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This Lemon Poppy Seed Coffee Cake has a soft lemon poppy seed cake base topped with a layer of crumbly lemon zest streusel that is sprinkled with a lemon glaze. It is an easy, delicious and lemony twist on the classic coffee cake recipe!
Table of Contents
If you like lemons and if you like coffee cake, then this from scratch lemon coffee cake recipe is for you. The way that the lemon flavor comes out in this recipe is surprising, but in a good way. It is subtle and yet pops.
The lemon poppyseed taste, along with the coffee cake texture, combine to make this recipe a wonderful breakfast, dessert, or snack option. It is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.
This recipe is also naturally dairy-free. There is no milk and no butter inside. It is made with olive oil and almond milk. But you would never know that this is a non-dairy coffee cake by the taste of it! If you like using olive oil in baking, try my olive oil pumpkin cake or my olive oil chocolate chip cookies.
What makes this recipe great
- The lemon flavor! It’s hard to describe what I mean by saying that the lemon flavor here is subtle yet it pops. I think the zest makes the lemon flavor pop. But it isn’t overpowering.
- The lemon glaze. Lemon glaze makes everything better. I actually made a similar lemon glaze in my Lemon Poppyseed Banana Bread recipe and it is just SO good.
- It is naturally dairy-free.
Recipe ingredients
- olive oil
- brown sugar
- vanilla extract
- egg
- lemon zest
- lemon juice
- poppy seeds
- flour
- baking powder
- almond milk
- salt
- cinnamon
- confectioner’s sugar
Additions/ Substitutions
- Instead of brown sugar, you can use maple sugar or coconut sugar.
- Instead of lemon juice and zest, you can use lime juice and zest. This will result in a different flavor all together though.
- Instead of almond milk, you can use any non-dairy milk of your choice like oat milk or cashew milk.
- Instead of olive oil, you could use avocado oil.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Make the lemon poppyseed coffee cake.
Mix together the olive oil, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, lemon zest and lemon juice together. Then, mix the poppy seeds, flour, baking powder and salt together. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Step 2: Make the lemon zest streusel. To do this, add the olive oil, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and lemon zest to a food processor and pulse until crumbs form.
Step 3: Put the coffee cake batter into a pan and pour the streusel on top of the cake and pat it down and then bake it.
Step 4: Make the lemon glaze by mixing the lemon juice, lemon zest and confectioner’s sugar together and pour on top of the baked coffee cake.
Expert tips
- Have 3 lemons ready.
- Before making this recipe, zest the lemons first. I zested 3 lemons and kept the zest in a bowl.
- Then use those same lemons to juice them. The juice of all 3 of those lemons will be used in this recipe.
- Make sure to grease your pan.
- This makes it easier to cut out pieces.
- Don’t skip the lemon glaze!
- It adds moisture and flavor. The coffee cake won’t be as delish without it.
Recipe FAQs
I get asked this question so often! There isn’t coffee in coffee cake. It is called coffee cake because it is a cake to be eaten with coffee. If you google it, you’ll see!
Yes, but you could probably use limes or oranges as well.
Other lemon recipes you may enjoy:
Lemon Poppyseed Banana Bread– for anyone that loves lemon poppy seed breakfast recipes then this banana bread recipe is for you!
Lemon Arugula Salad– this fresh salad is tangy and sweet and delish!
Paleo Lemon Poppy Seed Banana Pancakes– these pancakes are like banana bread in pancake form.
Gluten-free Lemon Crinkle Cookies– these cookies have the best texture and taste!
Gluten-free Lemon Cake– this tangy delicious cake is absolutely beautiful and just as yummy as it looks!
These Almond flour lemon poppyseed muffins from One Lovely Life have the perfect texture and so much flavor!
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Lemon Poppy Seed Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, (or maple sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup almond milk
Crumb Topping Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, ( or maple sugar)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Lemon Glaze Ingredients
- 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make the lemon poppy seed cake batter. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 egg, 1 Tablespoon lemon zest and 3 Tablespoons lemon juice.
- In a separate bowl, mix together 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds, 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add half of the poppy seed flour mixture to the sugar/oil mixture and mix. Then add the almond milk and mix again. After that, add the rest of the flour and mixed until combined.
- Then make the crumb topping. Add 5 Tablespoons of olive oil, 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest to a food processor and pulse until thick crumbs form.
- Grease a 9×9 inch baking pan. Pour the lemon poppy seed cake batter into the pan and spread it around to all four corners.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping over the top and press lightly so it sticks to the cake batter.
- Then bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While the coffee cake cools, make the lemon glaze. Mix 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and 1/4 tsp lemon zest in a food processor.
- Pour the lemon glaze on top coffee cake. Evenly sprinkle it on the top.
Notes
- Have 3 lemons ready.
- Before making this recipe, zest the lemons first. I zested 3 lemons and kept the zest in a bowl.
- Then use those same lemons to juice them. The juice of all 3 of those lemons will be used in this recipe.
- Make sure to grease your pan.
- This makes it easier to cut out pieces.
- Don’t skip the lemon glaze!
- It adds moisture and flavor. The coffee cake won’t be as delish without it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
