This almond poppy seed cake is soft, spongy and has an amazing flavor! Add some easy cream cheese frosting and you have the most amazing sheet cake!
How I created this almond poppy seed sheet cake recipe
My family and I have always loved almond poppy seed muffins. I mean seriously have you had a costco muffin? I know most people go for lemon poppy seed but we are all team almond.
A few years ago at my cousins wedding the cater had the most amazing almond poppy seed petit four cakes and my sister and I were dying over them. (I made the wedding cake and she took the picture so we did quite a few family weddings).
After that we were on the hunt. About a year later she sent me a recipe she had tried from a friend that she felt was pretty close… After that I started paying with it and came up with my almond poppy seed bundt cake!
It was AMAZING – no seriously so good! So then I decided to do a live cooking show video this year to share this easy and delicious dessert. As part of live cooking you need to have the final product ready if it is something that is going to take awhile to bake.
So I thought to myself – do I really need 2 bundt cakes? No no i don’t… So after making the batter I thought…. I wonder if this would make a good sheet cake? So I used my Texas sheet cake mastery and used the batter I made live to try it out!
Honestly I like this version even better than the bundt cake! Because sheet cakes cook so much faster I could have a slice quicker AND it outside edge of the cake doesn’t need to cook as much because your not waiting for the thick center to bake.
Also every bite has cream cheese frosting this way! WIN!
Also as a side note – I have also used the same recipe to make muffins… Just bake in muffing pans and don’t add frosting and bam! Almond poppy seed muffins!
Or DO add frosting and you have almond poppy seed cupcakes…. easy peasy! Anyway this recipe is soft, spongy and seriously has the most amazing flavor! I hope you give it a try!
Just take me to the sheet cake Recipe already!
If you’d rather skip my tips and tricks for the best sheet cake, along with links to other cake recipes and get straight to this delicious almond poppy seed cake – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.
What is butter emulsion?
This is the number one question I get about this recipe. Baking emulsions actually come in a variety of flavors! And I use them all the time.
A Baking Emulsion is a thick, water based, flavor enhancer. Similar to extracts – except extracts are made with a base of alcohol. Normal extracts tend to be weaker as the flavor “bakes out” with the alcohol. Bakery emulsions have a stronger flavor so you can use less and because they are thicker they don’t “water down” recipes so they are great for frostings.
The best almond poppy cake recipe
If you love sheet cakes as much as I do, I’d love a 5 star review. Be sure to share on social media and tag me if you make it @ashleemariecakes! If you want to stay updated on new recipes sign up for my newsletter and join my Facebook Group!
If you love this easy almond poppy seed cake, you’ll love these other cake recipes!
Coconut Pecan Cheesecake Bundt Cake | The Best Chocolate Cake | Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
More sheet cake pan recipes!
Chocolate Oatmeal Bars | Texas Sheet Cake | Oatmeal Lemon Bars
Connect with Ashlee Marie!
To watch me make this sheet cake live play the video in the recipe card (if your on desktop the teaser of the bundt cake version of the recipe should already be playing).
You can find all my cooking show style recipe videos on YouTube, or my short recipe videos on Facebook Watch, or my Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Almond Poppy seed sheet cake recipe and video
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 eggs
- 2 C granulated sugar
- 3 C all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 Tbsp almond extract
- 1 tsp butter emulsion
- 1 1/2 C whole milk
- 1 C olive oil
- 1-2 Tbsp poppy seeds
Frosting
- 8 oz full fat cream cheese
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 1/2 Tbsp clear vanilla
- 2 1/2 C Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream depending on how soft you want your frosting
Instructions
Cake
- preheat oven to 350
- hand whisk the eggs and sugar
- add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat
- add the vanilla, almond extract, butter emulsion, milk and oil and beat until smooth
- add the poppy seeds and fold in
- pour into a well greased (I like bakers joy) 13×18 jelly roll pan
- Cook for 20 min, then let cool for a couple more
Frosting
- beat the cream cheese, butter and clear vanilla together until fluffy
- add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and slightly thick
- add the heavy cream – a tsp at a time and beat until the desired consistency is achieved
- frost the cake and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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Karen
This cake looks yummy! I am going to make it, but I need a different frosting. My husband doesn’t eat cream cheese in anything! Bummer! Do you have any suggestions?
Ashlee Marie
doesn’t eat cream cheese frosting? that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard! ummm you could do just a glaze, or just a simple vanilla frosting.
Pam
What size pan?? In inches please. Not names.
And emulsion— where do I
Get this? What will plain old butter do?
Ashlee Marie
standard half sheet jelly roll pan – 13×18
Dru Newell
Can’t the almond poppy seed cake be made in a 8×12? If so what are temperature and bake time
Ashlee Marie
I’ve used this recipe in a bundt pan, muffin pans and bread pans. It can totally be made 8×12. I’d say 350 still for 30-35 mins.
