Easy Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
This Easy Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe is light, moist and full of fresh lemon flavor. It’s topped with a homemade lemon glaze to make this a perfect dessert for spring!
If you’re a lemon lover, this lemon bundt cake recipe is for you! Hands down, it’s one of my favorite lemon cake recipes to date.
Back in the day when sparkly butterfly hair clips and jelly sandals ruled all, lemon cake was low on my list of favorite desserts.
(I know.)
Chocolate ruled all and that was pretty much all I needed and wanted in life.
(On a side note, I share the same last name with a Dutch chocolate company, so you could say chocolate is kind of in my blood. 😉)
While I’ll never give up my love for the dark stuff, somewhere along the way, I realized lemon was the unsung hero of my life.
Maybe my love for it came from the fact my sister picked lemon cake with lemon frosting for her birthday. Every.Single.Year.
Or maybe it’s because I’m slightly competitive and in the 6th grade when we would spend our recesses seeing who could eat the most Lemonhead candies in a minute (yeah, we had high aspirations), I really didn’t like losing.
Perhaps the love has always been there, but it just took me a while to know a good thing when I see taste it.
Whatever the reason, I’m a lemon junkie these days and this ridiculously easy Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe has been on repeat as of late.
I don’t hate it. 😉
Let’s talk about this little lemon bundt recipe.
A lot of lemon bundt cake recipes begin with a yellow cake mix. I’m no stranger when it comes to cake mixes. In fact, there are times when I would definitely suggest using a cake mix as a great recipe shortcut.
For instance, this Fudge Stripe Coffee Cake? Cake mix.
These Strawberries and Cream Sandwich Cookies? Cake mix.
And this Maple Cream Cake? Yep. Doctored up cake mix.
While I certainly am not opposed to cake mixes by any means, I really wanted a pronounced lemon flavor in this cake but also didn’t want the cake to be too sweet (sometimes cake mixes can make things extra sweet).
So, we went for an easy lemon bundt cake without cake mix. And it is and was everything the title suggests: easy.
Lemon Bundt Cake Ingredients:
- Butter & sour cream (many bundt cakes call for oil, but the butter yields a richer texture in this recipe; likewise, the sour cream makes the cake incredibly moist and rich)
- Sugar (all granulated sugar, as brown sugar would detract from the lemon flavor)
- Eggs
- Salt, baking powder, all purpose flour and cornstarch (the combination of cornstarch and flour acts like cake flour, giving this lemon cake a really tender crumb)
- Milk and vanilla extract
- Lemon juice and lemon zest (the fresh lemon juice and zest truly brightens and enhances the flavor in this cake)
Easy Lemon Bundt Cake Tips & Tricks
- Grease your bundt pan well. Really, really well. Bundt cakes are notorious for sticking inside of their pans so greasing it well will help the cake slide out easily.
- If you do not have a bundt cake, you could make this a lemon loaf cake. Given the amount of batter this recipe makes, you will need to divide the batter between two loaf pans.
- Depending upon your oven, this lemon bundt can take anywhere from 45-55 minutes. Mine took exactly 49 minutes, but at the 45 minute mark, I kept a careful eye on the oven. As soon as a cake tester comes out clean (if there are a few moist crumbs—not wet but moist—it’s fine to take it out of the oven).
- Let the cake cool for about 10-15 minutes, but then remove it from the pan and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack or a plate. If you allow it to cool entirely in the bundt pan, the heat of the pan might continue to cook the cake, which could lead to the cake being overdone and dry.
All of my lemon dreams right here. ❤️
Easy Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Lemon Bundt Cake
- 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 4 eggs, large
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup milk (whole or 2%)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sour cream (greek yogurt may be substituted)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon Icing
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
Lemon Bundt Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- With a standing mixer or a handheld mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add granulated sugar and lemon zest to the butter and mix until it is well combined.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk salt, baking powder, all purpose flour and cornstarch together. Set aside.
- Mix lemon juice, milk and vanilla extract together.
- Alternately, add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until everything is just combined.
- Add in sour cream and mix until just combined.
- Grease your bundt cake pan well and pour the batter evenly into the pan.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean (if there are a few moist crumbs stuck to it, that’s fine). (My oven took exactly 49 minutes.)
- Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes, then remove the cake from the bundt pan and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack or plate.
Lemon Icing
- Whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest together. Once combined, drizzle over the cooled cake.
- Allow the icing to set, about 5 minutes, before serving.
- Enjoy!
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Here are some other lemon recipes you might love:
Meet Michelle
I’m a self-taught baker who truly believes it’s impossible to be upset when eating dessert. It’s my life’s goal to bake everyone happy!
If I’m not baking, I’m probably reading a good book with a cup a coffee in hand.
Welcome! I’m glad you’re here!
Can I substitute cake flour for the Ap flour and cornstarch?
Yes you can! 😀
What size bundt tin did you use for this?
Hi Victoria! I used a 10 x 2 1/2 bundt pan.
Could I use organic raw cane sugar in place of granulated sugar?
Hi Lourdes, yes! That should work just fine. The texture might be slightly heavier since it’s not quite as fine as granulated sugar, but it should still bake up just fine! 🙂
So good im gonna enjoy it with my family on saturday night!
Do you think I can leave out the lemon and just make it a vanilla bundt cake? Or will it affect the texture? Thanks!
Hi Amanda! If you do leave out the lemon juice, I would substitute milk in for its place, otherwise the cake might be too dry. I’d probably add another tsp of vanilla extract as well 😊 I think that should work!
Great cake add more lemon!
