Lemon Bundt Cake {using Cake Mix!} - The Seasoned Mom (2024)

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This superLemon Bundt Cake recipe with a sweet lemon glazeis incredibly light, moist and bursting with fresh citrus flavor! Best of all, the easy homemade Bundt cake comes together in minutes thanks to help from a box of cake mix and a small box of instant pudding mix. It’s a simple dessert that’s perfect for any occasion!

If you love lemon recipes, be sure to try this lemon cream cheese pound cake, these old-fashioned lemon squares, this old-fashioned lemon buttermilk pie, and these easy no-bake lemon bars with graham cracker crust, too!

How to Make Lemon Bundt Cake | 1-Minute Video

Lemon Bundt Cake from Cake Mix

This is my mom’s Lemon Bundt Cake recipe, which she made regularly throughout my childhood — and continues to make today. It’s easy to whip up, it looks and tastes impressive, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser! Serve the bright, citrus-infused cake with a cozy Sunday supper, offer it on the Easter dessert buffet, or take it to your next church potluck. With a handful of basic pantry ingredients, this is a simple and delicious cake that you can mix together in minutes for all of your last-minute dessert needs!

What is special about a Bundt cake?

The Bundt pan was invented by H. David Dalquist, the owner of Minnesota’s Nordic Ware company, in 1950. The unique ring-shaped pan allows more of thecaketo be in contact with the edges of thepan, and therefore the heat is transferred more evenly.This allows the inside of the cake to cook through without burning the outside, creating a crisp, golden brown crust on each slice.

What’s the difference between a cake and a Bundt cake?

Unlike more traditional sheet cakes or layer cakes that are baked in shallow pans, aBundt panhas decorative sides and tops that range from ridges to fruit, or other still life scenes. Itistypically used for poundcake, coffee cakeand other dense, moistcakeslike this old-fashioned lemon Bundt cake using cake mix. Since more of the cake’s surface is exposed to high heat in a Bundt pan, you achieve a nice golden brown crust on the outside of the cake, while keeping the inside perfectly moist.

Ingredients

This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to make a Duncan Hines Lemon Bundt Cake. As always, the specific measurements and the complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Lemon cake mix: my mom always uses Duncan Hines brand, but any similar boxed lemon cake mix will work.
• Lemon instant pudding mix: just the small 4-serving (3.4 ounce) box of dry mix — not prepared into actual pudding.
• Water and freshly-squeezed lemon juice: the liquid for the cake batter.
• Oil: I use vegetable oil, but any neutral oil (such as canola oil) will work.
• Eggs: give the cake structure.

Why add pudding to cake mix?

Thegelatin component in the instant pudding mix makes the cake super moist. It’s the secret ingredient tomake your cake more fluffy, too! When baking a cake in a Bundt pan, a very moist batter is necessary so that the cake doesn’t dry out. Don’t omit the pudding, which is a key ingredient.

How to Make a Lemon Bundt Cake Using Cake Mix

This easy dessert recipe has been prepared in farmhouse kitchens for generations because it’s absolutely delicious (and so darn simple). The cake strikes a perfect balance with a rich, moist flavor and a light, fluffy crumb. It’s not as dense as aclassic sour cream pound cake, and it’s finished with a deliciouslemon glazefor maximum citrus flavor.

1. Mix together the batter ingredients in a large bowl on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes.
2. Transfer the batter to a greased and floured Bundt pan. Tap on the counter a couple of times to release any air bubbles.
3. Bake in a 350 ° F oven for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
4. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

Do cakes bake faster in a bundt pan?

No, in fact, Bundt cakes require a longer baking time than most other cakes. This is because Bundt cakebatters are so dense and the pans are so large. You’ll need about 40 minutes (or slightly more) to bake this particular cake in a 350 ° F oven.

Do you need a Bundt pan to make lemon Bundt cake?

While you can use other types of pans for Bundt cakes, you’ll need to adjust the baking times and the signature traits of a Bundt cake are the beautiful designs! If you need a Bundt pan, check out this list of the best Bundt pans, which includes my personal favorite, the NordicWare anniversary Bundt pan. You can buy it on Amazon for $39.95.

Lemon Glaze for Bundt Cake

For the quick and easy lemon glaze on this Bundt cake, simply whisk together the following ingredients until a smooth, thick (but pourable) icing comes together:

• Confectioners sugar: sift the sugar beforehand to make sure that there are no lumps in your glaze.
• Freshly-squeezed lemon juice: to thin the glaze and add that bright, tart lemon touch that nicely balances the sweetness of the sugar.
• Vanilla extract: for warm, delicious flavor.

Drizzle the glaze all over the top of the cool cake. Give the glaze a little while to set, then slice and serve!

Storage for a Moist Lemon Bundt Cake

Covered loosely, this cake willkeep at room temperature for about 2-3 days.To extend the life of your cake, store it in therefrigerator for up to 1 week.

Can I freeze Lemon Bundt Cake?

Yes, this old-fashioned cake freezes beautifully. I often cut the large Bundt cake in half so that we can enjoy part of it now and save the other half for later. Allow the cake to cool completely, wrap tightly, andfreeze for up to 3 months. If possible, wait to glaze the cake until it’s thawed, just before serving.

Recipe Variations

• Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake: gently fold 2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter. If using frozen berries, do not thaw.
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake: add 1 ½ tablespoons of poppy seeds to the batter.
• Loaf Cakes: If you don’t have a Bundt pan,you can bake this cake in two loaf pans. The cooking time will be about the same or slightly shorter, typically 30-40 minutes in a 350 ° F oven.
• Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake: gently fold 2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries into the batter. If using frozen berries, do not thaw.
• Dust with powdered sugar instead of drizzling with the lemon glaze.

Tips for the Best Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe

• Grease the Bundt pan really wellby coating with butter and then dusting with flour. Alternatively, you can use a cooking spray that’s specifically made for baking (likethis one). These options will ensure that your cake pops right out of the pan when it’s done!
• Fresh lemon juice is bestif it’s available, but you can use bottled lemon juice in this cake, too.
• Don’t leave the cake in the pan for too longafter baking — about 10-15 minutes is plenty. After that, condensation will start to form and the moisture will negatively impact the crust.
• The cake gets better as it sits, so this is a nice dessert option to prepare the day before you plan to serve it.

More Bundt Cake Recipes to Try

• Old-Fashioned Orange Juice Cake
• Chocolate Pound Cake
• Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Rum Cake
• Cranberry Swirl Sour Cream Coffee Cake
• Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel
• Apple Dapple Cake
• Sour Cream Pound Cake