Lemon Bundt Cake

Vibrant, moist lemon bundt cake is covered with a sweet lemon glaze and thick cream cheese frosting for an irresistible summer dessert!

Bundt cakes are a simple, yet impressive-looking cake recipe, and this lemon bundt cake is a citrus delight. If you’re looking to get good use out of your bundt cake pan, also try Chocolate Bundt Cake or Lemon Pound Cake!

Bright summer dessert!

Bundt cakes have always been a favorite dessert of mine. They look beautiful and require almost no decorating skills!

I’ve been making all sorts of cakes this spring and couldn’t help but make a lemon version. It’s bright, zesty, and has a perfect tender, moist crumb.

Top it with cream cheese frosting, a dusting of powdered sugar, or a simple glaze. We went the frosting route and had no regrets!

The one special piece of equipment you’ll need aside from a mixer (hand or stand) is a bundt pan. I highly recommend using a standard size 10 to 12-cup bundt pan. It’s so versatile!

“It’s a CAke!”

The main difference between a bundt cake (like this Lemon Pound Cake) and a regular cake is the special bundt pan used for baking.

• There are many choices when it comes to a bundt cake pan with several fun designs that are perfect to use for the holidays and special occasions.
• Bundt cakes also have a more equal ratio of inner and outer cake than regular cakes since more of the batter touches the pan while baking. This gives each slice a crispier outside and tender inside layer of cake.
• Bundt cake pans are also often used to make pound cakes which typically have a denser texture.

Zesty Citrus Cake

PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a standard-size bundt pan with baking spray, and set aside.

WET INGREDIENTS. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat sugar, butter, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until pale, about 3 minutes on medium speed.

With the mixing speed on low, add eggs one at a time until incorporated. 

DRY INGREDIENTS. With the mixing speed on low, alternate adding the flour, baking powder, and sour cream, doing ⅓ of each at a time.

Once all of the ingredients have been added, beat the batter for 10 seconds then stop.

BAKE. Spread batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan. Place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. The top will look slightly moist but should be set (not gooey or jiggly).

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze + Frosting = Yum

Contrast the tart lemon flavor with something sweet by topping your lemon cake with both a glaze and frosting!

GLAZE. Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and fresh lemon juice to make the lemon bundt cake glaze.

• Microwave on half power for 20 seconds. Stir to dissolve sugar.
• Repeat if necessary but do not let the liquid simmer.
• Using a toothpick, poke holes all over the crust of the bundt cake.
• Pour, drizzle, or brush the glaze over the cake, allowing it to soak into the nooks and crannies.

FROSTING. Now make the bundt cake cream cheese frosting!

• In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
• Add the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar, and scraping the sides of the bowl, mix until a thick frosting forms. 
• Pipe over the cooled cake as desired.

Recipe Tips

Prevent sticking. Many bundt pans have a nonstick interior. This does help the cake from sticking, but you should still spray it with cooking spray or grease it with shortening.

If your pan has an intricate design or lacks a nonstick coating, prep it a little more carefully.

• After spraying the entire interior with cooking spray add ¼ c flour to the pan.
• Move the pan around so that the flour coats the entire interior and discard excess flour.
• Pour in the batter and cook according to the directions.

Make cupcakes. Follow the recipe to make the batter, but instead of pouring the batter into the bundt pan pour the batter into a cupcake pan.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Glaze and frost the cupcakes.

Softened ingredients. Soften both the cream cheese and butter. Cold ingredients will result in a clumpy frosting. If it’s on the softer side, refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes.

Piping tips. Use a large Ziploc bag or pastry bag and pipe the frosting over the cooled cake. You don’t have to do any fancy design – simple stripes were about all I could handle!

Grainy Icing. Questions like this are always a little tricky because the reasons can be vast. Here are a few common reasons it could happen:

• Poor sugar quality. Use “pure sugar cane” powdered sugar and sift the sugar.
• Not enough fat. Use real butter, not a substitute.
• Not using room temperature softened butter or cream cheese
• Mixing. Be sure to add the powdered sugar slowly beating well between each addition.

Storing Info

STORE this lemon bundt cake recipe for a day at room temperature in an airtight container.

Because of the cream cheese frosting, longer storage should be done in the fridge or freezer. Keep cake covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.

FREEZE. Once wrapped, label and freeze for up to 6 months.

Unfrosted cake. Wrap the cooled easy lemon bundt cake with plastic wrap and then again with aluminum foil.

Frosted cake. If it has frosting, then flash-freeze first by placing the cake whole or sliced on a baking sheet. Freeze for 2-3 hours then wrap.

Recipe FAQ

For more lemon desserts, Try:

• Lemon Sheet Cake
• Lemon Bars
• Easy Lemon Cheesecake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
• Starbucks Lemon Loaf
• Lemon Cupcakes