I made this lemon cake with a slight alteration of using heavy whipping cream Instead of milk (as I had no milk on hand). This turned out Devine. The cake was more of a pound cake but the flavors were all there. I also discovered I still had my bundt pan packed in a box so I made mini loaves and one regular bread loaf pan. The mini loaves turned out fabulous, I just adjusted the time and the bread pan I had to turn down the temp to 325 and cook it longer as the sides were browning and the middle was still gooey. It turned out great. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
I just made this and it was absolutely AMAZING!!! My favorite lemon cake recipe! It tastes a lot like the one you get at Starbucks. It turns out so moist and dense and delicious. Thank you for sharing!!!
I made this tonight and it turned out so good!! I love how lemony it is!
Fabulous cake with a perfect, light texture and that lemony taste I was looking for! We loved it.
My family loves this cake! My husband even asked me to make one for him to take to work. The mistake I seem to make is possibly putting the glaze on too soon. We usually want some cake soon after it’s baked and the glaze seems to run down and pool in the middle or around the edge.
Great recipe! My family decided there needs to be triple the amount of glaze.
Followed the recipe to a tee, came out a little dry. Wife said I should have sifted the flour.
Love this cake . It’s light and just the right amount of lemon. We didn’t need the icing. It was perfect and beautiful with just the glaze!
This recipe is amazing. The flavor and texture is perfect. I made mini bundt cakes and the recipe made 20 delicious cakes. So good!!!
It would be really useful if you would specify the size bundt pan…(6 cup or 12?) that you are using.
Hi Toni, I’m using a 12 cup bundt cake pan. 🙂
This is by far one of the best lemon cake recipes that I have tried (which is saying something)
I added a big container of fresh plump blueberries, which I precoated in flour to prevent from sinking to the bottom. Lemon and blueberry are my favorite combo. Just like my famous breakfast muffins, minus the delicious crumb topping (if only I could figure out how to make this toooing and it not cook in the cotton of the Bundt pan. So yummo I convinced myself it was specifically a breakfast treat!
Great recipe! You will love it, the fresh lemon flavor in cake makes it amazing. I made it exactly as the recipe stated and wouldn’t change a thing.
I followed this recipe exactly and it turned out delicious. I feel like the cake itself could use more lemon flavor, so next time I will add more lemon (juice, rind or something lemony).
Absolutely loved this cake. It tasted professionally done and I am no professional! I subbed 4% plain yogurt for the sour cream, and reduced the sugar very slightly. Still perfect and didn’t need the icing!
This looks like a delicious recipe. Do you think I could add blueberries to the mix?
Hi Dani, yes, I do think adding blueberries would work. I would toss the blueberries with 1 Tbsp of flour before adding them to the batter. This will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake while it cooks. ☺️ Hope you enjoy it!
Outstanding! Absolutely delicious cake, loaded with lemon flavor. Thank you for a beautiful recipe.
I made this recipe today with freshly picked lemons our friend gave us. I made 2 loaf pans. I’m bringing a loaf to her. This recipe is so delicious! I followed the exact recipe. It’s so moist and lemony. It’s definitely a keeper. Thanks so much!!
I made this to bring to work for my boss’ birthday. She took the first bite and said “THIS is delicious!” Of course I beamed. It was loved by all and I would make it again. Great recipe.
Hi, can you substitute gluten free flour with xanthan gum? If so, would you still include the cornstarch? I would like to make this recipe for my daughter who has a wheat allergy. Thank you!
Hi Wendy! The cornstarch is used to make the cake extra light and fluffy (cornstarch + flour is a DIY cake flour), so I would still include it in the recipe. As far as gluten free flour, I like Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour because you can substitute it for any recipe with regular flour (without needing an xanthan gum). I hope that helps!
Loved this recipe. I used a mini bundt pan tray that I had and it made individual cakes and they were so pretty! I’m going to use this recipe for my Easter baking that I share with others. I’m making the bundts ahead and freezing them this weekend. I’ll take them out for Easter, glaze them and deliver them to friends.
I whipped this up real quick last night for Easter today and it was so delicious! Perfect texture and lemon flavor!
Love the recipe! Can i put wiped cream on it?
I bet whipped cream would be fantastic! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Delicious recipe. Very moist and a fantastic taste. The entire cake was gone in one night. Made it a second time on April 28, 2021 and put the batter in my 6 compartment bundt pan. Baked for 15 minutes and came out perfect. Deserves more than five stars!
Just tried this today. I added 2X the lemon zest and 2X the fresh lemon juice. Wonderful tasty fully cake. Will definitely make this again soon.
This is my first made from scratch cake and it is very good. It’s moist and has wonderful flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe I will for sure be baking another Lemon Cake.
This recipe was spot on!
Could you give the Nutrition listing for this cake, including the calories?
Hi Cheryl, I don’t give out nutrition info because it can vary so differently based on what brand ingredients are used so it wouldn’t be 100% accurate. I suggest using an app or online calorie calculator so you can get the most accurate info with what brands of ingredients you use. 🙂
What a beautiful Bundt cake this turned out to be! Thank you for the recipe. I would add more lemon but otherwise this was delicious, moist and beautiful ♥️
A neighbor brought over 10 lemons and, by chance, I found this recipe via a Google search…and your wonderful website.
I followed the recipe to-the-letter and guess what? This was one of the most delicious bundt cakes I have ever made.
Moist
Lemony (I added a bit more zest to both the batter and drizzle)
Perfect crumb
Brown but not overcooked
Breakfast or dessert
I will make again – although someone will have to be especially deserving to share it!
Thanks!
Salted or unsalted butter?
Unsalted. 🙂 I prefer unsalted butter due to the salt already in the recipe. Thanks!
This cake recipe was delicious and I will make it again!