Lemon Bundt Cake

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A perfect afternoon of reading magazines in English, baking a lemon bundt cake, and a little taste of home. A light dessert for light reading.

Wes went to Canada for a conference and brought me a stack of magazines home. After being a single mom for a few weeks, a morning to myself with a cup of coffee and lots of current magazines was a delight. Not to mention that there was a new royal baby that week, so that made it even more exciting.

I also loved that Wes brought me home a Canadian Living. We lived in Nova Scotia for a few years (Ava is our Canadian souvenir from our time there) and that magazine was one of my favorites. I’ve cooked so many things out of it through the years.

Anyway, I was flipping through and found a recipe for Lemon Bundt Cake. Ava had asked me to make her a lemon cake a few days before that, and I had all of the ingredients so I made it for her. Not only did I have a lovely morning reading magazines, but then I had a lovely afternoon baking my daughter a cake.

The cake is light and bright, and we all loved it. I love a really citrusy cake, and this is it.

What Is A Bundt? //

Bundt is the name of the pan — a Bundt pan — and is actually trademarked by an American company called Nordic Ware. The origin of the cake lies in Germany where it is known as “Bundkuchen”. Its chief characteristic is that hole in the middle, which separates it from your run-of-the-mill cake. It’s a popular item at pot lucks and receptions and the like, perhaps because it possesses a certain elegance. I find it partners really well with hot beverages (coffee, tea) so I usually serve it at lunch or tea parties.

Ingredients //

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Lemon Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp water

Lemon Icing:

• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp lemon juice

How To Make // The Steps

• Preheat oven to 350°. Spray baking spray generously in a 10-cup Bundt pan.
• Add sugar and lemon zest to a bowl of an electric mixer. Turn on low and let the oils rub into the sugar.
• Add butter and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lemon juice.
• In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk, making 3 additions of flour and 2 of buttermilk.
• Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, invert onto rack and transfer to cake plate.
• In a microwaveable bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water. Microwave until warm, about 30 seconds. Brush over warm cake. Let cool completely.
• To make the glaze, whisk sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Whisk in water 1/2 teaspoon at a time if necessary. Drizzle over cake and let set before serving.

Variations //

One of the great things about Bundt cakes is that they can cater to your particular tastebuds. They are very versatile and can be made over and over without each one tasting alike. The version here — lemon — is very popular but you may want to try others. Vanilla, chocolate, and almond work well. Then you’ve got the frost/glaze to think about. Powdered sugar, chocolate ganache, or caramel can be used. THEN there’s the fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips that can be added to the batter. With so many options, you’ll want to think ahead about what the cake will taste like to mitigate the possibility of clashing flavors.

FAQs //

How To Store Lemon Bundt Cake //

Let the cake cool completely then put it in an airtight container. It can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you want to keep it around longer, you can put it in the fridge for up to 7 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’d like to eat it, let it come to room temperature. If you’ve been keeping it in the fridge, you may want to take it out 30 minutes before you plan to eat it to let the icing soften.

More Dessert Recipes //

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Rich & Crunchy English Toffee

Fruit Basket Cake