This is the most delicious and moist Lemon Bundt Cake recipe! It is covered in a sweet lemon glaze and topped off with an amazing cream cheese frosting with lemon zest, making it irresistible.
Bundt cakes are a simple, yet impressive looking, cake recipe. If you’re looking to get good use out of your bundt pan, try chocolate bundt cake, or lemon pound cake!
Lemon Bundt Pound Cake
Bundt cakes have always been a favorite of mine. They look beautiful and require almost no decorating skills! I’ve been making all sorts of bundt cakes this spring and couldn’t help but make a lemon version. It’s bright, zesty and has a perfect tender crumb.
You can top it with cream cheese frosting, a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple glaze. Our kids seemed pretty excited about having a bundt cake with frosting on it so we went that route and we 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 one. It’s so versatile!
glaze + Frosting = yum
While the lemon bundt cake is cooling you’ll make a simple syrup. Just mix equal parts sugar and lemon juice and pop it into the microwave. Once it’s warm, whisk it together and let it dissolve, making it a syrupy glaze.
Take a toothpick and poke tiny holes all over the “crust” of the cake. This will allow the syrup to seep down into the cake. Brush or pour it over and let it soak in. This glaze makes the bread even more sweet and filled with lemon flavor.
Then mix up the frosting. Just make sure the cream cheese AND the butter are both softened. Cold ingredients will result in a clumpy frosting. If it’s on the softer side you can always refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes.
Use a large zip lock bag or a large pastry bag and pipe it over the cooled cake. You don’t have to do any fancy design. Trust me, I am NOT a cake decorator! Simple stripes were about all I could handle!
Why is my icing grainy? 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-be sure to use real butter not a substitute.
- Not using room temperature softened butter or cream cheese
- Be sure to add the powdered sugar slowly beating well between each addition.
More tips and tricks:
How do I keep the cake from sticking to the bundt pan? Many bundt pans have a non stick interior. This does help the cake from sticking, but you should still spray it with cooking spray. If your pan has an intricate design, or lacks a non stick coating, you will need to 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 directions.
Can I make cupcakes instead? Of course! 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 inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Glaze and frost the cupcakes.
This delicious lemon cake can be stored 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.
To freeze unfrosted: wrap the cooled cake with plastic wrap then again with aluminum foil. 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. Once wrapped label and freeze for up to 6 months.
We love this bundt pound cake so much! The cake itself is delicious on it’s own, but filled with a lemon glaze and topped off with cream cheese frosting makes this cake even more irresistible!
Slice this bundt cake up and serve it for any spring or summer occasion. It will be the star of the party!
For even more lemon desserts, be sure to check out:
- Lemon Sheet Cake
- Lemon Bars
- Easy Lemon Cheesecake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Starbucks Lemon Loaf
- Lemon Cupcakes
Lemon Bundt Cake recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- zest of three lemons
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a standard-size bundt pan with baking spray, and set aside.
- 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.
- With 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.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the sugar and lemon juice. 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 or brush the glaze over the cake, allowing it to soak in.
- 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 mix until a thick frosting forms.
- Pipe over the cooled cake as desired.
Can i make this a day ahead? looks delicious
It sure could 🙂 Enjoy!
I would like this recipe looks so yummy
Hope you give it a try 🙂
Hello! i am a young baker (17) and i’ve been baking since i was 12! I’ve made lemon bundt cake before and this recipe seemed great, but unfortunately my cake came out more cakey (imagine store-bought vanilla frosted cake), and not moist like it looks here in the pictures 🙁 I wish I could add a photo. I only had 3 eggs so substituted some extra sour cream and water for one egg since i had no vegetable oil. Perhaps that is where things went wrong??
Way to start young!! Yes, I am guessing that is what caused that, since it shouldn’t have ended up that way. More yolks make for a more moist cake 🙂 If you try again, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂 Thank you so much!
Wow. Thanks for an amazing recipe. I just started baking as a hobby in past few months and I must say, this is one of the best bundt cake recipes I’ve made. Followed it to the tee and…Perfect texture. I wish I could post a photo to show off!
Cheers!
That makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you so much!!
I made this cake and it came out amazing!!! Absolute perfection! Is there a way i could poat my pic?
I am so glad it did 🙂 Thank you for trying it!
Hello! I was just wondering how does this compare to the lemon pund cake… what makes them different?
Im thinking of using this recipe to make mini bundt cakes for oUr young women fundraiser. Ill have to fIgure out how many mini bundt cakes it makes but it looks simple & delicious. Ill let you know how it goes
Good idea!! Hope they turn out & are a hit!!
Rediculous delicious!!
So happy you think so 🙂 Thank you!