Easy Lemon Bundt Cake From Scratch

If you like real lemon flavor, this lemon Bundt cake delivers. It’s made from scratch with fresh lemon zest, juice, and pieces baked right into the batter, then finished with a simple glaze that soaks into every slice.

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We all love a beautiful layer cake covered in creamy frosting, but the elegance of serving a bundt cake, maybe with a dusting of powdered sugar or a pretty drizzle of icing down the sides, is always a welcome dessert.

This easy lemon Bundt cake is made with fresh lemon zest, juice, and lemon pieces for a strong citrus flavor in every bite. Sour cream keeps the cake moist, and the simple lemon glaze adds just enough sweetness without making the cake heavy.

I make this easy lemon Bundt cake when I want something fruity that still feels a little special. It doesn’t take a full afternoon to bake, and I know it’s going to turn out right every time. It slices clean and keeps well for a few days.

If you want a smaller everyday lemon cake instead of a full Bundt cake, my Lemon Loaf Cake has that same bright citrus flavor in an easy loaf-style dessert that works well for brunch, coffee breaks, or simple weeknight baking.

Before You Start, Here’s What To Know

• Use real lemons three ways so the flavor actually comes through
• Sour cream keeps the cake moist, so it doesn’t dry out
• Bakes evenly in a Bundt pan, so you don’t get a raw center
• Simple glaze, no fancy decorating needed

Lemon Cake Ingredients

• Lemons – you’ll need 4 medium lemons for zest, juice, and the pieces baked into the cake.
• Cake flour – for a soft and tender cake. If you don’t have cake flour, you can use all-purpose flour (the cake will just be slightly less tender)
• Baking soda – this ingredient works with the lemon juice to leaven the cake, allowing it to rise.
• Salt – enhances the cake flavor.
• Butter – because all cakes should have a delicious buttery flavor.
• White granulated sugar – adding the perfect amount of sweetness to offset the tart lemon flavor.
• Eggs – add color, help the cake rise and give it the necessary structure.
• Sour cream -this will add some tangy flavor to the cake and help make it moist.
• Powdered sugar – for the sweet icing drizzle.

How to get that great lemon flavor

Because this cake is all about lemons, this recipe uses lemons in three ways

• lemon zest goes into the cake, and the icing
• lemon pieces, which are baked into the cake, adding a burst of lemon flavor. Don’t worry about making them perfect. Just remove as much of the white membrane as you can so the pieces aren’t bitter.
• fresh squeezed lemon juice flavors the whole cake and the icing glaze.

I am sure you have had those recipes that say, “Add the juice of one lemon.” You know that lemons come in all sizes, so which size should you use? I have the solution for you in this post, all about lemon juice. The amount of juice in a lemon guide will help you know how many lemons to buy for a recipe.

How To Make A Moist Lemon Bundt Cake

Pan Prep Tip: This is my favorite tip for preparing a bundt pan. Heavily grease the pan with solid vegetable shortening, then sprinkle sugar all over to coat the pan and the inside cone, instead of using flour.  Using sugar leaves a nice coating on the cake, and you won’t have that flour coating left on the baked cake.

Step 1. Zest the lemons using a lemon zester. It is easier to do this over a piece of wax paper or parchment paper. Make sure to check this post on how to zest a lemon, it’s very helpful.

Step 2. Mix the white granulated sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl until completely mixed.  This step flavors the sugar and adds more lemon flavor to the cake batter.

Step 3. Next, make the lemon pieces by slicing the peel off the lemon you just zested with a paring knife. Then supreme the slices, which simply means removing the membrane from the lemon slices so they end up nice and clean-looking. Do this over a small bowl to catch all the juices.

If you haven’t supremed citrus before, make sure to read How to supreme citrus.

Step 5. Make the batter by adding the softened butter and half of the lemon/sugar mixture to a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer and mix at medium speed until combined. Add the remaining lemon/sugar mixture and mix for 4 minutes.

Step 6.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Step 7. With the mixer on low speed, add all the dry ingredients, mix well, and scrape the bowl often. Next, mix in the sour cream at medium speed.

Step 8. After the batter is mixed, add the lemon pieces and all the juice from the bowl after supreming to the mixing bowl. Mix the batter by hand until incorporated.

Step 9. Pour the batter into a prepared bundt pan; see my notes in the Tip section. And, yes, I prefer to dust the pan with sugar, but feel free to use flour. Bake the cake for 1 1/4 hours at 325 degrees F.

This is a longer bake time, but the cake is dense and needs it. Start checking at 1 hour by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, it’s done.

Step 11. Once the cake is baked, let it cool for about 15 minutes and remove it from the pan. Gently tap the pan all around with the palm of your hand to loosen the cake, then shake the pan a bit. This should loosen it. If necessary, run a thin-bladed knife or spatula down the sides of the pan and the center tube to help release the cake. Once loosened, turn the cake upside down on a serving plate.

Step 12. While the cake cools, make the tart lemon glaze to drizzle over the cake. Mix the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and freshly squeezed lemon juice, stirring until combined. With a spoon, just drizzle the icing all over the cake.

You can see the lemon pieces inside the cake. That is what makes this cake so good.

Equipment to get the job done

• If you use a lot of lemons, both of these tools will come in handy and help you get the most flavor from all of your citrus. This citrus zester is nice and sturdy and makes those nice, fine pieces of lemon peel and, this wood lemon reamer is perfect for juicing all types of citrus.
• Make sure to use a heavy nonstick bundt pan with well-defined fluting. There are many designs to choose from, but for this cake, I prefer the traditional 10-cup pan design.

After an afternoon of baking, it’s time for a slice of this moist and tender cake and a pot of tea and fresh berries.

More Lemon Recipes To Try

If you like baking with lemon, here are a few more recipes I make on repeat.

• For something simple, these Classic Lemon Shortbread Cookies use just a handful of ingredients and have a strong lemon flavor from the zest
• These Frosted Lemon Cookies are soft and chewy with a lemon frosting that adds just the right amount of sweetness.
• For something a little different, this Lemon Ricotta Cheese Dip works well as an appetizer and bakes up golden on top.
• If you’re baking for breakfast or brunch, these Lemon Muffins with Ricotta and Lemon Blueberry Scones are both easy options that come together quickly.

Tips For A Lemon Bundt Cake That Turns Out Right

More Bundt Cakes To Bake Next

• Chocolate Stout Beer Cake is rich and moist with a deep chocolate flavor that works well for birthdays or weekend baking.
  For an easy shortcut, this Banana Vanilla Bean Caramel Bundt Cake starts with a yellow cake mix and ripe bananas.
• This is one of my most pinned recipes, and for good reason, it is delicious. Bake this Mandarin Orange Bundt Cake for an easy orange-flavored dessert.
• If you like your cakes on the smaller side, try this recipe for Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes.

Mandarin Orange Bundt Cake is one of my most popular recipes and comes together quickly with bright citrus flavor.

Tried it? Rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & comment below, your feedback keeps the oven mitts flying here at One Hot Oven.

Recipe

First published: July 12, 2019, Last updated: April 8, 2026, for better readability

Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog.  Please leave a comment to say hello or tell me what you are baking; I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Have any questions or want to chat about the recipe? Please visit my About page for information, and I’ll be happy to help!

About Jere’

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven, sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.