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Home » Cake Recipes

Easy Lemon Bundt Cake

Published: Jan 8, 2022 by Mindee · This post contains affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Pinnable image 3 for lemon bundt cake.
Pinnable image 1 for lemon bundt cake

This nearly from scratch recipe looks so elegant no one will guess how easy it is to make! This moist cake drizzled with lemon glaze, lemon cream cheese frosting and white chocolate is bursting with lemon flavor! Trust me, this is one of the lemon desserts craved by lemon lovers everywhere!

Slice of lemon bundt cake iced and garnished with mint leaves.
A slice of this delicious cake drizzled with a tart lemon glaze, lemon icing, white chocolate and garnished with mint!
Jump to:
  • Why You'll Love This Recipe
  • Ingredient Notes
  • A Few Things You'll Need
  • Step by Step Instructions
  • Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
  • Related Recipes
  • Easy Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

  • Bursting with lemon flavor just like my Lemon Swirl Cheesecake!
  • Easy cake recipe that's great for beginning bakers.
  • Moist, never dry cake with fresh lemon flavor!
  • May be easy but looks like you spent hours in the kitchen!
  • This beautiful cake is perfect for holidays or birthday parties!
  • Detailed, step by step instructions with pictures so you can successfully make this delicious lemon cake!

Ingredient Notes

  • Cake Mix - Any brand is fine. Doesn't matter if it's the pudding in the mix kind or not. Do to supply issues if lemon cake mixes are unavailable then a white or yellow cake mix will do in a pinch.
  • Pudding Mix - Must be instant pudding. Any brand is fine.
  • Sour Cream - Regular fat sour cream works best. Plain full fat Greek yogurt may be substituted.
  • Olive Oil - You can substitute vegetable oil, canola oil, or coconut oil instead.
  • White Chocolate Chips - may use white chocolate wafers instead if you would like.
  • Lemon Juice - Must be FRESH lemon juice or lemon juice mixed from True Lemon Crystalized Lemon powder. Bottled lemon juice causes the flavor to be lacking or vary greatly depend on how old it is.
  • Lemon Zest? - You are welcome to add the zest from the lemon you're going to juice if you would like but it's optional.
Ingredients for this lemon bundt cake
Everything you'll need to make the best lemon bundt cake recipe!

A Few Things You'll Need

Step by Step Instructions

  • NOTE - You will only be using the cake mix from the box. Do not use any instructions or ingredients listed on the back of the cake mix box.
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 10 or 12 cup Bundt cake pan by making sure it is well greased and floured or coated with cake release. See my tip below on how to make your own cake release.
  • Pour the lemon cake mix into a large bowl or into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  • Add the pudding mix.
  • Add the sour cream.
Greased bundt pan. Cake mix, pudding mix and sour cream added to a mixing bowl.
Prepare the bundt pan and add the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl!
  • Add the olive oil.
  • Add the eggs and water.
  • Mix at a medium speed until all the ingredients are incorporated and mixed together well. This takes 30-45 seconds.
  • Take a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything got mixed in well.
  • Pour the cake batter into your prepared bundt pan and spread it around evenly.
Olive oil, and eggs added to mixing bowl. All mixed well and poured into the bundt pan.
Mix in the wet ingredients and pour batter into the prepared pan to bake!
  • Bake in your preheated oven for 40-45 minutes.
  • The top will be quite browned. A skewer or cake tester should come out clean.
  • Cool on a wire cooling rack for 20 minutes before turning the cake out to finish cooling.
  • The cake needs to be completely cool before icing.
Unbaked batter in a bundt pan, then baked, then turned out to cool.
Cool warm cake completely on a wire rack before turning pan upside down.

Instructions for the Homemade Lemon Glaze:

  • Mix 2 Tbs. FRESH Lemon Juice to 1 Cup of Powdered Sugar in a small bowl. Just like when you make Lemon Bars, the lemon juice has got to be fresh to get the right flavor.
  • Since this is a glaze it is runny.
  • Slowly drizzle around and over the top of the cake.
  • As you can see from the pictures it does run off and puddle a bit.
Making the lemon glaze and pouring it over the cake.
This lemon glaze is thin like a lemon syrup. Pour over cooled cake.

