This super moist Lemon Bundt Cake recipe is bright and zesty with a sweet lemon glaze. It's a fast and easy cake recipe with yellow cake mix, lemon pudding, and fresh lemons for extra puckery flavor. Perfect cake for Easter, special occasions, or your next gathering.
Oh, lemon lovers, this one's for you! This lovely lemon cake is soft, tender, and moist and takes just minutes to mix up with really simple ingredients. Bake it in a Bundt pan or a 9x13 pan -- that part's up to you. But the part I must insist on is the fast, easy lemon glaze. For just 3 ingredients, it amplifies the puckery lemon flavor in the most delicious way.
For more doctored up cake mix recipes, be sure to try Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake and Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake next!
❤️You're Going to Love This
- Super soft, moist glazed lemon bundt cake with bright lemon flavor
- Easy shortcut lemon cake recipe with yellow cake mix and lemon pudding
- Simple lemon glaze that packs a zesty punch
- Perfect citrusy dessert for Easter, special occasions, or no reason at all
🍋Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Yellow cake mix. This recipe starts with a yellow boxed cake mix -- a subtle vanilla-flavored cake -- the perfect canvas for building fresh lemon flavor. Ignore the ingredients listed on the box.
- Lemon pudding mix. Be sure to grab instant pudding mix, not cook 'n serve pudding.
- Oil. Oil in cake mix makes the cake soft and fluffy with a moist texture. You can also use melted butter, which adds rich flavor but makes the cake more dense with less loft.
- Lemon. Fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest are a great way to freshen up a boxed cake mix recipe. And since it is the only source of lemon flavor in the glaze, using fresh lemons is key to bright, fresh flavor.
- Butter. Melted butter makes the lemon glaze recipe just a little bit softer and richer.
- Baking spray. I grease the Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. You can also brush the pan with a homemade cake release recipe, aka cake goop.
🍰Substitutions or Variations
Of all the flavored box mixes out there, I find lemon the most likely to taste artificial. For the best homemade-like flavor, I recommend using one lemon thing and one vanilla thing, then leaning on fresh lemon juice and zest to naturally brighten the flavors.
- Cake mix. You can also use a lemon cake mix or white cake mix.
- Pudding mix. If you substitute a lemon cake mix, I recommend using instant vanilla pudding mix.
- Flavor extracts. Add a splash of vanilla extract to the cake batter or glaze. Or try a different flavor that complements lemon, like coconut or almond.
🥣How to Make Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, mix the cake mix, dry pudding mix, oil, milk, eggs, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Step 2: Spray 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray -- the kind with flour. Pour cake batter into prepared Bundt pan. Run a knife through the batter to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 32 minutes.
Step 3: Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire baking rack to cool completely.
Step 4: In a medium bowl, stir the powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest until it reaches a thick, drizzling consistency. Drizzle the lemon icing on top of the cake. Allow the icing to set for 5-10 minutes. Cut into slices and enjoy!
👉Top Tip: If you substitute flavors of cake mix and pudding mix, I recommend using one lemon thing and one vanilla thing for the best homemade-ish flavor. And be sure to add fresh lemon juice and zest.
☑️Tips
- Zest the lemons before juicing them.
- Spray the Bundt pan right before you pour in the batter. If it's sprayed too early, the oil can settle in the nooks and crannies and cause the cake to stick.
- For best results, follow these tips to keep a Bundt cake from sticking.
- You can set the cake on a wire rack to allow the excess glaze to drip off, but I don't. I love all the sweet glaze that gathers in the hole and moistens the cake over the next few days.
- If the glaze is too thick, add more lemon juice or a splash of milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
🎁Storage
- Store glazed lemon Bundt cake covered at room temperature for 3 days or one week in the fridge.
- Store any leftover glaze in the fridge for a couple of days or freeze it for later use.
📅Make Ahead
Make the lemon Bundt cake (without icing) ahead and tightly wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Bring the cake to room temperature, then add the icing.
❓FAQs
Yes. I recommend white cake mix with lemon pudding as an alternative. If you use lemon cake mix, I suggest vanilla instant pudding mix for the best homemade-like flavor.
If you're asking this, chances are you know the heartbreak of a broken Bundt cake. I, too, have been there. I always have the best results when I use a nonstick Bundt pan, apply baking spray with flour applied right before adding the batter, and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. I find 10 minutes is never long enough. For more ideas, check out these Bundt cake troubleshooting tips.
This recipe is baked in a Bundt pan for about 32-36 minutes. To tell when Bundt cake is done, the top should be light golden brown, spring back when gently pressed, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come back clean.
Yes. It will take less time to bake in a 9x13 pan than a Bundt pan. Refer to the box for general baking times and start checking on it a few minutes early to make sure it doesn't overbake.
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📖 Recipe
Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Pudding Cake
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3.4 oz. instant lemon pudding mix
- ½ cup oil
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 lemon, juice and zest 2 tablespoons juice and all of the zest
Lemon Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 lemon, juice and zest 2-3 tablespoons juice and all of the zest
Instructions
Make the Lemon Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350. DO NOT spray the Bundt pan yet.
- Place all of the lemon bundt cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until well combined.
- Spray the Bundt pan with baking spray (the kind with flour). Pour batter into the pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 32 minutes or until the top is light golden brown and springs back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a plastic knife around the edges of the cake, then turn the cake out of the pan and onto the wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Lemon Glaze
- Stir the powdered sugar, melted butter, and 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice until it reaches a thick drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle the lemon glaze over the cooled lemon cake. Allow 5-10 minutes for the glaze to set.
Notes
- If you substitute flavors of cake mix and pudding mix, use one lemon thing and one vanilla thing for the best flavor. And be sure to add fresh lemon juice and zest.
- Zest the lemons before juicing them.
- Spray the Bundt pan right before you pour in the batter. If it's sprayed too early, the oil can settle and cause the cake to stick.
- For best results, follow these tips to keep a Bundt cake from sticking.
- If the glaze is too thick, add more lemon juice or a splash of milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- If desired, place the cake on a wire rack over a baking sheet before drizzling the glaze. This will allow the glaze to drip off. I don't do this -- I love all the sweet glaze that gathers in the hole and moistens the cake over the next few days.
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