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Your regular Bundt Cake just got a bite better: This Buttery Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe is such an elegant dessert. It’s deliciously soaked in homemade lemon butter sauce for a fresh and bright flavor that’s so good!
Buttery Lemon Bundt Cake
To make this Lemon Butter Cake recipe easy for you, we’ll use a lemon cake mix for the batter. But don’t you worry: Your bundt cake will still taste homemade. All thanks to the star of the recipe: the sweet and buttery lemon sauce made from freshly squeezed lemons.
Out of all of my lemon cake recipes, I’d have to admit that this may be my favorite one. But don’t get me wrong, this Lemon Pound Cake Recipe is exceptional, especially the addictive lemon glaze.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This buttery sweet bundt cake easily comes out delicious every time!
- A homemade cake in disguise! You’ll love how easy this butter cake is since we’re using lemon cake mix, but you’ll enjoy the homemade flavor from the lemon sauce.
- We’ll cover everything you need to achieve the best bundt cake possible with my helpful lemon cake mix hacks and bundt cake tips!
Ingredients Needed
- Lemon cake mix: makes this recipe so easy, but don’t worry, it’ll still taste 100% homemade. I’m using duncan hines cake mix for this recipe.
- Butter: We’ll use unsalted butter to make the cake and in the butter sauce.
- Milk: any kind you like – I love using whole milk in cakes.
- Extracts: I love adding butter extract to the cake because it pumps up the butter flavor. You can swap vanilla extract if you prefer.
- Instant vanilla pudding mix: or use lemon pudding mix to triple the lemony flavor. Pudding mix in cake mix recipes keeps the cake extra moist.
- Lemon juice: freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 1-2 lemons – always use fresh juice!
- Lemon Zest: Lemon zest holds all the lemon flavor, so don’t skip it.
How to make Lemon Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray (the kind with flour) or butter and flour it.
- Use a hand or a stand mixer to beat the cake mix, butter, room temperature eggs, milk, extract, and pudding mix until a thick batter forms. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. Remove the bundt cake from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes but keep it in the pan.
- While the cake is baking, make the sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt and cook until it just simmers (bubbles around the edges). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Poke several holes in the cake using a long skewer and pour the butter sauce over the cake. Cool in pan completely, then remove to serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to grease and flour a bundt pan really well. That’s the secret to easy release and a pretty cake.
- If you can’t find lemon pudding mix, you can use vanilla or even cheesecake flavor.
- Be sure to let it cool completely before removing from the pan so the flavor soaks into every single bite.
- The cake is sweet enough because of the sauce so it doesn’t need frosting; just a dusting of powdered sugar will do!
- To achieve a thicker textured cake, replace the milk with a cup sour cream.
FAQs
What is the difference between a bundt cake and a regular cake?
Bundt cakes have a distinct shape due to the type of baking pan used.
How far in advance can you make a bundt cake?
Since this lemon bundt cake is so buttery, you can make it for up to 3 months in advance and freeze it! Or make it up to 2 days ahead and store it in the refrigerator.
How to decorate lemon bundt cake?
You can add cake icing or buttercream to decorate your bundt cake.
Can you freeze this cake?
Yes! This lemon bundt cake is one of the best freezer friendly cakes since it holds its moisture perfectly. You can freeze this lemon cake in an airtight container for up to 3 months!
Easy Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
Easy Lemon Pound Cake starts with a cake mix and has the perfect lemon flavor. The warm cake is soaked with a lemon butter sauce!!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 (approx 15 ounce) box lemon cake mix
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon butter extract optional; it pumps up the butter flavor of the cake
- 1 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix (or lemon)
Sauce:
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice from 1-2 lemons
- Zest of one lemon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray (the kind with flour) or butter and flour it.
- Use a hand or a stand mixer to beat the cake mix, butter, eggs, milk, extract, and pudding mix until a thick batter forms. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 10 minutes but keep it in the pan.
- While the cake is baking, make the sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt and cook until it just simmers (bubbles around the edges). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Poke several holes in the cake using a long skewer and pour the butter sauce over the cake. Cool in pan completely, then remove to serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Be sure to grease and flour a bundt pan really well. That’s the secret to easy release and a pretty cake.
- If you can’t find lemon pudding mix, you can use vanilla or even cheesecake flavor.
- Be sure to let it cool completely before removing from the pan so the flavor soaks into every single bite.
- The cake is sweet enough because of the sauce so it doesn’t need frosting; just a dusting of powdered sugar will do!
- To achieve a thicker textured cake, replace the milk with a cup sour cream.
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 0.02g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 573IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Other Bundt Cake Recipes
Last Updated on March 30, 2023
Ohhhh it looks and sounds perfect. A perfect comforting cake, like a warm hug.
hey girl-this looks amazing!
For the perfect ‘Southern’ Lemon, you have to use Meyer Lemons!!
Meyer lemons have that sweet southern flavor that just lets the true
Lemon flavor come through.
I keep them on my counter all the time so that I have them for any ‘
recipe that calls for a true lemon.
Do you want your daughters or sons to go to food (cake) in a stressful situation!! Much better methods for the 2 of you to use! You and your child could weigh 200 lbs by end of the yr!
Really – that’s what you get from this? I bake to release stress, my co-workers and others benefit from the stress relief in more ways than can be counted. To be able to have the company of a loved one is just an added bonus. Just because we love food doesn’t mean overweight.. So, I’m going to save this because I love lemon, baking, and stress relief. Great combo.
sar·casm
ˈsärˌkazəm/Submit
noun
the use of irony to mock or convey contempt.
My daughter had a mean girl in her 7th grade class who was 11 years old, aggressive in chasing older boys in the class, and she caused a lot of drama. But in 8th grade she finally turned around her behavior, so things were calm then. I guess it’s a rite of passage, learning to deal with difficult personalities. Jordan will be fine. Love the lemon recipe!
Oh I can hardly wait to try this. I’m going to add some Lemoncello to the butter sauce and I will add the butter flavoring. I have a rum cake recipe similar to this that is to die for so this is right up my caloric intake. LOL.
Hi,
Cake looks delish. Please advise if this recipe is based on the old boxes of cake mixes that had 18.5oz, or the new boxes of mixes that now have 16.5 oz. of cake mix? The box of Lemon Supreme cake mix that I now have has 16.5 oz. Will this work in this recipe? The difference of the 2 oz. less of cake mix has made a big difference in some of my old recipes not being satisfactory. Do you have any suggestions how to remedy this problem?? Thanks in advance for your advice.
LindaM
I have the same question . . . wish someone would answer! Many recipes call for a box of cake mix, but are based on the old boxes, not the new smaller ones. This is a problem, especially when one uses a cookbook like Cake Mix Doctor, etc. Just my opinion.
It’s approx a 15 ounce box!
Wow, this cake is so pretty. The dark, rich, yellow screams lemon!
Cake helps me with my feelings too lol. This looks so good! Good luck to Jordan 🙂
The third pic down, the one where the cake is still in the pan, and that pool of liquid that’s reflecting….omg that is heaven right there! Gorgeous pic too!
The girl drama. Yes the struggle is real!
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