I love lemon desserts, and this is the best Lemon Bundt Cake recipe that I have ever tried! The cake is soft and almost buttery like a pound cake, and the creamy frosting has even more lemon flavor balanced with cream cheese. Each bite feels like heaven!
Citrus desserts are my go-to during spring and summer because they are just so bright and delicious. I have made this lemon cake for every occasion, from potlucks to anniversary parties, and just for my partner and me to enjoy as a sweet treat. I have never met anyone who was disappointed with this recipe.
If you enjoy homemade bundt cake recipes, try this orange bundt cake and this caramel nut bundt cake. This red velvet swirl bundt cake is really good too.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's two recipes in one: Not only do you get the lemon cake recipe from scratch, but you also get a homemade lemon cream cheese frosting. You may even use the frosting for another baked treat.
- It's great for parties: I love to make this bundt cake for get-togethers. It's easy to slice and share with a crowd!
- It has a natural lemon flavor: I use fresh lemon juice and zest, which gives this dessert a natural lemon flavor so it doesn't feel artificial.
Ingredients
Below are all the important items I use to make the bundt cake and the lemon cream cheese frosting. Both components consist of everyday ingredients you can find anywhere..
- Baking powder/soda: The combination of these two ingredients will give you the best texture. Together, they keep the cake soft, fluffy, and help it to rise properly in the oven.
- Butter: You will want softened, but not melted butter. I leave it out on the counter for about 30 minutes to get it to the right consistency. Unsalted butter is preferred because I add a little salt to the batter.
- Sour cream: I love using sour cream in cake batter. It doesn't affect the flavor much, but it makes each bite incredibly tender. You may use Greek yogurt as a substitute.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice and zest are key. They provide the most authentic flavor possible! It's used in both the cake and the frosting.
- Cream cheese: I love the tangy flavor and creamy texture of cream cheese in this frosting. I think it pairs with the lemon so well.
- Powdered sugar: This makes the perfect sweetener for frosting because it mixes smoothly without a gritty texture.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Make a glaze instead: Want to make it a little lighter? Drizzle your lemon bundt cake with glaze made of powdered sugar, lemon juice, and a dash of vanilla extract.
- Add white chocolate chips: Fold in white chocolate chips to add richness that complements the lemon.
- Add thyme: Add some finely chopped, fresh thyme to the cake to add an herbal, savory flavor. It pairs perfectly with fresh lemons.
How to Make a Lemon Bundt Cake
Here are the steps needed to make this lemon bundt cake recipe from scratch. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and grease your bundt pan before you get started.
Step 1: Make the butter mixture. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, and then the vanilla and lemon.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until well combined, and then add the sour cream to finish the cake batter.
Step 3: Add it to the pan. Pour the cake batter into the bundt pan and then tap it on the counter to remove the air bubbles.
Step 4: Bake it. Pop your bundt pan into the oven and bake the cake for 50-60 minutes. Then, let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.
Step 5: Prepare the frosting. Use an electric mixer to beat all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl until they are smooth and creamy.
Step 6: Frost the cake. After you remove the cake from the bundt pan, carefully spoon the frosting over the top and shake the cake so it drips down the sides. Garnish with lemon zest and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Grease the pan generously: When you spray your bundt pan, ensure you can get into every crevice. This will ensure that you can get the cake out easily after it bakes.
- Let it cool completely: Allow the bundt cake to cool completely before you add the frosting. This will prevent it from melting and sliding off.
- Use room temperature ingredients: For best results, ingredients like eggs should be added at room temperature. This gives you a smooth cake batter.
- Storing: Store your cake with a dome lid in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You may also slice it and put those slices into airtight containers. Freeze the unfrosted cake for up to 3 months.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy these mini lemon bundt cakes and this funfetti bundt cake.
Serving Suggestions
- Cake and ice cream are always amazing together. Enjoy a scoop of lemon blueberry ice cream or strawberry crunch ice cream to complement this moist lemon bundt cake recipe.
- Spread some cranberry jalapeno jam over your slice to add sweet, tart, and spicy flavors to your cake for a fun twist.
- Drizzle some blueberry syrup before serving or before you add frosting so it can soak into the cake to add more fruit flavor.
- Enjoy a beverage like this white linen cocktail with this lemon cake for more lemon!
Recipe FAQs
This is usually because the batter was overmixed. When you overmix cake batter, it can cause the baked cake to be dense and tough. Only mix until the ingredients are combined, and then stop.
There are two huge reasons for this! The first is that the pan wasn't greased well enough. The second is that you let it cool in the pan for too long. As it cools, condensation forms, making it harder to remove the cake from the bundt pan cleanly.
If your cream cheese is too cold, you will have lumpy frosting. It must be softened to room temperature to ensure a smooth frosting.
More Delicious Lemon Recipes
Do you like lemon recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Lemon Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 1 12 inch Bundt Pan
Ingredients
Bundt Cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cups lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest from 2 lemons
Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese - softened or ½ brick
- ¼ cup butter or ½ stick
- 2 cups powdered or icing sugar or more if necessary to thicken
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Decoration
- 2 tablespoons zest to sprinkle on top of glaze if desired.
Instructions
Bundt Cake
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (A light yellow color).
- Add eggs one at a time, being sure to mix well in between. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Mix in the lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.
- Add ½ of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Next, add the sour cream. End with the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Do not overmix!
- Generously grease and flour 12 inch bundt pan.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan.
- Once Bundt pan is full gently tap on counter to release air bubbles if any. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling make your frosting.
Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla, lemon juice and powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if necessary to thicken.
- Once cake is cool make frosting and Pour frosting over the cake and gently shake from side to side to make the icing drizzle down the sides.
- Add and sprinkle 2 tablespoons lemon zest on top if desired.
Notes
- Ensure that you thoroughly and generously coat the pan with nonstick cooking spray and a dusting of flour so the cake comes out of the pan cleanly.
- Store this lemon cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container or with a dome lid for up to 4 days.
- Only mix the cake batter until all of the ingredients are well mixed so the cake doesn't become dense or tough.
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