Super Moist Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe

If you’re looking for homemade cake recipes from scratch and love lemons, then look no further than this Lemon Bundt Cake. It’s loaded with lemon flavor and requires no special baking or decorating skills. With less than 15 minutes of hands-on time and common pantry ingredients, it’s sure to be a family favorite.

Easy Lemon Bundt Cake

This just might be the best lemon cake recipe you’ll ever try. It will be a hit at potluck parties and welcome addition to your spring and summer dessert menu…or any time of year for that matter. With bright, citrusy colors and flavors, it’s full of fresh lemon and lime juice, and plenty of zest for a sweet and tangy bundt cake that’s super moist. 

For added flavor and to help improve texture, it has lemon-lime 7 Up soda baked right in (more on this later). While you could technically use a lemon cake mix and add the soda to get a similar effect, I prefer to make cakes from scratch to control the quality of ingredients and overall flavor.

This simple bakery-style cake is a great recipe you can easily make at home without any special baking skills. The fluffy, moist cake is topped with a homemade lemon glaze and lemon-lime sugar crumble for a beautifully decorated bundt cake.

Ingredients for lemon cake

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Eggs
• Granulated sugar
• Fresh lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• Vanilla extract
• Whole milk
• Lemon-lime soda, such as 7-Up or Sprite
• Butter

Tips for making a lemon cake from scratch

• Use freshly squeezed lemon juice as well as lemon zest. The juice adds lots of tangy lemon flavor, while zest is less acidic and adds lots of depth.
• As with most cakes, sift flour before adding to remove clumps. This will eliminate chunks of flour and help the lemon cake rise better.
• Since bundt cake pans have an intricate design, grease the pan with butter or oil, then lightly sprinkle with flour to ensure the cake doesn’t stick and removes easily after baking. A paper towel or pastry brush works best to apply oil.
• Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition so they incorporate evenly into the batter. 
• For stronger lemon flavor you could add additional lemon extract or extra lemon zest.
• Let the cake cool slightly before removing from the pan. It will shink a bit and release from the sides.
• Add the glaze while the cake is still warm so it soaks into the bake. Then let cool completely to room temperature so the glaze can thicken.

How to make a lemon bundt cake

1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time on low with a mixer until thickened and pale yellow. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in lemon juice, zest and vanilla until combined.
4. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined.
5. Add milk, 7-Up, and butter, beating until combined.
6. Grease a bundt pan until well coated and lightly flour surface. Pour in batter and bake 30-35 minutes at 375° F.
7. Cool on a wire rack 5 minutes then flip and release cake onto a cake platter or parchment paper. Drizzle with homemade lemon glaze.

The lemon cake batter will look like this once beaten:

How to make lemon glaze for cake

A simple mixture of lemon and sugar is all you need to make a glaze for this cake. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 ½ cups powdered or confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

To drizzle: Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over slightly warm cake.

Note: You could top this with something creamy such as a sour cream-based spread or lemon cream cheese frosting.

What if my cake glaze is too thick?

Stir in additional water, ½-teaspoon at a time to reach the desired consistency.

What if my cake glaze is too thin?

Stir in additional powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time to reach the desired consistency.

Answers to common questions

Do I need to bake this in a bundt pan

First of all, what is a bundt cake? A bundt cake is any cake that’s baked in a bundt pan.

There can be a wide range of flavors and ingredients ratios, but the main thing is the cake must be super moist. This is due to the uneven shape and varying depth throughout the bundt pan, unlike an even layer cake. Some parts may bake more than others, but overall this will be a very moist lemon cake.

If you don’t have a bundt pan, you could substitute a pound cake or similar cake pan. The baking time should be similar. Or bake them as cupcakes instead… 

Try making these into moist lemon cupcakes

Place lightly greased muffin papers into a muffin pan. Scoop roughly ¼ cup mixture into each liner (leaving about 1/2 of space for rising). Reduce the baking time to about 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

How to tell when the cake is cooked

The best way is to test it with a toothpick inserted into the center. It should come out mostly clean, with just a bit of cake sticking to it. If the toothpick still has wet batter it’s undercooked and should be baked an extra 1 to 3 minutes. If it comes out completely dry, it may be overcooked.

