy seeds is a game changer.
Vanilla Extract: A little warm flavor to counter balance some of the acidity.
Baking Powder: Our leavening agent. Baking powder coaxes the batter to rise and bake evenly.
Sea Salt: A big flavor enhancer! It makes the sweetness, lemony flavor, and blueberry bliss pop.
Looking for ways you can customize this easy recipe? Here are some great options.
Recipe Customizations:
- Swap the sweetener. Use 1 cup of regular cane sugar, coconut sugar, sugar-free sweetener, or maple sugar instead of pure maple syrup, and add ½ cup of almond milk, oat milk, or regular milk.
- Want to turn it into a layer cake? Easy! Simply bake half of the batter in two separate 8-inch spring form cake pans for 25-35 minutes. Fill it with a creamy custard, lemon filling, or silky cream cheese frosting.
- Replace the tapioca flour with arrowroot flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Make a lemon glaze by stirring together 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cake and enjoy!
- If you prefer making cake batter in a stand mixer, feel free to do so using the paddle attachment.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients for lemon cake, let’s make it!
How to Make Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
To do so, trace the outside of the cake pan on a sheet of parchment paper, then cut out the circle and place it in the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the sides of the pan with cooking oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, zested lemon peel, lemon juice, and vanilla extract (wet ingredients).
In a separate bowl or measuring cup, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
Transfer the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the wet mixture and stir well until a thick, smooth batter forms.
Stir in the fresh blueberries and the poppy seeds gently using a rubber spatula until well-incorporated into the cake batter.
Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. This prevents the top of the cake from browning too much.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cake tests clean.
Pro Tip: Insert a digital thermometer into the center of the cake to check its internal temperature. Cakes have the best texture when they are baked to 190 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
Allow the cake to cool completely before releasing it from the mold. Slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh fruit!
How to Store Cake:
- Room Temperature: Cover the cake pan with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep the cake pan wrapped in plastic wrap or transfer the cake to an airtight container.
- Freezer: Slice the remainder of the cake into individual slices and wrap them together in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped slices in a zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. The plastic wrap helps prevent freezer burn for longer term storage.
Enjoy this vibrant blueberry lemon poppyseed cake for Spring or summer brunch or any special occasion no matter the time of year!
For anyone who loves lemon poppy seed muffins, this blueberry lemon cake is the perfect celebration of citrusy goodness.
Interested in more tasty gluten-free or grain-free cake recipes? Try out these reader favorites.
More Gluten Free Cake Recipes:
- Grain-Free Almond Strawberry Breakfast Cake
- The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
- Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
- Almond Flour Carrot Cake
- Black Bean Chocolate Cake
- Almond Flour Raspberry Cake
A vibrant cake for summer enjoyment!
Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup avocado oil*
- ⅔ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest zest from 3-4 lemons
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups almond flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt salt
- 2 Tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 ⅓ cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, zested lemon peel, lemon juice, and vanilla extract (wet ingredients).
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Transfer the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the wet mixture and stir well until a thick, smooth batter forms.
- Stir in the fresh blueberries and the poppy seeds gently using a rubber spatula until well-incorporated into the cake batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. This prevents the top of the cake from browning too much.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cake tests clean (50-55 minutes total).
- Insert a digital thermometer into the center of the cake to check its internal temperature. Cakes have the best texture when they are baked to 190 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before releasing it from the mold. Slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh fruit!
Notes
Nutrition
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