This scrumptious lemon bundt cake, topped with delicious lemon cream cheese frosting, is a perfect way to brighten up a winter day!
If you love the combo of sweet, with just the right amount of tangy, then this easy lemon pudding cake is perfect for you! This cake delivers big when it comes to flavor, and it’s super quick and easy to make.
We’ve had a serious of gray days here in Phoenix. So I’ve needed a sweet way to brighten up dessert, and this easy lemon bundt cake recipe does just that. It’s like enjoying a slice of sunshine on a plate!
I know, that’s almost laughable to think of gray days in Phoenix, and will likely pass in 12 hours and then be 70 degrees. If nothing else the weather has made me crave lemon. So a lemon bundt cake to the rescue!
Lemon Pudding Cake
Thanks to some help from a lemon cake mix, this delicious bundt cake is quick and simple to make. While I love making cakes from scratch, the flavor and texture of this lemon cake mix recipe are really extraordinary. This recipe is similar to the Duncan Hines Lemon Pound Cake recipe, but it’s a bit more decadent.
Doctored bundt cakes are probably my favorite thing to make with cake mixes. While they are simple to make, they always get such rave reviews from my friends, family and readers.
If you are looking for an easy lemon cake recipe, but you really want something a bit more impressive than just a regular box cake made as directed on the box, go for a doctored bundt cake.
How To Make A Lemon Bundt Cake
Now let’s make some cake!
The ingredients for this cake are simple and straight forward. You’ll need:
- A lemon cake mix
- A lemon pudding mix (the dry box mix)
- Eggs
- Oil
- Sour Cream
- Water
- Lemons
I also add some pure lemon extract to really kick up the lemon flavor. You can skip this, but I recommend it. I find that lemon can really mellow in baking, so I always like to kick the flavor up as much as possible.
The ingredients in this recipe are all added together, and mixed. It’s really as easy as just making a regular cake mix recipe, but with a few different ingredients. The end result speaks for itself.
Fresh lemon zest really helps give this cake a great tangy and bright flavor.
Lemon Glaze For Pound Cake
The lemon frosting that tops this cake is good enough to eat with a spoon! Trust me, I’ve tested that theory.
Lemon cream cheese frosting has to be one of my all time favorite frostings. It’s like the perfect blend of sweet and slightly tart. It’s made of cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla extract, milk and an optional pinch of salt.
The ingredients are combined in your mixer, then spread over your cake.
Grab a fork and dive in!
How To Store A Bundt Cake
Due to the cream cheese frosting, I suggest storing this lemon bundt cake in the refrigerator. That said, this cake doesn’t last long around my friends and family, so sometimes there isn’t even anything left to store!
This lemon cake really is total piece of cake. Sorry, I can’t resist a pun. Or a punny fork.
Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 standard size package lemon cake mix
- 1 cup sour cream regular/full fat works best
- 1 3.4 oz size package instant lemon pudding mix just the dry mix!
- 1 cup oil
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tsp pure lemon extract
Frosting
- 8 ounces package cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter softened, 1/2 stick
- 2 teaspoons pure lemon extract
- 3 1/2 - 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1-3 tbsp milk
- 1-3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
Cake
- 1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat 12-cup bundt pan or 10-inch fluted tube pan with no-stick cooking spray. Dust with flour.
- 2. BEAT cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, water, lemon zest and lemon extract in large bowl with electric mixer on low until well combined. Spoon into prepared bundt pan.
- 3. BAKE 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
FROSTING
- 1. Beat cream cheese, softened butter and lemon extract in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix until well combined. Add in your confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- 2. Add in 1 tablespoon milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and mix until very well combined. If you desire a thinner frosting, add 1-2 additional tablespoons of lemon juice, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once desired consistency is reached, fold in the zest of one lemon.
- 3. Once cake has cooled completely, apply frosting to cake. As this is a bundt cake, it does not have to be perfectly frosted. Garnish with remaining lemon zest.
- Store in refrigerator.
