This Lemon Bundt Cake is amazing and the BEST! Moist and tender with amazing, bright and zesty lemon flavor and a tangy cream cheese frosting!
I know some of you guys are buried under a mountain of snow and are experiencing near blizzard conditions, but here in Sacramento, we’re basically in the spring season. It’s so weird to me that the climates can be SO drastically different from place to place – even in Tahoe, a mere 90 minutes away, there is plenty of snow piled up, but here we’re basically in a comfortably mild winterspring.
Therefore, I have been conjuring up all the springy recipes: I’m thinking fruits, anything light and fresh, cakes – I’m feeling very inspired! You guys are in for a real treat for the upcoming recipes! ?
But let’s talk about this amazing Lemon Bundt Cake!
Sometimes lemon cakes don’t have enough lemon flavor, but this lemon cake packs a serious lemony punch with a whopping 1/3 CUP of lemon zest! This sounds like a lot – and it is! – but it really adds a tremendous freshness and depth of lemon flavor. In addition to the zest, there’s lemon juice in the batter and a lemony simple syrup mixture that gets brushed onto the cake which adds a great moisture and lovely flavor.
This cake gets great moisture from buttermilk which adds such a great tang and pairs beautifully with the tartness of the lemons. The tang also comes through with the cream cheese frosting which tastes SO amazing with the lemony flavor!
I love this cake on its own, but it would be an amazing vehicle for additional fruit like raspberries or blueberries inside of it as well! But definitely give it a go as is because I cannot believe how much lemon flavor is packed in this cake. It is truly bright, flavorful, zesty and incredible. To really drive home the lemon flavor, consider sprinkling the cream cheese icing with little strips of lemon rind, or pieces of candied lemon.
Best Lemon Bundt Cake will be the hero of your springtime dessert table! Trust me!
*adapted from Ina Garten
Best Lemon Bundt Cake
This Lemon Bundt Cake truly is the BEST! Super, powerfully lemony and bright with a luscious and tangy cream cheese frosting. You’ll love this moist and tender cake!
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup freshly grated lemon zest from about 4-6 large lemons
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Lemon Syrup:
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the Frosting:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces (One package) cream cheese softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2½-3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Liberally grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with shortening and flour or a really good cooking spray – seriously, really grease the heck out of it! Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar together until creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest.
Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Meanwhile, in a medium measuring glass, combine the buttermilk, lemon juice and vanilla. Add in some of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, mixing well after each addition and alternating with the flour, ending with the flour mixture.
Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth out the top. Bake for approximately 45-60 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, but not wet, crumbs. Cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack placed over a piece of parchment or a baking sheet.
While cake cools, make your lemon simple syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice and granulated sugar over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and brush over the still-warm cake. Allow cake to cool completely.
For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth and fluffy. Pipe in lines over the cake. Top with strips of lemon zest, if desired.
Notes
Make sure to zest the lemons before you juice them! For 1/3 cup of lemon zest, I used about 5 large lemons.
Buttery, lemony, moist and sweet – you’ll love this easy Bundt cake!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
