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    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Lemon Bundt Cake

    Published: May 21, 2022 · Modified: Dec 20, 2022 by Shiran · This post may contain affiliate links · 54 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    This incredibly easy-to-make, moist and tender lemon Bundt cake recipe is bursting with lemon flavor. Soaked in lemon syrup and topped with sticky lemon glaze, it’s absolutely irresistible!

    Perfect lemon bundt cake, great as a morning or afternoon snack.

    The best lemon Bundt cake recipe ever

    Love doesn’t begin to describe how I feel about lemon cakes. I made this lemon cake a million times, but it’s the first time I’m making it in Bundt form. Because Bundt cakes tend to be dense, I brush the cake with a lemony syrup after baking, and the result is a delicious, tender, and moist cake. There’s so much lemon in this cake – in the cake batter, the syrup, and the glaze, so it’s super lemony. I’ve never had a cake that has more lemon flavor than this one!

    Delicious simple and easy to make lemon bundt cake.

    How to make lemon Bundt cake

    This cake has three components:

    • The cake itself
    • Lemon syrup
    • Lemon glaze

    Make the lemon Bundt cake

    Tip: For easy pan removal, grease your Bundt pan very well and dust it with flour. Make sure to tap off any excess. This will help the cake slide out of the pan much more easily.

    1. Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    2. Mix together the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, mix together buttermilk or sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Set bowls aside.
    3. Cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest together. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until fluffy. Occasionally scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
    4. Beat in the eggs. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
    5. Add the dry and wet ingredients. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the lemon juice mixture in 2 additions, starting and ending with the flour. Do not over mix.
    6. Bake. Scrape batter into a prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes at 350°F/180°C or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
    7. Cool and remove from pan. Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan, carefully inverting it onto a plate. To loosen the cake from the pan, put a large serving plate upside-down on top of the pan. Hold the cake pan (if it’s hot, use a towel) and invert it quickly onto the plate, then lift off the pan. If it doesn’t loosen easily, tip the pan gently, or run a knife along the edges.

    Baker’s tip: If the top of the cake is browning too fast, cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil. This will keep it from burning while allowing the cake to continue to bake.

    Make the lemon syrup

    While the cake is cooling in the pan, make the syrup.

    1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and lemon juice.
    2. Heat on medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and syrup forms.
    3. After inverting the cake onto a plate, brush the top and sides of the warm cake evenly with all of the syrup.
    4. Allow cake to cool to room temperature.

    Make the lemon glaze

    1. Combine sugar, lemon juice, and milk and whisk until smooth. You may need add a bit more milk to get a thick yet pourable consistency.
    2. Pour over top of the cooled cake and let drizzle down the sides.
    3. Allow the glaze to set for 15-30 minutes.
    Moist and tender lemon cake, simple and easy to make.

    Tips for making lemon Bundt cake

    • Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing can make cakes dense and tough. To avoid this, simply mix mix the ingredients gently and just until they come together to form a batter.
    • Elevate the cake with add-ins: Add 1 and ¼ cups blueberries or raspberries to the batter tossed with 1 tablespoon flour. Or, for a lemon poppy seed cake, add ¼ cup of poppy seeds.
    • For easy pan removal: Dust your greased Bundt pan with flour, and be sure to tap off any excess.

    More of my favorite lemon recipes

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    Moist and tender lemon cake, simple and easy to make.
    4.8 from 25 votes
    Print

    Lemon Bundt Cake

    This incredibly moist, delicious lemon Bundt cake is bursting with fresh lemon flavor. Soaked in lemon syrup and topped with sticky lemon glaze, this is the best lemon cake you'll ever have!

    Prep Time 45 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
    YIELD 1 bundt cake

    Ingredients

    Cake:

    • 3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk or sour cream
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 cup (2 sticks/225g) unsalted butter, softened
    • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
    • zest of 4 lemons
    • 4 large eggs

    Syrup:

    • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
    • ½ cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

    Glaze (optional):

    • 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon milk, or more as needed

    Instructions

    1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease a 12-cup (10-inch) Bundt pan well and dust generously with flour. Tap off excess flour and set aside.

    2. To make the cake:

      In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, mix together buttermilk/sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Set bowls aside.

