A delicious and easy recipe for lemon poppy seed bread that starts with a box of cake mix! Serve the lemon loaf cake as a snack, at brunch, or for dessert.
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease two (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans; set aside.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat together the cake mix, dry pudding mix, poppy seeds, water, oil, and eggs for about 2 minutes.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then turn the loaves onto wire racks to cool completely before glazing.
Make the Glaze
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until a thick, pourable glaze comes together. If the glaze seems too thick, add more lemon juice, one teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. If the glaze is too thin, gradually add more powdered sugar.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaves of bread. Once the glaze sets, slice and serve.
Notes
Grease the loaf pans really well by coating with butter and then dusting with flour. Alternatively, you can use a cooking spray that's specifically made for baking (like this one). These options will ensure that your bread pops right out of the pans when it's done!
The total baking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use (and on your individual oven). I prefer light-colored pans (or gold pans), which cook the bread more evenly. Dark metal pans tend to cause the outside to burn before the inside cooks through. You'll know that the bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Don't leave the bread in the pan for too long after baking -- about 5-10 minutes is plenty. After that, condensation will start to form and the moisture will negatively impact the crust.
Fresh lemon juice is best in the glaze if it's available, but you can use bottled lemon juice, too.
The bread gets better as it sits, so this is a nice breakfast or dessert option to prepare the day before you plan to serve it.