An easy high altitude recipe for fluffy vanilla cake, swirled with nutty poppy seeds, and baked in a loaf pan. This simple poppy seed loaf cake is delicious plain, and can be enjoyed warm from the oven with a cup of coffee or tea.
You might also love these recipes for iced lemon bread, poppy seed sandwich bread, and poppy seed breakfast rolls.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
So Quick and Easy. You don’t even need a mixer for this easy loaf cake, just whisk up the batter in a bowl, and it’s ready to bake.
Perfect Plain. I love unfrosted cake, and this poppy seed loaf cake is so soft, moist and buttery, with swirls of nutty poppy seeds. It really doesn’t need frosting at all.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Cake Flour. For a super soft and light texture, use cake flour, which has a lower percentage of protein than all purpose flour.
- Butter. For the best flavor, use melted butter, not vegetable oil.
- Poppy Seeds. The poppy seeds add a nutty crunch, which is such a nice contrast with the soft vanilla cake.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a standard sized (9×5 inches) loaf pan with a sheet of non-stick baking paper or parchment paper, so that the paper hangs over two sides. The paper serves as a “sling”, making it easy to lift the cake out of the pan. Lightly spray with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla, and whisk for about 15 seconds, until smooth.
- Transfer 1/3 cup of the batter to a small bowl, and stir in the poppy seeds.
- Pour half the vanilla cake batter into the prepared loaf pan, then drizzle with half the poppy seed batter. Add the rest of the vanilla cake batter, followed by the rest of the poppy seed batter. Gently swirl the batter together with a knife.
- Bake the cake on the center oven rack for about 37-40 minutes, until a cake tester or sharp knife comes out clean. The top of the cake should be domed, golden brown and cracked down the middle.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then gently lift the cake out (using the paper) and set on a cooling rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You Might Also Like
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High Altitude Poppy Seed Swirl Loaf Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 9×5 Inch Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp cake flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a standard sized (9×5 inches) loaf pan with a sheet of non-stick baking paper or parchment paper, so that the paper hangs over two sides. The paper serves as a "sling", making it easy to lift the cake out of the pan. Lightly spray with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla, and whisk for about 15 seconds, until smooth.
- Transfer 1/3 cup of the batter to a small bowl, and stir in the poppy seeds.
- Pour half the vanilla cake batter into the prepared loaf pan, then drizzle with half the poppy seed batter. Add the rest of the vanilla cake batter, followed by the rest of the poppy seed batter. Gently swirl the batter together with a knife.
- Bake the cake on the center oven rack for about 37-40 minutes, until a cake tester or sharp knife comes out clean. The top of the cake should be domed, golden brown and cracked down the middle.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then gently lift the cake out (using the paper) and set on a cooling rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
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