The softest, lemon-packed cake you’ll ever eat. If you are a lemon lover, this Super Lemon Bundt Cake will be your new favorite!
*This post was originally written and published on August 28, 2014 (my first year of blogging!). It is now one of the most popular recipes on my blog! I updated it with new photos.*
You guys, this super lemon bundt cake is SO good.There’s something about the tart and sweet combination of lemon desserts that’s just so amazing. This cake is no exception. The texture is sort of dense – think: pound cake – but it is so ridiculously soft, moist and packed with lemony flavor. The lemon glaze on top really brings this dessert over the top and really packs a big punch of lemony flavor. The cake is delicious on it’s own but the lemon glaze is totally and completely necessary! The lemon sugar sprinkled on top makes it look even prettier while adding an extra punch of lemon flavor.
Ingredients
- Flour: All-Purpose flour is used in this recipe.
- Baking Powder: Makes the cake rise.
- Salt: For flavor.
- Eggs: To bind the ingredients together.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is used in the cake and lemon sugar recipes.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor.
- Lemon juice: I use the juice in the cake and glaze for a strong and fresh lemon flavor.
- Choose lemons that have a good squeeze to them = more juice!
- Lemon zest: Used in the cake and lemon sugar topping to elevate the lemon flavor.
- Milk: Whole milk is used in this recipe. You can substitute 2%, if needed.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used in this recipe to control sodium.
- Powdered sugar: Used to sweeten the glaze.
Instructions
- Prepare bundt pan: Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan extremely well, making sure to really get into all crevices. Set aside.
- Make the batter: Lightly whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Beat eggs on low until they are thickened and very pale yellow in color. Slowly add sugar to running mixer and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Slowly pour in dry ingredients on low speed until combined.
- Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until very hot and butter is just melted. Pour into batter and mix until smooth. Batter will be very thin.
- Bake: Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 27-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Make lemon sugar: Thoroughly mix the lemon zest and sugar together and let it sit for 5 minutes. If you don’t want the lemon zest on top of the cake, push the sugar through a fine mesh strainer, separating the two and discard the zest.
- Make the glaze: Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice, using more or less lemon juice as needed to get a thick consistency.
- I like to keep mine slightly thick so it won’t thin out too much when I serve it over warm cake.)
- Drizzle glaze over warm cake. Sprinkle lemon sugar on top.
Recipe Tips:
- How to zest a lemon: Over a clean surface or cutting board, hold the grater in one hand and the lemon in the other. A microplane grater works best but you can also use a box grater – just be sure to use the smallest holes so you get the lemon zest very fine. Push the lemon down the grater in one direction, removing only the the yellow outer part of the fruit, being careful to avoid the bitter pith.
- Leaving the lemon zest in with the sugar is totally optional, but sometimes I push the sugar through a fine mesh strainer to separate the two, depending who I am serving. It’s all about personal preference.
- Bundt pan size: You can use any 12-cup bundt pan.
- Grease the pan: You want to be extremely generous with greasing a bundt pan – they are notorious for sticking!
If you love lemon, you absolutely need to make this.. like now.
More bundt cake recipes you’ll love:
- Lemon Raspberry Coconut Cake
- Banana Bundt Cake With Maple Brown Sugar Glaze
- Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake
- Guinness Chocolate Stout Cake
- Coconut Pound Cake
- Carrot Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
Super Lemon Bundt Cake
The softest, lemon-packed cake on the face of the earth. If you are a lemon lover, this Super Lemon Bundt Cake will be your new favorite!
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbs lemon zest
- 2 tbs + 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
Lemon Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-5 tbs lemon juice
Lemon Sugar Topping
- 1 tbs lemon zest
- 1 tbs granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan very well, making sure to really get into all crevices. Then, lightly flour the pan. Set aside.
- Lightly whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In the bowl of your stand mixer (if you're using one) fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs on low until they are thickened and very pale yellow in color. Turn mixer on low and slowly add sugar to running mixer and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Slowly pour in dry ingredients on low speed until combined.
- In a small saucepan, heat milk until very hot and butter is just melted. Do not boil and whisk the mixture to help the butter along. Pour into batter and mix until smooth. Batter will be very thin. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 27-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Once done, remove cake from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in pan. Release the sides of the cake with a butter knife to ensure it isn’t going to stick. Turn cake onto a large round platter or cake stand. (If using a 9×13 pan, do not remove cake, just place entire pan onto wire rack so underneath the pan can cool also.) Allow cake to finish cooling until warm to the touch.
