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This Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake with Crème Fraîche Glaze is so delicious! It’s dense with a tight crumb and it’s loaded with poppy seeds, lime flavor and juicy blueberries! The crème fraîche glaze isn’t overly sweet but has the perfect balance of sweet and tartness. Enjoy with a Mint Vanilla Iced Coffee during the spring and summer!
Pound cakes are the best go-to whenever you are craving cake but don’t have the time to make a fancy layer cake. They come together in a loaf pan and when topped with a simple glaze and fresh fruit, these cakes always look (and taste!) amazing. I love everything from Vanilla Bean Pound Cake with Pomegranate Glaze to Blood Orange Pound Cake and Cranberry Cake.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake
- Poppy seeds – I love poppy seeds. They add nice texture to the cake and a hint of floral flavor.
- Crème Fraîche – You can use sour cream instead! Crème Fraîche is basically a richer and thicker French-Style version of sour cream. It adds a nice tartness to the glaze so it isn’t overly sweet.
- Lime – Instead of the classic lemon blueberry pairing we are using lime! I love this zesty and tangy switch up and it complements the flavors of the poppy seeds and the juicy berries very well!
- Blueberries – Blueberries or a mix of blueberries and blackberries. I prefer to use fresh berries so it doesn’t make the cake too wet.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How To Make Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake
- For the pound cake. In a medium bowl mix together flour, poppy seeds, salt and baking powder. In a small bowl mix together sugar and lime zest. Add the sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer then cream with softened butter until pale in color. Add in eggs one at a time, then the lime juice and vanilla extract. Alternate adding in the dry ingredients to the butter mixture with milk until smooth. Lastly fold in the blueberries.
- Bake. Pour cake batter into a prepared loaf pan then bake for 60 – 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool inverted on a wire rack.
- For the crème fraîche glaze. In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, crème fraîche and water. Add extra water as needed until it’s thick but barely pourable.
- Assemble. Spread or pipe glaze over the cooled pound cake. Decorate with fresh blueberries and lime zest.
Tips and Tricks
- Decorating. I trimmed the dome/ mound part off the top of the cake then flipped it over so that it would sit flat on the plate, this is totally optional! For the glaze, you can add it to a piping bag or simply spread it over top, it just depends on how sweet you want your cake to be.
- Mix lime zest with sugar. Rub the lime zest and sugar between your fingers for 30 seconds before combining it with the butter to bring out the natural oils of the zest more. You’ll taste a stronger lime flavor in your pound cake.
- Frozen berries. If you want to use frozen berries, make sure to thaw them first and drain off any juices so it doesn’t make your cake soggy.
- I used this Pullman loaf pan and I love these Tipless piping bags because they don’t require a tip on the end.
Recipe FAQs
Make sure your berries are dry then toss with a tiny bit of flour. This helps them to suspend in the cake batter rather than sinking as it bakes.
Pound cakes usually have more butter and flour in them compared to traditional cake recipes. Butter and all purpose flour makes pound cakes denser with a tighter crumb. Traditional cake recipes usually contain vegetable oil and cake flour to produce a lighter and fluffier texture with a tender crumb.
They are very similar! Crème fraîche is a French-style cultured cream. It’s thicker and richer than sour cream which has a looser consistency and it can be a bit tangier.
More Summer Recipes
Dinner
Baja Fish Tacos
Dinner
Pistachio Pesto
Breakfast
Best Blueberry Muffins
Quick and Easy
Mint Vanilla Iced Coffee
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Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake
Equipment
- 1 (9×5) or (8×4) inch loaf pan
- 1 Medium-mixing bowl
- 1 Small mixing bowl
- 1 Stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- 1 Pipping bag
Ingredients
Blueberry Poppy Seed Pound Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 cups white granulated sugar
- Lime zest from 1 lime
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 cup fresh blueberries, (you can also use a mix of blueberries and blackberries, plus 1/2 cup more for topping)
Crème Fraîche Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons crème fraîche
- 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water
Instructions
To Make the Pound Cake:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a 9×5-inch or 8×4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, poppy seeds, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a small bowl combine the sugar and lime zest. Rub the lime zest and sugar in between your fingers for about 30 seconds; this will make it so the lime zest releases its natural oils.
- To the bowl of a stand-up mixer, add the lime zest/sugar mixture and softened butter. With the paddle attachment on the mixer, beat for about 5 minutes, until pale in color. Mix in one egg at a time, being sure each egg is incorporated before adding another. Add the lime juice and vanilla extract.
- In a measuring cup, measure out the milk.
- Fold flour mixture into butter mixture, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until smooth. Add the blueberries and fold them in until evenly disbursed.
- Pour the pound cake batter into the prepared 9×5-inch loaf pan and transfer to the oven to bake for 60 to 65 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. It might take a bit longer, depending on which pan you’re using. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack.
To Make the Crème Fraîche Glaze:
- While the pound cake is cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, crème fraîche and water. If glaze is too thick, add the additional tablespoon. It should be thick but barely pourable.
To Assemble:
- I ended up slicing the top mound part off of my cake. I trimmed it so it was perfectly rectangular and flat. You don’t HAVE to do this. I trimmed it and flipped it over onto a serving plate.
- If you like you can add the glaze to a piping bag. Snip off the end and pipe it out onto the top of the cake. Arrange the blueberries to half of the top of the pound cake. Garnish with a bit of fresh lime zest.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Decorating. I trimmed the dome/ mound part off the top of the cake then flipped it over so that it would sit flat on the plate, this is totally optional! For the glaze, you can add it to a piping bag or simply spread it over top, it just depends on how sweet you want your cake to be.
- Mix lime zest with sugar. Rub the lime zest and sugar between your fingers for 30 seconds before combining it with the butter to bring out the natural oils of the zest more. You’ll taste a stronger lime flavor in your pound cake.
- Frozen berries. If you want to use frozen berries, make sure to thaw them first and drain off any juices so it doesn’t make your cake soggy.
- I used this Pullman loaf pan and I love these Tipless piping bags because they don’t require a tip on the end.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this recipe like 2 years ago and I still think about it all the time as one of my favorite bakes I have ever made. I did not do the topping because I wasn’t sure of a lactose free alternative but even without that I can’t rate this recipe highly enough. Hope I can make the time to make it again soon!!!
wonderful to hear!