Instructions for the Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

  • In a small mixing bowl (I like to use my 2 cup glass measuring cup beat together 2 oz (yes, 2 oz) cream cheese and 1 Tbs. softened butter.
  • Beat in the powdered sugar and milk.
Cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and milk and to a bowl.
In a separate bowl make the icing with a zesty lemon flavor!
  • Beat in the FRESH lemon juice and a little bit of yellow food coloring.
  • Beat until completely smooth. You will get roughly 1 cup of this icing and trust me it will be plenty.
  • Spoon the icing into a 12 oz disposable frosting bag.
Food color and lemon juice added to icing and beaten well. Icing put in a piping bag.
Beat well with a hand mixer and scoop into frosting bag!
  • Snip off a little of the end and pipe the icing in a back and forth motion over the cake.
  • Melt the white chocolate and drizzle in a back and forth motion over the icing.
  • You can do this by putting the hot melted chocolate in a disposable frosting bag as well just keep in mind that the bag will be quite hot to the touch.
Drizzle the icing and white chocolate to finish off this easy lemon bundt cake recipe!
  • Place the cake in the fridge to harden the chocolate quickly.
  • Keep in the fridge until you're ready to serve and store the leftovers in the fridge.

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

Do I need the ingredients listed on the back of the cake box?

No! Absolutely not! You only need the dry pouch of cake mix. Only use the ingredients listed in this recipe.

Do I still need to add the pudding mix if the cake mix I bought has pudding in the mix?

Yes, you do still need to add the pudding mix.

Does this cake need to be refrigerated?

It is best to store this cake in the fridge due to the cream cheese icing.

What can I use in place of a bundt pan?

You could substitute a tube pan for this recipe if you don't have a bundt pan.  Or you could use 2 regular size bread loaf pans.  If you use the loaf pans you will likely need to reduce the cooking time to 35-40 minutes.

How do you get a cake out of a bundt pan?

Looking at a bundt pan you are probably thinking that your cake is going to stick in all sorts of places.  So how on earth are you going to get your cake out of the bundt pan?!?!?  The trick is to grease and flour your pan well or use cake release.  Instead of buying cake release I make my own.  All you need are equal parts of vegetable oil, shortening and flour mixed together.  For this recipe I mixed ½ Tbs. Vegetable Oil, ½ Tbs. Shortening and ½ Tbs. Flour together well and brushed it all over the inside of my bundt pan with a pastry brush.  You can use that little mix for any cakes you make.

Related Recipes

  • Lemon Cream Syrup
  • Lemon Sheet Cake
  • Raspberry Lemonade Frosting
  • Fresh Lemon Ice Cream
  • Lemon Poppy Seed Biscotti

Have you tried this recipe? If so, leave me a rating and a comment below! And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter to get my latest recipes sent right to your email! You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!

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Slice of lemon bundt cake on a plate.

Easy Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe

★★★★★ 4.9 from 49 reviews
  • Author: Mindee
  • Prep Time: 60 minutes (including cooling time)
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 16 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
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Description

This nearly from scratch recipe looks so elegant no one will guess how easy it is to make!  This moist cake drizzled with lemon glaze, lemon cream cheese frosting and white chocolate is bursting with lemon flavor!  


Ingredients

Units Scale

Lemon Bundt Cake

  • 1 (15.25 oz) pkg. Lemon Cake Mix (Preferably Betty Crocker)
  • 1 (3.9 oz.) pkg. Instant Lemon Pudding Mix
  • 1 cup Sour Cream
  • 1 cup Olive Oil
  • 4 Large Eggs
  • ½ cup Water

Lemon Glaze

  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 2 Tbs. FRESH Lemon Juice

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

  • 2 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
  • 1 Tbs. Butter (softened)
  • 2 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Tbs. Milk
  • 2 Tbs. FRESH Lemon Juice
  • Yellow Food Coloring

White Chocolate

  • 6 oz White Chocolate Chips or White Chocolate Wafers

Instructions

Lemon Bundt Cake 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 10 cup bundt pan by making sure it is well greased and floured or coated well with cake release.  (See the note below on how to quickly make your own cake release.)
  2. Put the cake mix, instant pudding mix, sour cream, olive oil, eggs and water into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Beat until mixed together well.  About 30-45 seconds.
  4. Spoon the batter in the prepared bundt pan and spread it out evenly.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  A skewer should come out clean and the top should be quite browned.
  6. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before inverting.  
  7. Cool the cake completely before icing.

Lemon Glaze

  1. Whisk 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 Tbs. FRESH lemon juice together and drizzle it over the bundt cake. Since this is a glaze it is runny.

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

  1. Beat 2 oz cream cheese and 1 Tbs. butter until well combined.
  2. Beat in the 2 Cups of powdered sugar and 1 Tbs. Milk.
  3. Beat in the 2 Tbs. FRESH Lemon Juice and little bit of yellow food coloring.
  4. Beat until completely smooth.
  5. Spoon into a 12 oz disposable frosting bag.
  6. Snip a small bit off the end of the frosting bag and pipe over the cake in a back and forth motion.

White Chocolate

  1. Melt the white chocolate chips carefully.
  2. Drizzle over the bundt cake in a back and forth motion.  I find it is easiest for me to melt the white chocolate and quickly put it in a disposable frosting bag to drizzle it the way I want just be aware that the frosting bag will be hot to the touch.
  3. Store the finished cake in the fridge!

