Name: Lemon Bundt Cake (Super Easy Recipe)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups butter (softened); 2 ½ cups sugar; 4 eggs; 3 ½ cups all purpose flour; ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp baking soda; 1 cup buttermilk (low fat); 1 tsp lemon zest; 2 Tbs lemon juice; 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar; 2 Tbs lemon juice; 1 tsp lemon zest

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A beautiful looking and spectacular tasting Lemon Bundt Cake that boasts bright, fresh and zesty lemon flavor with a tangy glaze.

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!

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!

lemon bundt cake with frosting on a white plate

Why this recipe works

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 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

Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the printable recipe card below.

How to make this recipe

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The full list of ingredients and quantities is 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.

step by step photos showing how to make cake batter

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.

step by step photos showing a baked bundt cake

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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Update: This recipe was originally published in April of 2018. It was republished with updated photos in March of 2021.