Carmen
This looks amazing. The link says butter emulsion, it links to butter vanilla which is correct?
Ashlee Marie
it’s butter emulsion – the one I linked to is the brand I like but it’s butter emulsion
Jennifer McClaflin
I don’t have, and don’t want to buy for one recipe, butter emulsion. Is there a butter sub for this?
Ashlee Marie
you can use butter extract – or just leave it off, it’s just a flavoring and other than flavor it wont effect the recipe.
Maggie
Where can I buy butter emulsion?
Ashlee Marie
I get it at my local store but you can also order it on amazon here – [eafl id="30789" name="Butter Emulsion" text="butter emulsion"]
Patty
Had this at a friends house. My husband hasn’t stopped talking about it. It’s awesome.
Ashlee Marie
that is so good to hear! I am glad you’re a fan!
Carol Garrison
Would this sheet cake freeze well?
Ashlee Marie
sheet cakes are hard to freeze because you don’t want to freeze the cake in the pan but yes, move it onto a cake board and it will freeze just fine
Sophie
Hello! I was wondering how I could do this with lemon instead of almond
Ashlee Marie
yes you totally can
Carol Wilson
My mother use to make this delicious cake for my birthdays. I’m thrilled to have this receipe & will be baking this soon. My 77th Birthday is right around the corner. A BIG thank you for posting this receipe. Another favorite of mine is The Texas Sheet Cake. I had & lost this receipe during a move, Will look for this one as well. Again THANK YOU !
Ashlee Marie
I have a texas sheet cake recipe too! https://ashleemarie.com/texas-sheetcake/
CAROL L COLLINGBOURNE
I haven’t tried yet, but intend on doing it soon. Can lemon extract be used instead of the almond? I like the almond, but sometimes lemon is nice too.
Ashlee Marie
you totally can!
Carolyn
you used lemon emulsion in the video but it’s not listed in the recipe. Is it necessary? thanks! Looks delish.
Ashlee Marie
not it’s an almond poppyseed cake, I use butter emulsion and almond extract.
Kathryn
Do you really use olive oil? I’ve never used olive oil and a cake and I make lots of sheet cakes??
Ashlee Marie
use any oil you like. I prefer baking with olive oil as I feel that vegetable oil and canola oil’s leave a rancid taste
Rita
Have you tried it with a gluten free flour?
Ashlee Marie
nope – I don’t use gluten free flour so I haven’t tried any of my recipes with it. It’s not my speciality. a 1 to 1 gluten free flour should look just fine.
Lisa
How much is half of a tablespoon?
Ashlee Marie
1 1/2 tsp is 1/2 a Tbsp
Debbie Sheads
Can’t wait to make this sheet cake. Wonder how it would taste using Lemon extract.
Ashlee Marie
I prefer almond poppyseed but just sub out the almond extract for lemon and you’ll be just fine
Cherish Robinson
I’m wondering, since I don’t use/drink whole milk, could I substitute Almond milk?
Ashlee Marie
it should work just fine, just use a little less milk as it’s a thinner consistency and you don’t want the batter to be too wet
Kim Meeker
I have never used butter emulsion until now, and I swear I’m going to try it in more cakes now. This cake is AMAZING. I really like that it’s not overly sweet and balanced with the frosting perfectly. I was scared of the olive oil at first but I love how heavy it is. It’s supposed to be a heavier cake right? I used a regular rectangle cake pan because I do not own a jelly roll pan.
Ashlee Marie
I love using it too! glad you like the recipe, and yes it’s a little more dense.
Mariana Capozzi
This cake is absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I made is last week for a party and am making it again today for a birthday.
I made a couple of modifications to the recipe as a personal preference: I left out the butter emulsion as I try to stay as natural as possible, in the frosting I used almond extract instead of vanilla and used skim milk as it was all I had in the house. It was perfect and got rave reviews!
I love it in a sheet pan as you get frosting with every bite. Will make cup cakes next time.
Ashlee Marie
glad it was such a hit!
Christine Purdum
It looks like the butter emulsion you recommend has vanilla in it. If you leave out the emulsion, should I increase the amount of vanilla extract? Looks heavenly, can’t wait to try.
Ashlee Marie
you should be just fine without the emulsion, it just adds a buttery flavor to the dish but it won’t effect the bake.
Mona Bond
Excellent….took longer for me to make though
Ashlee Marie
I’m sorry to hear that! I’ve been making this a long time so maybe that’s why it goes so fast for me?
Norma
I scrolled all the way to the bottom and never saw the recipe. Where is the Recipe to this poppy seed sheet cake?
Ashlee Marie
it’s right above the final picture with the video in the card