    3. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until fluffy. Occasionally scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the lemon juice mixture in 2 additions, starting and ending with the flour. Do not over mix.
    4. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top is browning too fast while baking, cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Allow cake to cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan, carefully inverting it onto a plate.
    5. Meanwhile, make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine sugar and lemon juice. Cook on medium-low heat until sugar dissolves and syrup forms. After inverting the cake to a plate, brush top and sides of the cake evenly with syrup. Use all syrup. Allow cake to cool to room temperature.
    6. To make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine sugar, lemon juice, and milk, and whisk until smooth. Add more milk as necessary until you get a thick yet pourable consistency. Pour over top of cake and let drizzle down the sides. Allow glaze to set, 15-30 minutes.
    7. The cake is best served at room temperature. Store cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftovers can be frozen for up to 2 months.

    Recipe Notes

    Add berries or poppy seeds to your cake: For a berry lemon cake, add 1 and ¼ cups blueberries or raspberries to the batter, tossed with 1 tablespoon flour. For a lemon poppy seed cake, add ¼ cup of poppy seeds.

    The best lemon bundt cake recipe, moist, flavorful, super lemony! Perfect as a snack.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Article says

      May 31, 2018 at 12:56 am

      This was the best, lightest lemon bundt cake I’ve ever made. I think the best bunt cake. Some commenters have had problems. If it’s any help this is what I did: I followed the suggestions to cut the sugar to 330 g and to zest 3 lemons. Sift the dry ingredients; use really good butter; butter and eggs at room temp; make sure you’ve actually got 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup buttermilk. And that’s all I can say. The result was wonderfully light, moist and lemony. The glaze simple and effective.

      Reply
      • Shannon says

        June 17, 2019 at 9:13 am

        Hi – at the risk of sounding stupid…..so you decreased the buttermilk to 1/2 cup and increases the lemon juice to 1/2 cup? Making this for a friend’s birthday so want to get it right. Thanks.

        Reply
      • Meg says

        March 17, 2021 at 2:39 am

        I’ve been a baker for many years and lots of stress baking in the last year, at times with less than ideal ingredients and temperament. Lol, don’t bake mad! A friend is visiting tomorrow and requested a lemon meringue pie but because of my allergy to eggs and high humidity that won’t work so I spent hours looking for his preference of something lemony. This turned out splendid and appreciate recipes that call for weight rather than cups. I think for adults, using a lemon liquor along with a simple syrup would be great as well. This is picture perfect and can’t wait until tomorrow to glaze and start eating.

        Reply
    2. Leya says

      August 24, 2018 at 12:48 am

      Hi, I’ve tried this recipe 3x and we loved it every single time. Can I make this as 8 in layer cake? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        August 26, 2018 at 12:48 pm

        Thanks Leya! Yes you can. I’m not sure about the amount of batter you’ll need to make a layer cake, but you can definitely use this recipe for an 8-inch cake.

        Reply
    3. Brenda K says

      December 17, 2018 at 4:54 pm

      This was such a great cake. It was a big hit at our dinner party! I will make this again, for sure!!

      Reply
    4. Kelly Sparapane says

      March 25, 2019 at 4:04 pm

      Hi, can I make mini bundt s with this recipe?

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        March 26, 2019 at 5:17 am

        Yes you can.

        Reply
    5. Katie says

      April 19, 2019 at 6:40 pm

      What do you think about adding coconut to the cake? I have not made it yet but thinking about trying it with coconut too.

      Reply
    6. Kayla says

      April 23, 2019 at 4:13 pm

      I made this once and loved it! So I’m making it for my wedding. As such I need to freeze it; do you think I should put the syrup in before or after freezing? I’m already going to glaze it once its defrosted.

      Reply
      • Alyssa Bauer says

        July 17, 2023 at 8:27 am

        Personally I would put the syrup in before freezing, my non-expert opinion.

        Reply
    7. Koreena Malone says

      May 08, 2019 at 12:18 am

      By far my favorite lemon bundt cake recipe. No need to look elsewhere.

      Reply
    8. Ann-Marie says

      May 10, 2019 at 1:15 pm

      I see where it says buttermilk or sour cream. Is one better to use then the other?

      Reply
      • Shannon says

        June 17, 2019 at 9:09 am

        I’m wondering the same thing 🙂

        Reply
    9. Monica Brenner says

      August 13, 2019 at 7:18 pm

      My group loved it. Took a bit longer to bake. Used the sour cream. Will definitely make again and try with poppy seeds.

