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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Lemon Glaze Icing (for Bundt Cake)

    Published: Feb 16, 2025 by Cara · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    spoon drizzling lemon glaze on top of a Bundt cake.
    a piece of lemon bundt cake topped with lemon glaze on a white plate.
    spoon drizzling lemon glaze on top of a Bundt cake.
    lemon bundt cake topped with lemon glaze.
    lemon bundt cake topped with lemon glaze.

    Lemon Glaze for Bundt Cake is a sweet and tangy icing that takes 2 minutes to make with 3 ingredients. Perfect icing to drizzle on top of pound cake, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, or any of your favorite desserts. 

    spoon drizzling lemon glaze on top of a Bundt cake.
    Jump to:
    • ​❤️You're Going to Love This
    • 🍋Ingredients
    • 🍁Variations & More Glaze Recipes
    • 🥣How to Make Lemon Glaze for Bundt Cake
    • ☑️Tips
    • 🎁Storage
    • ❓FAQs
    • 🎆More Lemon Desserts
    • 💌Let's Stay in Touch
    • 📖 Recipe

    This delicious lemon Bundt cake glaze is a fast, easy icing recipe that stirs together in about a minute with a few basic ingredients. It's the perfect finishing touch for your favorite Bundt cakes, coffee cakes, or other baked goods. We love it on this Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake, Strawberry Bread, and Lemon Blackberry Bread. 

    If you prefer a thicker frosting, try this White Chocolate Cream Cheese Glaze recipe, light and fluffy Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting or the chocolate ganache I use on this Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake recipe. 

    ​❤️You're Going to Love This

    • Sweet, simple glaze recipe you can make in minutes
    • Great way to add fresh lemon flavor to your favorite cakes and quick breads
    • Easy recipe to customize with different flavors

    🍋Ingredients

    See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.

    lemon glaze icing ingredients.
    • Powdered sugar. Also called icing sugar or confectioner's sugar. There's usually no need to sift it when making a glaze because the lumps will break down when the liquid is added. 
    • Melted butter. Butter makes the glaze a little bit softer, creamier, and richer. Either salted or unsalted butter is fine. 
    • Fresh lemon. You'll use the zest and juice of one large lemon -- or 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. If you need more liquid than your lemon has to give, make up for it with a little orange juice, milk, or heavy cream.  

    🍁Variations & More Glaze Recipes

    Try these delicious additions and swap-outs to make different flavors of icing, keeping the powdered sugar and butter unless specified otherwise below. 

    • Flavor extracts. Add a different flavor to your lemon glaze with one teaspoon of vanilla extract or ¼ to ½ teaspoon of almond extract. You can use clear vanilla extract to keep the icing white.  
    • Citrus. Substitute lemon with limes, oranges, or grapefruits. Or add a second citrus flavor to the glaze. Orange and lemon, lemon and lime, lemon and grapefruit -- YUM! 
    • Maple syrup. Add a tablespoon of maple syrup before you add the lemon juice. Add the lemon juice a tablespoon at a time until it becomes a pourable glaze. Or try this delicious maple icing recipe! 
    • Simple vanilla glaze. Skip the citrus altogether and make a basic cake glaze. Add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and milk, one tablespoon at a time. 
    • Chocolate glaze. Replace ⅓ cup of powdered sugar with cocoa powder. Skip the lemon juice and zest and stir in milk. Enhance the flavor with a little instant espresso powder or a drop of peppermint extract. 

    🥣How to Make Lemon Glaze for Bundt Cake

    lemon glaze icing in a clear bowl.

    Step 1: In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Stir to combine. Add more lemon juice as needed until it reaches your desired consistency. 

    spoon drizzling lemon glaze over lemon bundt cake on a white plate.

    Step 2: Drizzle with a spoon or pour the glaze on top of the cake.

    👉Top Tip: If you prefer, you can place the cake on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. I like to place the cake on a plate, so the center of the Bundt cake collects all the yummy glaze and eventually soaks into the cake. So yummy! 

    ☑️Tips

    • Stir the glaze with a spoon or fork. I find it gets too globbed up in a whisk. 
    • Zest the lemon before juicing it. 
    • If the icing is too thick, add more lemon juice or a splash of milk or water. If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar. 

    🎁Storage

    • Cover the glazed cake with toothpick-tented plastic wrap or under a cake dome. Store the glazed cake at room temperature or refrigerated, according to the cake recipe.  
    • Store leftover glaze in an airtight container in the refrigerator for one week. You can also freeze it and thaw in the refrigerator. Before using, bring to room temperature or, to speed it up, warm it in 5-10 second increments in the microwave until thin enough to drizzle. 

    ❓FAQs

    When should you glaze a bundt cake?

    ​Glaze a Bundt cake after the cake has cooled completely. 

    Do I need to refrigerate a cake glazed with lemon icing?

    If the cake recipe is safe to be stored at room temperature, then the cake glazed with lemon glaze is also fine at room temperature for up to 3 days or a week in the fridge. 

    🎆More Lemon Desserts

    • piece of glazed lemon bundt cake on a white plate.
      Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake
    • lemon meringue pie cookies on a wire baking rack.
      Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies
    • a lemon cut out cookie with a bite taken out stacked on another cookie on a blue and white towel on a wooden cutting board.
      Lemon Cut Out Cookies
    • strawberry bread with lemon glaze on a white platter.
      How to Make Strawberry Bread

    💌Let's Stay in Touch

    Follow Midwestern Holidays on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of the latest recipes!

    📖 Recipe

    lemon bundt cake topped with lemon glaze.

    Lemon Glaze Icing (for Bundt Cake)

    Cara Lanz
    Lemon Glaze Icing for Bundt Cake is a super simple powdered sugar glaze with bright, tangy flavor that takes about 2 minutes and 3 simple ingredients. It's the perfect sweet drizzle for your favorite cake and quick bread recipes. 
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 5 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 97 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoons melted butter
    • 1 lemon, juice and zest 2-3 tablespoons of juice
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    Instructions
     

    • In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice together. Add more lemon juice (or milk), as needed to get to the right drizzling consistency.
    • Immediately drizzle the icing on top of the Bundt cake. Allow 5-10 minutes for the icing to set.

    Notes

    • Zest the lemon before juicing it. 
    • If the icing is too thick, add more lemon juice or a splash of milk or water. If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 0.1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 16mgPotassium: 13mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 60IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.1mg
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    Cara Lanz midwestern holidays

    Hi, I'm Cara! Here at Midwestern Holidays, every day is the most wonderful time of the year. Let's celebrate with fast and easy recipes for all the holidays and special moments in life.

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