Video
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
More Lemon with Recipes
Want MORE lemon? Yeah, I hear you, I have a major love of lemon desserts myself. And I’ve got you covered when it comes to lemon desserts and lemon bread recipes.
If you love Girl Scout Lemon Cookies, make sure to try my version of their new Lemon Ups.
Starbucks Lemon Loaf Copycat Recipe
Glinda says
I needed to make a cake without nuts to take to someone. For some reason lemon something sounded good and I went searching for a lemon Bundt cake and decided on your recipe. Glad that I did because after I made the first one, my husband wanted one. Super moist and lemony delicious!! I did not make the cream cheese icing but instead used a glaze made with butter, confectioners sugar and lemon juice. Thanks for sharing!
MaryB says
I have made this lemon cake many, many times! Last time made it (yesterday!), I zested four lemons and used the juice for the water required and used all the zest from the four lemons in the cake – and then had to substitute non-fat yogurt for the sour cream. That cake was devoured . . totally awesome! We finished it off this afternoon – and the “next day flavor” was absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for this versatile recipe!!!
Karen Block says
Made this cake it turned out fantastic!!
Donna Morris says
I have cooked this cake three or four times and each time it falls after I pull it out of the oven. Each time a tooth pick comes out clean and it bounces back when pressed down. I use a Bundt pan and I have tried cooking it a little longer. Nothing works. What am I doing wrong.
Christi Johnstone says
Hi Donna, a few different things come to mind. First is that it’s not truly finished baking – that’s my instinct. You said you’ve cooked it a little longer, do you think you can add another five minutes to that time? Second is that the ingredients are being over mixed thus incorporating too much air into the batter. A few questions to help trouble shoot…. How full is your bundt pan when you make this (1/2? 2/3? 3/4?)? Do you live in a humid or high altitude climate? Do you have an oven thermometer? If the oven temp is off, or fluctuating, that can absolutely impact it this way. It’s crazy how much the temperature can be off in an oven, and also drops considerably every time the door is opened to check on our baked goods. Is the oven fully at temperature prior to putting the cake in? I tend to run my oven a good 10 minutes past when it tells me it’s reached temperature, before placing my baked goods into it. Hopefully we can figure this out for you!
Maureen Knecht says
How long * what temp do you suggest I make mini bundt cake?
Christi Johnstone says
Maureen, I haven’t made these as mini bundt cakes so I’m afraid I can’t speak from experience on that.
Angela says
Just made this recipe last night. It was amazing and very delicious. The cake was super moist. I had a lemon cake that already had pudding in the mix so I was scared to add more lemon pudding to it. I think next time I will have a regular lemon cake and try adding in a box of pudding. Overall the cake was great. Thank you for sharing. Can’t wait to try another recipe!
Ellen says
Have you ever made this ahead and frozen it before frosting? I am planning a big event and would love to make ahead and freeze. Thanks! Ellen
Christi Johnstone says
Hi Ellen, honestly aside from a few Christmas cookies, I pretty much never freeze anything. Not because they don’t freeze well, but because I’m the person always hustling at the last minute, so I am never ahead of the game! 😉 Sorry! That said, I would imagine it would freeze as well as any other cake, if not better since it’s more of a dense cake than airy. Maybe just freeze without any sort of frosting on it, and then frost at the last minute.
Debbie says
This cake is awesome! Everybody loved it and raved about it.
Thanks!
Lindsey says
Absolutely amazing!! I have been making this recipe for several years now. It’s a huge hit everywhere I take it. In the summer time, I throw a few fresh blueberries in it from a local blueberry farm near my house. This is one of mine and my families favorite cakes! On occasion I omit the cream cheese frosting and serve with fresh whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries.
Christi Johnstone says
Lindsey, I’m so glad this recipe has been such a hit for you! I love the idea of adding blueberries, especially fresh local ones – how delicious!
C Jones says
Great recipe, I have made it twice an also shared it.
Christi Johnstone says
So glad you’ve enjoyed it!