Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cakes are the perfect dessert for Easter, baby showers, bridal showers or anything party! Those juicy berries on top are the best! 

A photo of a mini lemon poppy seed bundt cake on white plate with a lemon glaze on top and fresh powder sugar dusted berries.

A tender, sweet mini lemon poppy seed bundt cakes recipe is wonderful, but throw on a lemon glaze and fresh, juicy berries and they are a whole new level of perfection!

I’ve been sitting on this recipe for 15 years. How it has never reached the blog is beyond me. Years ago, back when I was single I did summer sales for a security company (Hello door-to-door alarm sales and I will NEVER do that again, nor let any young girl I know!). There was a local place called the Corner Bakery that I loved to pop into and they had the most delicious baked goods!

This shop happens to be in Utah now but I have yet to see these little mini lemon poppy seed bundt cakes with lemon glaze and fresh berries in their dessert display. Maybe I just never time it right, but I do remember exactly how good they were!

I just had to create my own version! 

Occasionally I would take a lunch break at the Corner Bakery that summer and one of these mini lemon poppy seed bundt cakes is just what a girl needed to make through the rest of the work day! They are the perfect size for an individual dessert or if you’re nice, which I wasn’t ever (ha!) you could split it with a friend.

A photo of several mini lemon poppy seed bundt cakes on a silver wired cooling rack topped with lemon glaze and fresh berries.

What is a Bundt Cake?

Let’s talk first about what exactly a bundt cake is. A Bundt cake is a cake that is baked in a Bundt pan. Duh, right?! A Bundt cake is shaped into a ring shape which is inspired by a traditional European cake known as Kugelhupf.

And let’s just talk about the one thing we are all thinking about…the scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Every time I say the word “Bundt”, I say it like the aunt! One of the best scenes ever! “Ohhhhhh, a cake!”

A photo of a mini lemon poppy seed bundt cake with a bite taken out on white plate with a lemon glaze on top and fresh powder sugar dusted berries.

It’s So Easy!

Ok, so this recipe is so easy! It starts with a lemon cake mix and lemon Jello instant pudding powder. Once those are whisked together, you add all the other ingredients (eggs, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, sour cream canola oil and poppy seeds) and stir until they are combined. With four different types of lemon flavoring going into these babies, they pack a bold lemon punch!

A photo of several mini lemon poppy seed bundt cakes on a silver wired cooling rack topped with a creamy white lemon glaze.

How Do I Make Sure My Cake Comes Out of the Pan Cleanly?

You know when you bake a bundt cake or any cake that are you going to turn out of the pan, there is that moment of truth where you pray to the cake gods that it comes out clean? It can be intense! Let me tell you our trick, and it’s nothing really fancy at all. We just spray each mini bundt with no stick cooking spray. As long as I am sure to spray every little nook and cranny of the pan, I’ve never had a problem.

A photo of a mini lemon poppy seed bundt cake on a silver wired cooling rack with a lemon glaze on top and fresh powder sugar being dusted on fresh berries on top.

What are Poppy Seeds Exactly?

Poppy seeds are literally the seeds from a poppy plant, and they add great flavor and crunch to baked goods. They also have several health benefits including being a great source of calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.

And as long as we are talking about poppy seeds, let’s address what everyone always wonders! Yes, it will show up on a drug test if you have a couple of poppy seed bagels for breakfast. Poppy seeds and heroin both come from the same opium poppy plant. However, the amount of morphine in your system by poppy seeds would be far below the opiate threshold needed to fail a drug test. So you probably don’t want to eat all six of these mini bundts in one sitting if you are going in for a drug test later in the day!

A photo of a mini lemon poppy seed bundt cakes on a silver wired cooling rack with a creamy white lemon glaze being poured on top.

Gimme All the Toppings!

The cake is packed with loads of lemon flavor, and then we add even more with the glaze! It’s basically lemon and sugar! You can’t go wrong with that combo! Then we come to my favorite part…the berries! We love to top them with a mix of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. My mouth is watering…seriously!

A photo of a mini lemon poppy seed bundt cake on on a silver wire cooling rack with a lemon glaze on top and fresh berries.

Can I Make this into a Full Size Bundt Cake?

You can absolutely use a full size bundt pan to make this recipe. Follow all the instructions as listed but increase the baking time to 35-45 minutes.  We love Wilton brand for our bundt pans. For the mini bundt pan, this is our favorite. For a full size bundt pan, we like to stick with this good old faithful.

More Delicious Bundt Cake Recipes

Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cakes

4.60 from 15 votes
Servings: 9
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

Description

Mini lemon poppy seed bundt cakes with a bright lemon glaze and sweet, fresh berries!

Ingredients 

Cake

  • 1 Box Cake Mix, lemon
  • 3.4 oz Pudding , Jello lemon instant
  • 4 Eggs, large, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 Cup Water
  • Zest of 1 Lemon
  • 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
  • 3/4 Cup Sour Cream
  • 1/4 Cup Canola Oil
  • 1 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds, plus 1 Teaspoon

Lemon Glaze

  • Zest of 1 Lemon
  • Juice of 1 Large Lemon, or more if needed
  • 2 Cups Powdered Sugar

Berries

  • 1 Pint Blackberries
  • 1 Pint Raspberries
  • 1 Pint Blueberries
  • 2 Pints Strawberries, hulled and chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • Powdered Sugar for dusting

Instructions

For the Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Spray a mini bundt pan with nonstick spray.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix and the pudding.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
  • Pour batter into 7 mini bundt pans (we have to cook 6, flip them out and quickly bake the remaining 3.
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Turn out onto a cooling rack to cool.
  • Once cool, drizzle with the glaze and top with berries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

For the Glaze

  • Whisk together the zest and juice. Add the powdered sugar, whisking until smooth.

For the Berries

  • Gently fold the berries and sugar together. Set aside to become juicy and sticky.

Notes

bundt cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cakeCalories: 573kcalCarbohydrates: 105gProtein: 8gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 446mgPotassium: 471mgFiber: 11gSugar: 69gVitamin A: 397IUVitamin C: 95mgCalcium: 235mgIron: 3mg
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: Easy Cake Recipes For Beginners

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Looking for more lemon dessert recipes? Try our Sweet Lemon Glazed Cookies, Sugar Cookie Lemon Fruit Cups, Raspberry Lemon Bars, Gluten Free Lemon Bars, Classic Lemon Bars, Lemon Cake with Coconut Frosting, Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes, Lemon Cheesecake Mousse Cups, or our Lemon Jello Cake!

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A photo of a mini lemon poppy seed bundt cake on white plate with a lemon glaze on top and fresh powder sugar dusted berries.