A beautiful looking and spectacular tasting Lemon Bundt Cake that boasts bright, fresh and zesty lemon flavor with a tangy glaze.
Try my Homemade Lemon Curd, Pink Velvet Cake, Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Red Velvet Bundt, or my One Bowl Chocolate Bundt Cake, too!
Step by step photos and instructions below!
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Spring is finally here, and I am so ready for it. With all the fresh flavors available right now, it’s a great time to be in the kitchen!
Lemons are fabulous in baked goods. I know there are lemon lovers out there, who will absolutely agree with me. Anytime I can incorporate lemon flavors into food, I’m all about it! Check out these EPIC Lemon Bars, and Lemon Ricotta Cookies too!
This lemon bundt cake recipe is so easy to make, especially if you have a stand mixer. Don’t skimp on the creaming step, you want that butter and sugar to be pale and fluffy! Check out the tip box below to see how to tell if you have creamed correctly.
I have included plenty of hints and tricks throughout the post, that will help you make this cake perfectly every time. I hope you love it as much as my family does!
If you’re more of a cinnamon sugar person than a lemon person, this snickerdoodle bundt cake is calling your name.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Buttermilk. Makes for a tender crumb – I love using buttermilk in baked goods. It lends such a delicious flavor to cake and bread – I just can’t get enough.
Fresh lemon zest. You don’t want to try and substitute this. The oils in the zest give this lemon bundt cake its signature flavor.
Butter. Butter should be softened, but still firm enough that if you tried bending the stick, it would curve, but not disintegrate!
Greasing the pan well. Removal of bundt cakes isn’t always easy!! Make sure you use a good quality baking spray, and plenty of it. Ripped bundt = no good. If your cake DOES break when you pull it out, just cover it in frosting, and no one will ever know.
Creaming the butter and sugar. This makes the final product lighter and fluffier. There’s science behind this – creaming causes the butter to dissolve the sugar, while air is trapped as tiny bubbles in the fat.
We then add flour and when baked, the air expands, but is trapped by the protein in the flour.
How to know when butter is creamed properly
When it has almost doubled in mass and it has lightened to a pale yellow (almost white) color. There should be no grittiness, and the sugar will have dissolved.
I have included step-by-step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.
Successfully removing the cake from the pan:
I breathe a sigh of relief every time I pull one of these out successfully! It’s super satisfying.
I can’t say enough about properly preparing your pan. You want your cake to slide out after a little cooling with no sticking, and no digging around with a knife or toothpick to dislodge it!
I use a baking spray made specifically for this purpose (it’s by Wilton). I like it because it works, but also because it doesn’t leave any residue, or impart any icky flavor that I don’t want in my cake to the final product. If you don’t have baking spray, just grease very well with butter, and dust with a little flour.
We are looking for a smooth release from the pan, like this.
Kylee’s Notes & FAQs
How to store
Store in a covered container at room temperature. Cake will stay fresh for 3-4 days.
Variations:
- Switch out the lemon for lime, and use lime juice and zest
- Use oranges and orange juice/zest
- Make a big fluffy frosting and dollop all over the top
Key Recipe Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts is found in the printable recipe card below.
How to make this recipe
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This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Get prepped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly grease a bundt pan with baking spray. Don’t be shy with the spray – you want to do a very good job of coating the entire surface of the pan to prevent sticking as you remove from the pan.
Make the cake batter
In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on high speed until pale, light and fluffy. You may need to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl down with a spatula to ensure everything is mixed in. It should not be gritty at all and should take about 8-10 minutes.
Decrease to medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition to incorporate fully before adding the next one.
Sift the flour, salt and baking soda together in a small bowl.
With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour and buttermilk in 1/2 cup additions.
Add the lemon juice and zest and mix well.
Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan.
Bake
Bake at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for 60 minutes.
Check doneness using a toothpick inserted into the cake. If it comes out clean – it’s done! If not, bake for 5 more minutes until it does (up to about 75 minutes total time.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before turning out to a wire rack to cool completely. Loosen the cake by gently shaking the pan.
Lemon Glaze
- Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest in a bowl.
- Drizzle over cooled Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake.
- Devour.
More delicious baked goods
- Slutty Brownies Make this decadent dessert from scratch! With cookie dough on the base, oreos in the middle and brownie batter poured over the top, these are the ultimate dessert!
- Blondies. A super easy recipe for a classic, this Blondie Recipe mixes up fast, contains only 7 ingredients, and tastes amazing!
- Chocolate Bundt Cake. A one-bowl wonder, this easy but rich and decadent Chocolate Bundt Cake will satisfy chocolate lovers the world over!
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Lemon Bundt Cake (Super Easy Recipe)
Ingredients
For the Bundt Cake
- 1 ½ cup butter (softened)
- 2 ½ cups white sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk (low fat)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Directions
Get prepped
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease a bundt pan with baking spray. Don’t be shy with the spray – you want to do a very good job of coating the entire surface of the pan to prevent sticking as you remove from the pan.
Make the cake batter
- In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the 1 ½ cup butter and 2 ½ cups white sugar together on high speed until pale, light and fluffy. You may need to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl down with a spatula to ensure everything is mixed in. It should not be gritty at all and should take about 8-10 minutes.
- Decrease to medium speed. Add 4 large eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition to incorporate fully before adding the next one.
- Sift 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoons baking soda together in a small bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and 1 cup buttermilk in 1/2 cup additions.
- Add the 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zestand mix well.
- Pour batter into the prepared bundt.
Bake
- Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for 60 minutes.
- Check doneness using a toothpick inserted into the cake. If it comes out clean – it’s done! If not, bake for 5 more minutes until it does (up to about 75 minutes total time.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before turning out to a wire rack to cool completely. Loosen the cake by gently shaking the pan.
Lemon Glaze
- Mix 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest in a bowl.
- Drizzle over cooled cake.
- Devour.
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Nutrition Facts
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Update: This recipe was originally published in April of 2018. It was republished with updated photos in March of 2021.
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