Lemon Bundt Cake
This lemon Bundt cake with a lemon glaze is all about LEMON! Lemon juice, zest, lemon curd, and a glaze create a bright bite in this lemon Bundt cake recipe.
Make a gluten free lemon cake with the simple substitution of a gluten free flour blend. I've made the cake both ways and had great success!
This lemon bundt cake with glaze will brighten up your afternoon as it is perfect with a cup of tea. The original recipe is a sour cream lemon pound cake from Cooking Light. Making lemon curd cake from scratch is easy to do!
Everyone needs a reliable lemon cake recipe and this Lemon Bundt cake with Lemon Curd is my go-to lemon cake. By layering the lemon flavor with lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon curd, and a lemon glaze, you are sure to enjoy a bright and citrusy cake any time of year!
Ingredients
This cake recipe uses the basic dry ingredients of flour, baking soda, and salt. You can use a gluten free flour blend for a gluten free Bundt cake.
(The photos in this post all show the gluten free version except for the one photo of cake with a lemon curd layer.)
You'll need lemons, sour cream, sugar, butter, eggs and lemon curd to make a lemon cake batter.
The secret to a moist Bundt cake is sour cream. I like the texture in this sour cream lemon Bundt cake. You could use yogurt instead as I did in this mango Bundt cake.
How to add lemon flavor to cake
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When baking with lemon you need to layer in flavors to create a depth of flavor. In this cake we use lemon three ways: zest, juice and curd.
Zest: Lemon zest is the outer layer of a fresh lemon. Use a citrus tool like this one from Amazon.
Juice: You can squeeze lemon juice by hand or with a hand held citrus squeezer.
Curd: Homemade or store-bought lemon curd are both wonderful. I make homemade curd frequently using these recipes for microwave curd, stovetop meyer lemon curd, or curd in the Vitamix. A lemon curd cake is moist and flavorful.
If you love lemon recipes like I do, you'll enjoy these recipes for lemon bars, lemon poppy seed bread, and lemon almond flour cookies. I've baked each of these recipes traditionally and gluten free.
Step by step instructions
- Prepare the Bundt pan with baking spray and dust with flour (or gluten free flour if making a GF cake).
- Gently whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- Use a stand mixer to beat the butter, sugar, and eggs.
- Add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon curd.
- Now alternate and fold in some of the flour, then the sour cream until all is incorporated. (photos 5 and 6)
- Bake then cool completely before turning the cake over onto a cake plate.
Lemon cake with lemon curd
When I first started baking this lemon cake I used lemon curd in the batter AND as a separate layer of filling. You can see from the photo that the lemon curd layer faded into the cake. It just didn't stand out enough for me.
The colors of the filling and of the cake are so similar that it was hard to make a distinction between the two.
Now, when I bake this lemon Bundt recipe I fold all of the lemon curd into the batter and skip the step of a filling. You can try it either way-- the cake is delicious both ways!
Lemon glaze
Do you need icing on this lemon Bundt cake? While you could use traditional buttercream, I think a glaze is your best option.
And that glaze, yes more lemon! A lemon and powdered sugar topping seals the deal here. All this talk about lemon and you might think this cake is overwhelmingly strong with citrus. It is not.
When baking with lemon it's best to layer the flavors so that the citrus is not lost during the baking process. I find that you have to load up on lemon flavors for the lemon to sing in this lemon bundt cake once baked and the combination is quite pleasing.
Tips for Baking Bundt Cakes
Use a nonstick baking pan like this one from Amazon.
Grease the pan thoroughly. This baking spray called Bakers Joy is sold on Amazon and it does a wonderful job of allowing your baked cake to release from the pan. It is not a gluten free spray.
If you are baking gluten free you can't use a spray that contains flour. Spray with pan or brush with butter then use GF flour or confectioner's sugar to dust the pan.
There are two schools of thought regarding when to flip over your baked Bundt cake. The traditional advice is to wait about 15 minutes after the cake comes out of the oven.
I've had better success letting the cake cool completely and then turning it over onto a cake plate.
If you love baking Bundt cakes try these recipes for Candy Corn Bundt Cake, Mango Yogurt Bundt Cake, Chocolate and Wine Bundt Cake, and this Lemon Raspberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake from Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen.
Lemon Bundt Cake
Lemon, lemon and more lemon! Make this cake and share your love of lemon!
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- ½ cup lemon curd
- ¼ cup lemon juice plus 1 TB lemon juice for glaze
- 8 ounces sour cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray Bundt pan with baking spray and dust with flour. (or GF flour if makng a gluten free cake)
- Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a fork or whisk.
