Best Lemon Bundt Cake
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Baking time 12 cup bundt pan: 50 to 60 minutes
- Baking time 6 cup bundt pan: 30 to 40 minutes
- Cooling time: 1 hour
Ingredients
For Standard 12-cup bundt pan recipe
(serves 12)
Bundt Pan:
- Standard 12-cup Bundt Pan
Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
Butter and Sugar To Be Creamed:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
Eggs and Lemon Zest:
- 4 large eggs
- ⅓ cup grated lemon zest (3 to 6 large lemons)
Moist Ingredients:
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Syrup:
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Ingredients
For Small 6 cup bundt pan recipe
(serves 6)
Bundt Pan:
Dry Ingredients:
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
Butter and Sugar To Be Creamed:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
Eggs and Lemon Zest:
- 2 large eggs
- 2½ tablespoons grated lemon zest (1 to 3 large lemons)
Moist Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Syrup:
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2½ tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350°.
- For the Cake:
- Apply thin coating of solid vegetable shortening or softened butter to the bundt pan, then dust surface lightly with flour.
- Set pan aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk dry ingredients; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl cream butter.
- Add sugar to work bowl.
- Beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy; about 5 minutes.
- On medium speed add eggs one at a time to butter and sugar mixture.
- Add lemon zest to work bowl mixing to incorporate.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine moist ingredients.
- Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately to the work bowl, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan; using a spatula to spread the batter evenly around the center tube.
- For Standard 12 Cup Bundt Pan: Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Cake is done when skewer inserted in center comes out clean.
- For Small 6 Cup Bundt Pan: Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Cake is done when skewer inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake on a rack for 10 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling prepare the lemon syrup.
- For the Lemon Syrup:
- Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan.
- Heat the lemon juice and sugar on low heat.
- Cook, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
- Remove the syrup from the heat.
- After the cake has cooled for 10 minutes invert over a rack set over a tray or baking pan.
- Using a pastry brush immediately brush the lemon syrup over the cake.
- Allow cake to cool completely; about 1 hour.
- Once the cake is completely cool top with lemon glaze:
- For the Lemon Glaze:
- Heat butter in medium saucepan until melted, remove from heat.
- Add lemon zest.
- Whisk in confectioners sugar.
- Stir in lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time until glaze is of desired consistency.
- Pour the glaze over the top of the cake and allow it to drizzle down the sides.
- Slide the cake onto a serving platter.
- Serve.
Comments
This moist and flavorful bundt cake is a family favorite. The amount of lemon zest and fresh lemon juice may seem extreme but the end result is a beautifully balanced lemon cake that doesn't overwhelm the taste buds.