- While cake is cooling, prepare lemon sugar and glaze. For the lemon sugar, thoroughly mix the lemon zest and sugar together and let it sit for 5 minutes. If you don’t want the lemon zest on top of the cake, push the sugar through a fine mesh strainer, separating the two and discard the zest. If you don’t mind the zest on top of your cake (it will give it a nice pop of color!), then just set the mixture aside.
- For the glaze, whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice, using more or less lemon juice as needed to get desired consistency. (I like to keep mine slightly thick so it won’t thin out too much when I serve it over warm cake.)Once cake is cooled down slightly, drizzle glaze over warm cake. Alternately, you can drizzle the glaze over each individual piece being served. Sprinkle lemon sugar on top.
- Cake will stay soft and moist for 3 days stored in an airtight container.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Wrap baked and cooled cake (without glaze) in a few layers of plastic wrap and then wrap in a layer of aluminum foil. You can freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator. Glaze once thawed.
Adapted from Amy Kay’s Kitchen originally adapted from Taste of Home.
Have you made this recipe? I’d love to know how it came out for you! Please leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #sprinklesomesugar so I can see it!
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Hi. I just wanted to post a comment to say how amazing this cake is. At first I was sceptical because the recipe was so different to any other cake recipe I’ve ever made, but my word, the result was amazing. I used a bundt pan and my cake took 35 mins to bake and it was perfect. The cake is dense and moist and my hubby can’t walk past the cake stand without cutting a piece. That’s what I call a success. I’ll definitely be making this one again. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Thanks so much for this recipe!!! Everyone absolutely loves it and it turns out perfect each time.
You’re very welcome, Terry! So glad you love this cake as much as we do.
This was AMAZING. Made it with Pamlea’s Artisan Flour and it turned out perfect.
Awesome! Thanks, Mattie.
I made this today and it is fabulous. I love how tangy it is. I am definitely keeping this recipe. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Anytime, Diana!
Awesome!! Thanks so much for the tips
I made this cake today and it was disappointing. I followed the recipe to the letter and I probably will not be making it again. The flavor was bland and I even used Meyer lemons! The texture was doughy and dense, definitely not the lighter type cake I was expecting. I will be searching for another lemon cake recipe. Sorry.
That happened to me!!! i dont know why!! 🙁 i like the lemony flavor it was excellent but the cake was dense and doughy.
That means you did not bake it long enough. This is not meant to be a fluffy cake, it is velvety soft and dense almost like a pound cake. Glad it was enjoyed anyway!
er over bake mIt seems like you may have measure some where along the way. Try measuring out all of the ingredients before you incorporating. Make sure you cold items are room temperature. Add ingredients according to recipe then mix to incorporate then mix cake on correct speed/time. Make sure oven is preheated and check your cake in the center while in the oven about 5min before removal. This will let you know if the cake is done or you may need to let it cook longer. Don’t over bake. The cool down in pan will still be baking the cake to
Just made this! Yummo!!! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this cake for my family and swirled on some raspberry preserves at the end to make a lemon raspberry bundt cake. This was such a hit, everyone loved it! Even without the raspberry, I know this would have wowed them. It’s incredibly moist, fluffly, and full of flavor.
Wow! That sounds delicious! Thanks for the idea 🙂
Mis cordiales saludos, desearía saber cuantos gramos equivale las 10 cucharadas de mantequilla que hace referencia en la receta del Pastel Bundt Super Limón.
Gracias
Pablo Antonio
My daughter and I have made this twice now. Its great, the zest sugar and glaze really add some zing. Like others I’ve had to bake this significantly longer. First one wasn’t done until 50 mins, this one is at 39 and still wet too. Not my oven as we just had it checked, it was within 2 degrees. Great recipe, it doesn’t last two days in our house!
Was craving a lemon cake and thought how beautiful a bunt would be, so I googled a recipe and found your blog. After baking more than the suggested time, all while testing with a toothpick, I took it out and let it cool. It was brown on the surface so it should have been done, however after cooling and turning I was disappointed to discover it was still was raw and gooey in the middle. If anyone else reads this I would recommend using a shallow baking pan, not a bunt pan. Hope you have better luck than I did 🙁
Made this today and it’s delicious! Tried out a silicone pan (not sure I’m a fan)and of course I had to adjust for altitude since I Love above 6000′ and it turned out great.
