Almond Poppy Seed Cake

You know how you get used to something and the slightest deviation from it just isn’t right? Makes you curl up your nose and say “that’s just not the way I do it”.

That’s how I feel about adding lemon to poppy seed cake.

Growing up, my mom always flavored out poppyseed cakes and muffins with almond extract, and I fell in love. it is just the way to make poppyseed cake.

To me, almond poppy seed cake just reminds of me of tea parties and birthdays, and it seems so magical.

Topped with a lovely and super easy glaze and a smattering of sliced almonds, this cake is definitely for special occasions. Or for making any day feel like a special occasion.

About Poppy Seeds

When you think about it, these little black specks are so interesting! I thought it would be fun to share some poppy seed trivia:

• Poppy Seeds are the seed from the poppy flower.
• The little seeds have been harvested by various civilizations for thousands of years! The Ancient Egyptians used them as sedatives, the Minoan civilization (from the bronze age) cultivated poppies and mixed their seeds with opium and honey to calm crying babies (that probably wouldn’t fly now, lol).
• Poppy seeds can be used in several forms for culinary uses . Whole poppy seeds can be used as a spice and as decoration in and on top of many baked goods. Poppy seeds can also be finely ground and turned into a paste mixed with butter and sugar.
• Make sure your poppy seeds are fresh. Just like other spices and herbs, they can go stale or rancid. They actually have a pretty short shelf life! They should smell and taste kind of nutty and fruity.

This almond poppy seed cake recipe is moist, flavorful, and oh-so-good. I love that it is an easy one bowl recipe, and is super easy to make.

Its a great recipe to have kids help you bake! This is one of those recipes that is really dessert, but you can pretend its breakfast.

Normally these cake of loaf cake recipes  have a large amount of vegetable oil in them to help keep the bread super soft and moist. But by replacing this with a small amount of sour cream or plain greek yogurt and a tiny bit of milk, you get the same effect but without all that saturated fat.

Quick Breads are great breakfasts, snacks, and desserts all in one! Try these other awesome quick bread recipes:

• Snickerdoodle Banana Bread – This banana bread recipe is packed with snickerdoodle flavor! Its a real treat!
• Aloha Tropical Quick Bread – This quick bread is a tropical vacation in bread form! Studded with fruit and toasted coconut!
• Earl Grey Banana Bread – This banana bread recipe is moist and flavorful, with subtle floral notes.