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
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.
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
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
Cake mixes are getting smaller. Currently 13.25oz. Do I need to add flour or something to the mix? When I first started using this recipe cake mixes were 15oz. So will it still work with the new smaller standard mix size?
I am still making these doctored bundt cakes as this recipe is written, even though cakes mixes have been getting smaller. I’ve made my chocolate version three times in past two months, once for each of my daughter’s birthdays and for my daughter’s college graduation party (can you tell it’s their favorite?). Each time it’s turned out great as always, so at this point I don’t recommend changing anything, it still seems to be working. Hopefully cake mixes won’t get much smaller, but I’ll keep testing and adjust if needed. 🙂
I lOVE this cake!!! The flavor is amazing! I am wondering though- I’ve made it twice and both times it rose beautifully in the oven and then while cooling shrunk down so much. Is that normal? Am I doing something wrong?
No, using buttermilk and sour cream will make the cake really dense.
Could I substitute buttermilk for the water?
I haven’t tried, since it’s so much thicker than water, I’m a bit concerned it might make an already heavy cake a bit heavier. If you do, let us know how it goes.