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Your regular Bundt Cake just got a bite better: This Buttery Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe is such an delicious dessert. Itโs soaked in homemade lemon syrup for a fresh and bright flavor thatโs so good! Itโs a semi-homemade bundt cake that starts with a cake mix and itโs totally foolproof.
Why This Recipe Works
Foolproof using cake mix: We start this recipe with lemon cake mix, but no one will know because weโre going to doctor it and add a delicious lemon butter soak.
Tested: Iโve tested this recipe several times and itโs been made by loads of readers who love it too! It has moist crumbs and the best burst of lemon flavor โ youโre going to love it. My secret ingredient is the lemon butter sauce that soaks into the cake!
If you want a from scratch cake, try my lemon pound cake with lemon glaze!
Ingredients Needed
- Lemon cake mix: makes this recipe so easy, but donโt worry, itโll still taste 100% homemade. Iโm using duncan hines cake mix for this recipe.
- Butter: Weโll use unsalted butter to make the cake and in the butter sauce.
- Milk: any kind you like โ 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: fresh lemon juice from about 1-2 lemons โ always use fresh juice!
- Lemon Zest: Lemon zest holds all the lemon flavor, so donโt skip it.
How to make Lemon Bundt Cake
- Use a electric mixer or bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment 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 the bundt cake pan really well. Thatโs the secret to easy release and a pretty cake.
- If you canโt 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 doesnโt need frosting; just a dusting of powdered sugar will do!
Storage & Making Ahead
- Make ahead: This cake is very forgiving and can be made up to 24 hours ahead.
- Store cake loosely covered on the counter.
- Wrap cooled cake well with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
Easy Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 (approx 15 ounce) box lemon cake mix
- ยฝ 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:
- ยพ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ยผ 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 350ยฐF. 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 Notes
- Be sure to grease and flour a bundt pan really well. Thatโs the secret to easy release and a pretty cake.
- If you canโt 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 doesnโt need frosting; just a dusting of powdered sugar will do!
- To achieve a thicker textured cake, replace the milk with a cup sour cream.
Wonderful recipe it came out perfect
I made this for the Memorial Day Weekend and was very disappointed. I could not get it out of my BUNDT pan. I followed directions and have a โoldโ heavy pan that has never failed me. It tasted good but came out in pieces. I had to stop and buy a dessert and thatโs not what I wanted to do.
Sorry.. probably a silly question, but for the lemon butter cakeโ do I follow the directions on the pudding mix and make it before adding it to the batter or simply add the powdered pudding to the batter?
Thanks so much,
Julie
I would like to know the answer to that question as well.
I just watched the video she added the pudding packs to the batter.
What do I do with the lemon zest of one lemon?!?
I am also wondering when the zest goes in? i am making the cake as we speakโฆ