      Reply
    10. Lyn says

      August 18, 2019 at 10:06 pm

      This is an amazing recipe. It has a really nice intense but not over powering lemon flavor. I have made it a few times and it has always been wonderful. I think the syrup is what makes this cake really special.

      Reply
    11. Hannah says

      September 02, 2019 at 3:04 pm

      What size cake tin can I use instead of a bundt tin? Thank u!

      Reply
    12. Eliza says

      September 06, 2019 at 9:55 pm

      Can you please let us know about the buttermilk vs the sour cream? One is a thick liquid and one a solid; so they would provide a difference in the consistency of the batter and the cooking time.

      Reply
    13. Alecio says

      October 11, 2019 at 6:19 pm

      It was the best lemon cake I ever made

      Reply
    14. Angela says

      December 04, 2019 at 9:11 pm

      HELP! I ran out of lemons!! Can i just make the glaze with some vanilla instead of the tablespoon of lemon

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        December 09, 2019 at 3:38 am

        You can use milk instead of lemon juice.

        Reply
    15. shelby says

      December 11, 2019 at 3:58 pm

      can i use a handheld mixer instead?

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        December 12, 2019 at 3:54 am

        Yes 🙂

        Reply
    16. Janet Wiesner says

      December 28, 2019 at 10:15 pm

      After looking at many recipes, I chose this Lemon Bundt cake recipe to make for the family Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a HUGE hit. Everyone was asking for the recipe. I gave you full credit!

      However, for some reason that escapes me, my husband doesn’t like lemon flavor anything. So I was wondering if I could use oranges in this recipe instead of lemons?

      Reply
    17. Rebecca Lange says

      December 30, 2019 at 8:19 pm

      I recently made this cake for a Christmas get together and it came out very dry. Any suggestions to fix this? I double checked all the ingredients to make sure everything was used and in proper quantities. It was enjoyable and easy to make, but my boxed version came out much more moist! I would love to make this again if it came out less dry.

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        January 01, 2020 at 4:37 am

        If it’s very dry it was probably over baked. The boxed version almost always comes out more moist, but cakes from scratch taste better in my opinion 🙂

        Reply
    18. Allison says

      January 01, 2020 at 8:57 pm

      Best ever. I verified the recipe today for a third time and the result was delicious!

      Reply
    19. Amy Simon says

      January 04, 2020 at 1:51 am

      Delicious – and beautiful.

      Reply
    20. Amy S says

      January 05, 2020 at 4:58 pm

      Followed the recipe exactly. It was the best cake ever. Just scrumptious – so much lemon. Everyone loved it.

      Reply
      • Amy S says

        January 05, 2020 at 5:00 pm

        Also forgot to say – one thing I guess I did change- I stirred by hand, all of it. So no mixer needed of any kind.

        Reply
    21. Laxshmi Hirani says

      March 09, 2020 at 3:23 am

      I would love to try this out… but can the eggs be replaced with anything else as we don’t eat eggs.

      Reply
      • neskatan says

        May 02, 2020 at 10:41 am

        Have you heard of aquafaba instead of eggs? You drain a can of beans (garbanzo, white, black, pinto, doesn’t matter), put aside the beans and keep the liquid. Substitute 2 tbsp of this liquid for each egg that a recipe calls for. There’s no bean-y taste whatsoever as soon as you mix in the sugar.
        I’m going to try that with this recipe. I’m sure it will be a success.

        Reply
    22. Victoria McFarland says

      April 28, 2020 at 1:40 pm

      This was my first Bundt cake and it turned out great! I too mixed by hand….the only change I made was to drizzle on top, used 1 cup confectioners sugar mixed on stove with 1 tsp vanilla and 2 Tbsp lemon juice, after it cooled I drizzled it on top. …wish I could post a photo. It’s beautiful!

      Reply
    23. maggie says

      May 23, 2020 at 9:11 am

      Hi can you make this gluten free? I just have a measure by measure GF flour and was wondering if that would work. Or would it do something weird?

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        May 24, 2020 at 12:46 pm

        It should work. If you have gluten free flour that you’ve used before and love its texture and flavor then you can use it.

