This easy Lemon Bundt Cake recipe is simple to make and looks delectably luscious, and it starts with boxed cake mix and lemon icing drizzle. It is a doctored cake mix bundt, two boxes of lemon pound cake mix built up with eggs, butter, sour cream and fresh lemon zest, then finished with a two ingredient lemon glaze.
If you have been around the blog for a while you know lemon is one of my favorite flavors for desserts. I have made Lemon Cupcakes, Lemon Pancakes, and Lemon Bars to name a few. Bundt cakes are so versatile and can be decorated in so many ways. There are a variety of bundt pans you can buy to create different looks from the same recipe.
I created this recipe from a store bought pound cake mix and then added ingredients to it to make it simple but delicious. Pound cake holds up a little better in the bundt pan since you need to get it out of the pan in one piece.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 50 to 55 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings, one 12 cup bundt
- ⚡ Calories: 536kcal per slice
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Bright lemon zest through a dense sour cream pound cake, under a sharp lemon glaze
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, it starts with a box mix, and getting it out of the pan is the only real skill
Quick Answer
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan. Cream the butter and add the eggs one at a time until creamy, then add both cake mixes with the water and beat. Fold in the sour cream and lemon zest until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, testing with a toothpick or cake tester, then let it cool. For the glaze, put the powdered sugar in a small bowl and add a tablespoon of lemon juice at a time until it is thin enough to drizzle over the top.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Pound cake mix, not regular cake mix. It is best to use a pound cake mix in this recipe. It holds up much stronger and comes out of the pan nicer, which is the whole battle with a bundt.
- Two boxes, one pan. This recipe is very large and fills a 12 cup bundt pan just right, about two thirds of the pan. A single box leaves a shallow cake that loses the shape of the mold.
- Sour cream is why it does not taste like a mix. The fat and acid add moisture and a tender, rich crumb, and the slight tang balances the sweetness of a boxed mix.
- Zest in the batter, juice in the glaze. The oils in the peel survive baking, the juice does not. Fresh lemon juice in the icing instead of water is where the sharpness comes from.
- Leave a third of the pan empty. Batter climbs as it bakes, and a pan filled to the rim spills and then sticks along the seam.
- Loosen the edges immediately. After baking, remove from the oven and loosen the edges right away with a small metal cake spatula, then turn the pan upside down on a wire rack and lift it off after 15 minutes. Waiting longer lets the sugar set the cake to the pan.
- Tap the pan on the counter. A bundt mold has deep ridges that trap air pockets, and those pockets become holes in the finished shape.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It starts with a box mix. Ten minutes of work for something that looks like it took an afternoon.
- It looks delectably luscious. A glazed bundt on a cake stand does not need decorating.
- Bundt cakes are versatile. You can add something into the middle of the recipe so you get a surprise when you cut into it, or add something fun in the middle hole after it is baked when it is on display, to create some pizzazz and fit any season or holiday.
- It feeds twelve. One pan covers a family gathering or a church potluck.
- Different pan, different cake. There are a variety of bundt pans you can buy to create different looks from the same recipe, the way I did with my spring mini bundt cakes.
- It keeps. Dense pound cake stays good for days, the same as my cranberry orange loaf.
Key Ingredients
Seven ingredients between the cake and the glaze, and the mix you choose matters more than anything else. Quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Two Boxes of Lemon Cake Mix or Lemon Pound Cake Mix. I prefer pound cake but either will be fine.
- Fresh Lemon Zest. Adding fresh lemon zest to the batter intensifies the citrus flavor and brightens the overall taste. The zest will also provide a fragrant aroma and subtle texture throughout the cake. Here is how I zest a lemon.
- Fresh Large Eggs. Large fresh eggs give your baked goods structure and moisture, ensuring a light and tender crumb. The freshness of the eggs enhances the overall flavor and helps the batter rise evenly for a perfect bake.
- Salted Butter. Use salted butter in your icing to add a subtle savory balance that enhances the sweetness and flavors. It creates a creamy, rich texture while cutting through the sugar for a more balanced taste.
- Sour Cream. Adding fresh sour cream into the bundt cake batter adds moisture and creates a tender, rich crumb. The sour cream also provides a slight tang, balancing the sweetness and enhancing the overall flavor.
- Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice. Add fresh lemon juice to your icing instead of water, for a tangy citrus kick that brightens the sweetness and adds a refreshing flavor. It also helps create a smooth, glossy consistency for easy spreading or drizzling.
- Sifted Powdered Sugar. Sift the powdered sugar before adding it to your icing to ensure a smooth, lump free texture. This will make the icing easier to mix and produce a silky, professional finish.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
The middle of a bundt is an invitation, and the glaze is the easiest thing to change.
- Hide something in the middle. You can add something into the middle of the recipe so you get a surprise when you cut into it.
- Fill the hole after baking. Berries, flowers or whipped cream in the center hole when it is on display, to create some pizzazz and fit any season or holiday.
- Add lemon zest or shavings to the top of the cake to make it a show stopper, or more lemon flavor anywhere you want it.
- Change the flavor entirely. The same method gives you my blackberry lavender bundt cake or a patriotic bundt cake for the fourth of July.
- Use a smaller pan. If you are using a smaller bundt pan, adjust the recipe, or make a full recipe but fill only two thirds of the pan and shorten the time by 5 to 10 minutes, testing as you go.
