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Lemon Bundt Cake

Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Servings: 24

Equipment

  • 12 cup Bundt pan, or you can make in 2-9" cake pans if you'd rather make a layer cake
  • Stand mixer with paddle beater

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3 lemons zested and juiced (6 tbs total juice)
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp lemon oil optional (boosts lemon flavor)
  • ¾ cup buttermilk preferably low fat, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk room temperature
  • 18 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar

Lemon Blueberry Option

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen (unthawed) blueberries optional
  • 2 tsp flour optional - use only if using blueberries

Glaze

  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350° and move rack to lower middle position. Butter and flour bundt pan, or use a baking spray containing flour. If using layer cake pans butter pans, line bottom with parchment paper, butter and flour paper and pan.
  • Combine lemon zest with 3 tbsp of the lemon juice. Set remaining juice aside for glaze. Set zest and juice mixture aside for 10-15 minutes for zest to soften.
  • Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  • Whisk lemon zest/juice mixture, buttermilk, lemon oil (if using) and vanilla in a measuring cup. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk eggs and yolk to break up and combine them well. Set aside.
  • In the stand mixer with the paddle beater, cream butter and sugar at medium high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Scrape down bowl and beater; mix again on medium speed to ensure all the butter is mixed thoroughly.
  • On medium speed, add half of eggs, mixing until well combined; repeat with remaining eggs and scrape down bowl and beater.
  • Reduce to low speed and add about ⅓ flour mixture, followed by ½ the buttermilk mixture, mixing each until just combined. Add half of remaining flour mixture, followed by remaining buttermilk mixture, beating until just combined. Scrape down bowl and beater; add remaining flour and mix on low until just combined.
  • Take bowl off mixer; scrape down bowl and beater and fold batter gently to finish mixing.

Blueberry option

  • Toss blueberries with flour, coating them well. Fold gently into batter.

Continue here

  • Transfer batter into prepared bundt or layer cake pans, level batter and bake approximately 40-50 minutes for bundt, approximately 30 minutes for layers until a cake tester comes out clean.

Glaze

  • While cake is baking, prepare glaze. Combine lemon juice, milk and powdered sugar in a bowl; whisk until smooth and a pourable consistency. If it seems too thick, add more milk 1 tsp at a time to desired consistency.

Bundt cake

  • When cake is done, cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. After cake has cooled slightly, turn it out of pan onto wire rack. Place rack on a baking sheet. Spoon half of glaze over warm cake. Allow to cool completely - approximately 2 hours; Spoon over remaining glaze. Allow glaze to set before serving.

Layer cake

  • Allow cake to cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn out of pan onto rack, remove parchment paper and allow to completely cool. Frost as desired.

Notes

I never have buttermilk on hand, so I use powdered buttermilk. To substitute, add 3 tbsp buttermilk powder to flour mixture. Use ¾ cup water in place of the buttermilk in lemon juice/zest/vanilla step. Continue as normal with recipe.
Tossing the blueberries with a little flour to coat them helps prevent them sinking to the bottom of the cake.