        Reply
    24. Seema says

      July 09, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      Hi, can I substitute Flax egg for an eggless version

      Reply
    25. Aleks says

      July 12, 2020 at 12:20 am

      Thank you, Shiran! This Bundt cake is absolutely amazing! Next time, however, I will leave out lemon juice either from syrup or glaze – too sour for my taste when using both 🙂

      Reply
    26. Laura Salej says

      August 24, 2020 at 10:26 pm

      Can I add blueberries to this cake?

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        August 30, 2020 at 5:24 am

        Yes you can!

        Reply
    27. Becky Hilliard says

      February 22, 2021 at 1:02 pm

      Best Lemon dessert ever! Just the right amount of Tart not overly sweet. The syrup that is brushed on the top of warm cake is fabulous! I love the addition of weight for measuring. I find it so much easier to use a food scale and poor my ingredients into a bowl then using measuring cups. Thank you for sharing your recipes and techniques on making them.

      Reply
    28. Rachael says

      February 28, 2021 at 11:55 pm

      The cake turned out wonderfully! This is the lightest and fluffiest cake I think I’ve ever made. I used sour cream and only used three instead of four lemons (I was short a lemon or else I would have followed the recipe). Perfect cake! The batter looked almost like whipped cream or frosting before I baked it. So, so good. Wish I could post a photo!

      Reply
    29. Jo says

      April 08, 2021 at 1:54 am

      Wonderful cake. Made it for a morning tea at work and everyone loved it.

      Reply
    30. Abram Abram says

      September 02, 2021 at 2:44 pm

      I have thought so many times of entering the blogging world as I love reading them. I think I finally have the courage to give it a try. Thank you so much for all of the ideas!

      Reply
    31. Holly PDX says

      September 13, 2021 at 11:32 pm

      This is a tasty cake! It’s very very firm (bordering on a little too hard) but that helps it keep its shape. Make sure you do both the syrup and the lemon glaze icing as those both help it avoid dryness and give it a nice tart flavor.

      Reply
    32. Brittany says

      February 19, 2022 at 11:48 am

      I take this up a notch and make a lemon curd glaze. I take a few tablespoons of my homemade curd and mix with a few tbsp of powdered sugar and a splash of milk. It is the ultimate topping on this fabulous cake. 😁

      Reply
    33. Melanie says

      March 28, 2022 at 3:37 pm

      Really liked the cake, texture and moisture was great; however, it was too tart. (Maybe the glaze helps? But my family doesn’t like glaze) I’ve made various lemon cakes in the past (sponge, coffee cake, muffins, cheesecake) and my instinct said 4 lemons was too many. I should’ve listened to it. Next time I would cut one or 2 lemons out, and I possibly I will also try without the syrup. Maybe just dust lightly with powdered sugar.

      Reply
    34. Tanisha says

      August 25, 2022 at 3:06 am

      How I love this one. Perfect bundt with perfect flavours each time. Thank you 🙂

      I want to check if we can make muffins too out of this recipe??? Looking to make for a birthday get together.

      Reply
    35. DB says

      February 03, 2023 at 3:05 pm

      The zest of 4 lemons measurement is too vague as lemons can be small, medium or large. How many tablespoons of lemon zest does the recipe call for? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says

        February 04, 2023 at 7:17 am

        Hi DB, 3-4 tablespoons of lemon zest should be sufficient.

        Reply
    36. Margaret says

      April 08, 2023 at 9:35 pm

      Love this cake. It’s moist and lemony. I followed the recipe and used sour cream. I added a bit more milk to the glaze but it thinned out too much; won’t do that next time. Will be making this cake again.

      Reply
    37. Kamie says

      October 19, 2023 at 9:11 am

      I had a bunch of lemons and a new Bundt cake pan and I found this recipe to try. I made it when I had many guests in our house and it got eaten very quickly. Even the chocolate lovers loved it! It was very light with great lemon flavor. I only had yogurt in the house so I subbed that in for the buttermilk/sour cream. Absolutely delicious! Will definitely make again!

      Reply
      • Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says

        October 20, 2023 at 8:13 pm

        Thank you, Kamie! Glad you and your guests enjoyed this bundt cake. Lemon ANYTHING is my favorite!

        Reply
    38. Michael says

      October 25, 2023 at 3:54 pm

      I’ve made this and shared it so many times. This cake gets talked about at work and then requested again and again. I’m making it tonight after work for tomorrow’s feast at work.

      Reply
      • Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says

        October 25, 2023 at 3:58 pm

        Thank you for your kind words, Michael!

        Reply

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