Notes

  1.  Homemade Cake Release:  To make your own cake release mix together equal parts of shortening, cooking oil and flour. Use a pastry brush to brush into the baking pan.  For this recipe I mix ½ Tbs. Shortening, ½ Tbs Olive Oil and ½ Tbs Flour.
  2. This cake can be made using a stand mixer, hand beaters or completely by hand.
  3. The cake mix in this recipe is being used just for the mix. You will not need any ingredients listed on the back of the cake box nor will you be following any instructions from the cake box.
  4. Bottled lemon juice flavor varies by brand, bottle and age which is why I recommend using only FRESH Lemon Juice.  You can however mix up lemon juice using True Lemon Crystalized Lemon in place of the Lemon Juice and get optimal results.

Keywords: lemon bundt cake recipe, lemon bundt cake with a cake mix, lemon bundt cake with sour cream,

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me on Instagram @mindeescooking and hashtag it #mindeescookingobsession

Thanks for stopping by! Before you go, be sure to check out a few of my most popular recipes!

  • Black Tie Mousse Cake
  • Coconut Pecan Frosting
  • Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup
  • 4 Ingredient Tartar Sauce
  • Homemade White Bread

 Any nutritional analysis on this Site is based on an estimate, calculated by Nurtifox plugin (or other third-party source) from the individual ingredients in each recipe. Variations may occur for various reasons, including product availability and food preparation. We make no representation or warranty of the accuracy of this information.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anna S

    January 08, 2023 at 7:36 pm

    I made this for Thanksgiving and nobody wanted pumpkin pie. Delicious and moist and so pretty! Would definitely make it again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Missy

    January 08, 2023 at 2:49 pm

    Oh my goodness this cake is so moist and wonderful and I don’t usually like lemon cake. This is a keeper! Thanks for the recipeb

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Leigh Ann

    December 29, 2022 at 7:39 am

    Do you think adding blueberries to the batter would work?

    Reply
    • Mindee

      December 29, 2022 at 7:44 am

      I think that blueberries would add too much moisture to this already very moist cake. I would worry it wouldn't bake all the way through.

      Reply
    • Ebony

      January 04, 2023 at 11:06 am

      This was the best lemon cake I’ve ever eaten. Made it for New Year’s 2023 because I had a taste for good lemon cake. This did not disappoint. With my family’s help, the entire cake was gone in less than 24 hours. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  4. Lynn

    December 20, 2022 at 12:04 pm

    This lemon cake is so moist and delicious!! It’s easy to make as well! This is definitely a keeper! Thank you, for the recipe! If you haven’t tried it, It’s a must!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Tammy

    July 14, 2022 at 8:55 am

    Can I use vegetable oil instead of olive oil

    Reply
    • Mindee

      July 15, 2022 at 1:57 pm

      Yes

      Reply
  6. Dana

    May 08, 2022 at 10:07 am

    Amazing cake, very moist and holds together perfectly. I made cake exactly as written, just used Betty Crocker lemon frosting (microwaved for 30 seconds) and drizzled over the cooked Bundt cake. So many compliments that it was the best lemon cake ever!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Mindee

      May 09, 2022 at 8:49 am

      Thank You!

      Reply
  7. Jodi

    May 03, 2022 at 4:24 pm

    I made this recipe and followed it exactly as written. I honestly didn't think that the frosting was going to make enough and was going to increase the ingredients to make extra, but I am glad I didn't, it made plenty. Cake was very moist and looked absolutely beautiful! I took it to work and brought home an empty plate. Very refreshing! Thanks for this amazing recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Mindee

      May 03, 2022 at 4:25 pm

      That's awesome! Thank You!!!

      Reply
  8. Sarah

    January 23, 2022 at 5:09 pm

    This is so Good!! What I did differently:I added extra lemon juice and cream cheese to icing and milk- used more as a glaze. Did not use the white chocolate. This is just VERY good

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Wanda

    January 18, 2022 at 4:11 pm

    Can I use sugar free/fat free instant pudding?

    Reply
    • Mindee

      January 18, 2022 at 4:20 pm

      I believe that should be fine.

      Reply
  10. Cherie L

    July 29, 2021 at 11:32 am

    Hi Mindee.. I just made this cake. When I took it out of oven, it sunk in the pan within minutes. The cake tester came out clean. Cant figure out why it sank. I followed the recipe exact with one exception. I blended it in the mixer for longer than the 30-45 seconds as instructed. Did I over beat it and cause this? The cake mix is not old. Expiration on the box is April 2022.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Mindee

      July 29, 2021 at 1:21 pm

      I have had this happen to only a few people and I'm not sure exactly why it happens but would like to figure it out. Can I ask which kind of cake mix you used? And did you substitute any of the ingredients?

      Reply
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