- Make minis. The batter divides into small bundt pans the way it does for my spring mini bundt cakes.
How to Make Lemon Bundt Cake
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees and gather everything. Cream the butter and add the eggs one at a time until creamy.
- Add both cake mixes with the water and beat, then fold in the sour cream and lemon zest until combined.
- Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan thoroughly, getting into every ridge.
- Add the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan, filling it about two thirds full, and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes and test with a toothpick or cake tester. Loosen the edges immediately, turn the pan upside down on a wire rack and lift it off after 15 minutes. Let cool.
- In a small bowl add the powdered sugar and add a tablespoon of lemon juice at a time until the consistency is able to be drizzled over the top.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Grease your pan thoroughly with cooking spray or Crisco and flour. You want it to come out beautiful.
- Choose a size pan based on the fluid amount of your batter. Make sure the amount of filling works with the pan you use. This may take some trial and error. When choosing pans, read what capacity it holds and make sure your recipe fills that amount, or choose a smaller pan. You can use a measuring cup of water and fill until an inch and a quarter from the rim and use that amount for how much batter you will need.
- Leave one third of the pan empty for rising.
- Lightly tap the pan on the counter full of batter to remove any air bubbles, then smooth the top with a spatula.
- Place it on a baking tray for baking in case of spillover.
- Loosen the edges immediately after baking with a small metal cake spatula, turn the pan upside down on a wire rack, and after 15 minutes remove the pan.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Serve it in slices off a cake stand with coffee, or on a tea table with scones and my lemon bars. My tea party checklist covers the rest of the table, and there are more ideas in my afternoon tea and tea party desserts posts. A slice also sits happily next to my amish cinnamon bread at a brunch.
If you love this Lemon Bundt Cake recipe then try these desserts: spring mini bundt cakes, patriotic bundt cake and lavender blackberry bundt cake. For more lemon, there is my lemon curd cupcakes, lemon ricotta pancakes, lemon blueberry swirl cheesecake, instant pot lemon curd cheesecake, lemon shortbread cookies and key lime cupcakes, plus everything else in my what to do with lemons post.
Lemon Bundt Cake FAQs
It is best to use a pound cake mix in this recipe. It holds up much stronger and comes out of the pan nicer. A regular lemon cake mix will work, it is just more delicate coming out of the mold.
Almost always the greasing or the timing. Use plenty of cooking spray or Crisco and flour and get into every ridge, then loosen the edges with a small metal spatula as soon as it comes out of the oven and turn it onto a rack, lifting the pan off after 15 minutes.
About two thirds, leaving a third of the pan empty for rising. This recipe is very large and fills a 12 cup bundt pan just right. If your pan is smaller, fill it only two thirds and shorten the bake by 5 to 10 minutes, testing as you go.
Put the powdered sugar in a small bowl and add fresh lemon juice one tablespoon at a time until it is thin enough to drizzle but thick enough to sit on the cake. Sift the sugar first or you will be chasing lumps.
Covered at room temperature for up to three days. The sour cream and the dense pound cake crumb keep it moist longer than a layer cake. Refrigerate it only if your kitchen is warm, and let slices come back to room temperature before serving.
Yes, unglazed. Cool it completely, wrap it well in plastic and then foil, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw it wrapped on the counter and glaze it the day you serve it.
Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Bundt Cake
- 2 box of lemon flavored pound cake or lemon cake mix
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 8 Ounces Sour Cream
- 1 1/2 Cup Water
- 2 TB Lemon Zest
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice to desired consistency
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan.
- Cream butter, and eggs one at a time until creamy. Add both cake mixes with water and beat.
- Fold in sour cream and Lemon Zest until combined.
- Add cake batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes and test with toothpick or cake tester. Let Cool.
- In small bowl add powdered sugar and add a TB of Lemon juice at a time until the consistency is able to be drizzled over top.
Notes
- It is best to use a Pound Cake Mix in this recipe. It holds up much stronger and comes out of the pan nicer. Make sure you use plenty of cooking spray on pan or crisco and flour. You want it to come out beautiful.
- This recipe is very large and fills a 12-cup bundt pan just right about 2/3rds of the pan.
- If you are using a smaller bundt pan adjust the recipe or make a full recipe but fill only 2/3rds of the pan. Adjust the time by 5-10 minutes shorter by testing.
- Add some lemon zest or shavings to the top of the cake to make it a show stopper.
- Make sure you grease your pan thoroughly with cooking spray or Crisco and flour
- Choose a size pan based on the fluid amount of your batter
- Leave 1/3 of the pan empty for rising
- Lightly tap the pan on the counter full of batter to remove any air bubbles
- Smooth the top with a spatula
- Place on a Baking tray for baking in case of spillover
- After Baking remove from the oven and loosen the edges immediately with a small metal cake spatula
- Turn the pan upside down on a wire rack and after 15 minutes remove the pan.
Kimberly Baxter says
I’m always a big fan of easy and simple to make cake recipe. Lemon and cream cheese is my favourite flavour combinations , so I think I would love this cake. Thanks!
Essie says
Am I missing something? This is called “Lemon Cream Cheese Filled Bunt Cake”, but I see nothing about the cream cheese filling.
Kelly says
At what point do you add the sour cream??!!!