- Using a stand mixer beat the butter for 2-3 minutes, until it lightens in color and texture. Slowly add the sugar, then the eggs, Next add the lemon zest, lemon curd and lemon juice. Blend well.
- Add the dry ingredients and the sour cream in stages, alternating and mixing at low speed as you go.
- The batter will be thick. Scoop it into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 1 hour, add an extra ten minutes if necessary.
- Cool completely in the pan then invert the pan and remove the cake. Whisk together the glaze of 1 Tb lemon juice and ½ cup powdered sugar and pour over the cake.
Notes
Recipe adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.
If you are making a gluten free cake, use a gluten free flour blend that contains xanthan gum.
You may use all purpose flour if you don't need a gluten free cake.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 377Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 108mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 1gSugar: 40gProtein: 5g
This data is provided by Nutritionix and is an estimate only.
Please note that this post was originally written in 2013 with the most recent update of new photos and text in 2021.
Holly Baker started the food blog, A Baker's House, in 2011. She is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer for the site. Holly loves to bake and shares recipes for gluten free food, canning recipes, as well as traditional desserts too. Her recipes and food photography have been highlighted by BuzzFeed, Reader's Digest, and She Knows.
Just perfect with a cup of tea! Love the lemon curd filling! What a delightful recipe, Holly! Love your picture too! 🙂
Thanks so much! Yes, I wish I still had some left to enjoy with tea today. I guess it is time to make another Bundt!! Thanks again for organizing us all!
Simple lovely!!
Thank you so much!
Oh fun! I like that it is a surprise to bite into the filling you can't tell is there for an extra pop of flavor.
I like that thought-- that it is a fun surprise to find more lemon flavor in the lemon curd filling. Thanks, Renee!
Your photo is just beautiful. Love the sounds of this recipe, and this comes just when I needed something to brighten up my mood.
Thanks, Karen, hope your day brightened as it went today. Thanks for your comment!
Oh, you had me at lemon curd. Yum! 🙂
Yes, the lemon curd makes this a special cake! Thanks for your comment!
Loving the triple lemon!! I'm a huge lemon fan so this would be right up my alley. And oh that curd must have been so good in there! I adore lemon curd. I'll just go grab my fork. Be right over cause I need to have a bite (or 2 or 3) of this!
Yes-- come on over! Wouldn't that be fun!!
Yum! I wish I have the patience and time to bake.
I want to bake more but everytime I attempt to do so, I get sidetract by other things.
I wish I was your neighbor, then I can just invite myself over everytime I smell those yummies being baked. 😉
Neighbors who like my baking are my favorite neighbors to have! I love sharing plus I know that I don't need to eat the WHOLE cake myself! Thanks for reading.
I am totally drooling with this cake. It looks so lovely!!
You are sweet, Tara! Thanks so much!
I love the addition of lemon curd in this!!! I will definitely have to try this one! Thank you for sharing, your bundt looks lovely!! did you also top it with lemon zest?
Thanks, Alice! You are right, I topped it with lemon zest at the last minute before serving. It was a nice spark of lemon flavor on top!
Thanks, Paula, I like lemon curd too. I want to try cranberry or raspberry curd next.
So glad you like this cake, I loved this theme of baking with citrus this month. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors.
Anything with lemon curd inside has my vote! Gorgeous cake, Holly!
Oh, Holly! Lemon curd is my absolute favorite. I'm sure I'd love this cake!
No such thing as too strong of lemon. Ever. And I love the addition of lemon curd.
Mmmm I a big lemon fan so thumb up 🙂
Holly, your bundt is so pretty! All that lemony goodness is making me pucker up!! I love it! 🙂
Thank you for reminding me that I didn't get my bundt pan for Christmas. I must go shopping. Beautiful cake Holly. Sounds delicious and really nice photo.
I adore lemon curd. I wish others in my family liked it more. I am going to make this cake asap and I am going to end up eating most of it myself 🙂 Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Oh yes, I LOVE this! I love just about any type of lemon cake. Pinned, shared on my Facebook page and I will be sharing this on my Favorite Finds post tomorrow morning! Have a fabulous weekend! 🙂
Julie
Thanks, Julie! your note is a bright spot in my day, thanks a lot!!
This looks fantastic! So bright and cheerful and I LOVE that you adapted a Cooking Light recipe.
Thanks so much, yes, I love Cooking Light recipes! It was my first cooking magazine years ago when I moved into an apartment and it has followed me to every home I've lived in. That reminds me, it's time to renew my subscription, thanks!