Can you use buttermilk in place of the whole milk??
I love lemon desserts! Just made the lemon bundt cake. It’s beautiful! Can’t wait to eat it!
I’m going to make this recipe with mini bundt pans for a friends birthday! It’s going to be super cute. I’m also going to put some raspberries on top.
Sounds awesome!
This is a great recipe. I’ve made a lot of lemon cakes with different recipes, this is the best one. While it is slightly dense, like a pound cake, it is not heavy. The crumb is very delicate and the lemon flavor is perfect. Warming the milk and butter is brilliant, it makes all the difference with this cake and was so successful I’ll be trying this technique with other cakes. Thank you, an excellent recipe.
Yes! That is what i love about this cake, the texture is like velvet. Thanks Sara!
Just made this cake yesterday. It was my 1st pound cake. I didnt do the zest only because I dont like zest and I did add milk along with the lemon for the glaze because lemon alone was too “lemony”. But this recipe was very easy which I needed for a beginner. But from the looks of the end result, you would have thought I had been making cakes forever. The cake is absolutely delicious!!!! Great recipe to follow.
Yay! Love comments like these. Thank you Gina!
I guess you’ll just have to make another!! Ha! Thanks Amanda, I am happy your family enjoyed the cakes on such a special day!
Canadian votes, yes good cake. I made it last night and had one piece, excellent. It did take 40-45 minutes in my thin sided bunt pan. Best part is I have the rest of the cake to share. 5/5
Yay!!
I made this for my husband’s birthday yesterday and he LOVED it! He even said this recipe is better than his mom’s lemon cake recipe (that’s high praise)! I followed it as is and it was perfect. I think I will be making this every year now 🙂 Thank you!
This was delicious! I even messed it up and it came out great!! Go figure!! I did the toothpick test, thought it was done and took it out of the oven. Waited five minutes, flipped it over onto the wire rack and to my horror-it began flowing through the screen!! Aargh!! Thinking quickly, I turned it back over, scooped up what spilled, turned the oven back on, waited, put the cake BACK IN the oven, cooked another twenty minutes and ta da!! You would never have known ??. And it STILL tasted wonderful!? Thank you for a “foolproof ” recipe!? Oh, and it looked pretty too
Hah! Oh my goodness, that’s so awesome that it still worked out for you!
Just baked this for my first bundt cake, and had the same bake time issue that some others have reported. My guess is that it has to do with the color of your pan rather than differences in ovens. I have a light-colored one. Jessica – did you bake this with a dark-colored pan?
I probably took it a wee bit too far (kept adding time with each toothpick test – 60 min if I had to guess). But it still tastes moist and delicious! The glaze and lemon sugar are a must. Cheers!
I’ve made this cake twice now and it is absolutely delicious! Have to restrain myself from eating the whole thing myself 😉
Hi Jessica,
I posted a response a few weeks back, but I don’t see it on this page. Anyway I bake cakes only from scratch, and plenty of Bunt Cakes and I just have to say that i baked this for a dinner get together with our neighbors and it was a big hit. I did add a half a block of cream cheese to the glaze because mine came out runny so the cream cheese thickened it a little. Thanks for the great recipe.
Paulette G.
The addition of cream cheese in the glaze sounds really yummy!
My lord this is the BEST lemon cake I have ever had, and probably the moistest cake I’ve ever had. I did double the amount of lemon juice because I had a bag of lemons wanted it really lemony and Oh my, it is delicious!!
Yay! Sounds even more delicious with more lemon! 🙂
This is a great recipe, I have made it a few times. It is a very moist and lemon cake. Thanks for sharing it we love love love it!
I have my fingers crossed that this will work in mini bundt cake pans. I will have to let to you know!
I’m sure it will! Let me know! 🙂
Excellent recipe, came out perfect, will be one of my top cakes to make for guests or bring to someone’s home.
This is hands down the best lemon cake I’ve ever made. So easy, the texture is incredible — perfect crumb, not greasy at all… not too sweet… Seriously, if you haven’t made this, do it! My only change was that mine needed to bake for closer to 45 minutes…
Made this on the weekend and bought it in to work. Well, word has gone around about my delicious cake and it’s not even 10am and it’s nearly gone! Great lemon taste and really nice crumb. BIG ✔️✔️✔️
Cake was absolutely delicious, fluffy and amazing!!!!!!!