Can this be made gluten-free?

I haven’t tried, but if you use a good quality measure for measure gluten-free all-purpose flour, it should bake the same.

Why is 7 Up used in cake batter?

It’s not in there just to add flavor, although it does add extra sweetness. Lemon-lime soda, such as 7 Up, has acidic properties and a supposed pH of 7, hence the name. It acts as a substitute for baking soda and also works as the liquid needed in any cake batter. It also contains carbonation, which helps this rise into a moist bundt cake.

From Scratch Lemon Bundt Cake recipe at-a-glance:

Flavor profiles: Sweet, tangy and citrusy in a buttery bunt cake.
Texture: Super moist and fluffy.

More easy cake recipes you’ll like

• Butter Pecan Cake with Buttercream Frosting
• Chocolate Fudge Cake with Nutella
• Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes
• Strawberry Nutella No Bake Cheesecake

Leave a comment below and star rating if you made this recipe or want to share your thoughts.

 

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5 from 6 votes

Super Moist Lemon Bundt Cake

Moist lemon bundt cake is super easy and made from scratch with common pantry items.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword easy bundt cake, lemon bundt cake, moist bundt cake

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Calories 547kcal

Servings 8 slices

Author: Matt Ivan

Did you know? Servings and ingredient amounts can be adjusted on all my recipes. Click the green number above to change.

Ingredients

Lemon Lime Bundt Cake

• ▢ 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• ▢ 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, about 1 lemon
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice, about 1 lime
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lime zest
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¾ cup whole milk
• ▢ ½ cup lemon-lime soda, such as 7-Up or Sprite
• ▢ ½ cup butter, (+ 2 tablespoons), melted

Lemon Glaze and Sugar Crumble

• ▢ 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ tablespoon lemon zest
• ▢ ½ tablespoon lime zest

Instructions

Lemon Lime Bundt Cake

• Preheat oven to 375° F. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
• Using a stand or hand mixer with a large bowl, beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated. Beat on low until thickened and pale yellow, about 3 minutes.
• Add sugar and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. 
• Beat in lemon and lime juices, zests and vanilla until combined.
• Reduce speed to low and carefully add flour mixture until combined. Add milk, 7-Up, and butter and beat until combined.
• Grease a bundt pan until well coated with butter or oil and lightly flour surface. Pour in batter and bake 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
• Cool on a wire rack 5 minutes then flip and release cake. Top with lemon glaze and sugar crumble.

Lemon Glaze and Sugar Crumble

• Meanwhile: Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice (use more or less for desired thickness). Drizzle over slightly warm cake.
• Stir together sugar with zests and sprinkle on top. Optional: Top with lemon slices to enhance presentation.

Notes

• Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for best flavor.
• For stronger lemon flavor you could add additional lemon extract or extra lemon zest.
• As with most cakes, sift flour before adding to remove clumps. This will eliminate chunks of flour and help the lemon cake rise better.
• If you don't have a stand or hand mixer, you can whisk by hand. It will take longer and be sure to stir well to evenly mix.
• Since bundt cake pans have an intricate design, grease the pan well, then lightly sprinkle with flour to ensure the cake doesn't stick and removes easily after baking. A paper towel or pastry brush works best to apply oil.
• Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition so they incorporate evenly into the batter. 
• If you don't have a bundt pan, you could substitute a pound cake or similar cake pan. The baking time should be similar.
• Let the cake cool slightly before removing from the pan. It will shink a bit and release from the sides.
• Add the glaze while the cake is still warm so it soaks into the bake. Then let cool completely to room temperature so the glaze can thicken.
• After baking, a toothpick should come out mostly clean, with just a bit of cake sticking to it. If the toothpick still has wet batter it's undercooked and should be baked an extra 1 to 3 minutes. If it comes out completely dry, it may be overcooked.

Nutrition Facts

Super Moist Lemon Bundt Cake

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 547 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 114mg38%

Sodium 292mg13%

Potassium 211mg6%

Carbohydrates 97g32%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 68g76%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 510IU10%

Vitamin C 5.2mg6%

Calcium 96mg10%

Iron 2.1mg12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Recipe adapted from Sprinkle Some Sugar.