This Lemon Bundt Cake has bright lemon flavor in every bite! We start with a lemon cake mix and lemon pudding and then add in lemon oil and lemon juice. We’re going all in with this soft, moist cake recipe!
I was never a huge lemon fan until recently and now you’ll find me adding a squeeze of lemon juice to just about everything.
We always have a bowl of fresh lemons on the counter, because they really do add the perfect pop to so many foods. I squeeze lemon juice into marinades, over fish, in rice, and in soup. Just a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice packs in a bright, fresh flavor and just makes your recipe pop.
We went all out in the lemon department with this lemon bundt cake, though. There’s nothing subtle about this…if you’re a lemon lover, go preheat your oven now. You don’t want to wait on this one. 😉
Sweet, slightly tart, loaded with citrus flavor, this moist lemon bundt cake is what dreams are made of.
Lemon Bundt Cake Ingredients:
For the cake:
Lemon Cake Mix
Lemon Pudding – Pudding mix makes the cake extra soft and moist.
Lemon Extract or Oil – We’re not skimping on flavor today!
Eggs
Water
Vegetable Oil
For the glaze:
Powdered Sugar
Lemon Juice – That’s right, there is lemon in the glaze too!
Milk
What We Love About This Recipes!
This lemon cake is bursting with lemon flavor, ultra moist, and not too heavy.
We start with a cake mix, which makes it easy, but we doctor it up to make it special.
How to Make:
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Mix: This lemon cake recipe is not short on the lemon! We’ll be using lemon cake mix, lemon oil, lemon pudding, and even lemon juice for making the glaze. If this cake doesn’t taste lemon-y, you did something very wrong. 😉
In a large mixing bowl, start by beating together all of the cake ingredients for a few minutes until it forms a nice batter. While mixing, start pre-heating the oven.
Helpful Tip!
Lemon Oil vs. Extract
Lemon oil will provide a more potent flavor than lemon extract, but feel free to use whichever you can easily find or have on hand.
If using lemon oil, be sure that it is food grade and safe to consume. If you’re not certain, just go for the lemon extract, which is easy to find in the baking aisle at most grocery stores.
Bake: When the lemon cake batter is ready, butter and flour your bundt pan. Make sure you get in every nook and cranny.
Pour the batter into the pan and spread it out evenly. It’ll take about 45 minutes to bake, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
Good Quality Bundt Pan
We love baking bundt cakes and one of the tricks to getting them to release properly is to use a good quality, nonstick bundt pan. This one is a favorite.
Glaze: Let the finished cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and then carefully flip the cake onto a cooling rack. When it has cooled, you can start preparing the sweet lemon glaze!
Whisk together the glaze ingredients and start spooning or pouring it over the top of the cake. It would be a good idea to have something under the cake to catch any mess for easy cleanup.
The glaze will set quickly so don’t wait long after making it. Allow the glaze to set on the cake before serving.
Helpful Tip!
Lemon Glaze for Bundt Cake:
Want a thicker glaze? Use cream instead of milk.
Want a thinner glaze? Add more liquid, one tablespoon at a time.
How to Store Lemon Bundt Cake:
This cake will last for several days on the countertop in an airtight container or with plastic wrap. It should last about a week in the refrigerator and up to three months in the freezer!
To store with plastic wrap, insert a few toothpicks into the top of the cake so that the plastic wrap doesn’t get stuck to the glaze.
more lemon recipes:
More cake recipes!
Love cake? So do we! Here are a few of our reader favorite recipes!
- Better Than Sex Cake
- Buttermilk Chocolate Cake
- Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Keto Mini Cheesecake
- Eclair Cake
- Applesauce Cake
Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box lemon cake mix
- 3.4 ounce box instant lemon pudding
- 1 teaspoon lemon oil or extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Glaze Ingredients:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10 cup bundt pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, lemon pudding, lemon oil, eggs, water, and vegetable oil. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert the pan onto a cooling rack and remove cake from the pan to cool the rest of the way.
- When the cake is cool, prepare the glaze.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk until a thick glaze forms. Adjust the consistency by adding additional milk to thin or extra powdered sugar to thicken.
- Place the cake, still on the cooling rack, over a covered surface (or over a sheet pan) for easy cleanup. Spoon or pour the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to drizzle down the sides a bit. Work quickly as the glaze will begin setting quickly.
- Allow the glaze to set, about 20 minutes, before cutting and serving.
Alison says
This recipe sounds soooo delicious. I may have to try it and add some poppy seeds!
Karly says
Great addition!