How long does this recipe take to make in total?
Less than an hour.
I wasn’t sure about the 27-35 minutes because I have never baked a bundt cake in less than 50 minutes to 1 hour, but surprisingly this cake came out perfect after allowing it to bake for 35 minutes and sit for 5 minutes. I didn’t really taste the lemon , but it is a very moist cake.
Yuuuuummmmmmyyyyy! I just made this cake exactly per your recipe. Amazing dense texture that’s moist but not gummy. Unfortunately I’ve never used a bundt pan before, and despite applying a thorough coat of cooking spray to the pan, the cake wouldn’t come out. I was going to bring the cake to an event at a friend’s house tomorrow, but it was too funny looking after I pried it out. It’s not pretty enough to share with my friends, but it’s certainly tasty enough for my husband and me! Seriously one of the best cakes I’ve ever made/had. I will definitely make this again, and learn to master the Bundt pan!
Made this tonight for the first time. It turned out so dense and thick. I’m not sure where I messed it up. It had great flavor though.
I made this cake for my supper group. It made 2–9 inch rounds and an 8 inch round. They are beautiful! I love how the zest and the sugar look sprinkled on the cake. Can’t wait to try them.
Lemon is a family favorite and I couldn’t wait to make this wonderful looking cake! The flavor was perfect (I used Myer lemons), however, I was so disappointed when I cut into it! It was so dense! I followed the recipe exactly and don’t know what went wrong!
Hello, I just made this cake in a bundt pan, and it fluffed divinely, then it completely sank in the middle!!! Really do not know what I did wrong… any help
I was wondering if it would be possible to use 2% milk instead of whole milk?
Absolutely.
Made this Saturday. Very tasty…it really puffed up and then deflated…don’t know why that happened. However, it looked good and tasted good, so I guess there was no harm. Not a baker as such, but have never made a cake where you warm the milk/butter before adding to ingredients. Can you tell me why this is done?
Made with orange juice and orange zest. Will make again! Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds like it wasn’t fully baked in the middle!
Hello,
I have made this recipe and it is delicious! My question is why do we heat the milk and butter? Most recipes I found cream the butter with the sugar and use non-heated milk.
Thanks for teaching and giving us your tricks!
You’re so very welcome, Jennifer!
What is your altitude? Mine is almost 6000’. Makes cakes difficult.
Well, this will be the first for me melting the butter in the hot milk. I just can’t imagine how this all works out because the cakes texture in the picture looks just like you could have beaten the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. I am not the scientific minded, so this one… I’m going to definitely try this weekend. I really like all the lemon infusion — the ample lemon zest along with the 5 tsp+ of fresh lemon juice. This should pack a very lingering result!
This is my favorite lemon cake! I usually skip the lemon sugar topping, but it’s still so good. I’m currently pregnant and been craving it all week. We finally got lemons and it’s in the oven now! I can’t wait!
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know that writing content is time consuming and boring.
But did you know that there is a tool that allows you to create new articles using existing
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I have made this cake recently and it was a huge hit! My mother-in-law wants me to make it for a special event that has a pink theme, do you have any suggestions on how I can make the glaze pink? Would you just use food coloring? I saw in the comments a recommendation to try it with grapefruit zest in the sugar topping so that’s another option to add pink to it.
Also, for another time I want to make this could I include blueberries? Would you suggest putting the blueberries in the batter right before you bake it?
Thanks!
My mother-in-law had an outpatient procedure done so I wanted to make her and my father-in-law a few of her favorites for a good dinner. She loves my lasagna so that was an easy decision but dessert was more difficult. She LOVES citrus desserts so I tried this and am SO glad I did! They loved it, and I asked my husband to bring me a slice back after delivering so I could try it, too. ; ) I agree with them! I didn’t have enough lemon rind for the sugar and was short a bit for the cake but it was still very lemony and delicious! Thank you for sharing this. It has been printed and filed!!!
Sorry, I tried this recipe but didn’t work. It was almost totally underbaked in the center, and I baked it for an extra 5 minutes. I’m sure I did something wrong; I only have a hand mixer, not a stand one. But seems there’s some extra steps – heating the milk? – whereas other bundt cake recipes are simpler.