Classic Lemon Bundt Cake
To me, summer cakes need to be fruity, zippy, and refreshing. I want a light cake that feels like sunshine. This recipe for lemon bundt cake is seriously so summery you might end up making it a few times before fall rolls around.
A couple of weeks ago, I got to sample Quest Nutrition’s new Lemon Cake protein bars just before they were released (I’m in their affiliate program, and you can see my disclosure here). To get a really nice picture for Instagram for the release, I decided to make up my favorite cake.
Well, I can’t just make up a cake and not share the recipe, can I? How unfair would that be? I know, right?!
So, here’s what you need to know about this cake. It’s easy, but you do have to be a little particular about a couple things. I’ve got you covered, though.
Properly Buttering and Flouring a Bundt Pan
You really do have to thoroughly prep a bundt pan if you want your cake to come out cleanly after baking. I rely on the classic butter and flour method most of the time. The only other way I’d dare prep my pan is with Pam baking spray with flour.
Start with softened butter because it’s a lot easier to spread. Get about a tablespoon and place it on the pads of your fingers. Just start rubbing it in. Depending on the complexity of your bundt pan shape, you might resort to grabbing a pastry brush to get into tinier nooks. But essentially, you want to make sure that every millimeter of the pan has a thin layer of butter.
Then grab a small mesh sieve and dust flour evenly over the pan. I actually set my pan in the clean side of my sink to keep my counters kind of clean. When you have a pretty fair about of flour on the bottom, you’ll turn the pan on its side and smack it to move the flour to the sides.
Continue turning the pan (on its side) and smacking it until you have flour stuck to all the butter. If there is excess flour, you’ll turn your pan upside down over the sink and give it a really good smack. No big blobs of flour left!
Starting the Batter for Your Lemon Bundt Cake
I figured out the following method completely on accident, but it led to a really fluffy cake. So, here’s my trick. You know how some recipes want you to cream the butter and sugar first, and others want you to beat the eggs and sugar first? We’re going to halfway do both.
Start by creaming the butter and sugar, but overdo it. Imagine your toddler wants to bake and ran off with your measuring cups, so you have to go catch her.
Then, come back, scrape down the sides, and dump in all four eggs. Keep in mind the butter and the eggs should all be at room temperature to play nicely together.
This time, imagine your toddler is mad that you took her measuring cups so she throws a lemon across the room and the dog thinks it’s a ball. Now you have to wash the lemon and decide if it’s okay to use it… it is. So you juice and zest it, and dump it into the bowl with some vanilla, too.
By now, the eggs have probably been beating for like 5 minutes. The mixture has about doubled in volume and looks really fluffy. Ta da!
All that’s left is to sift in half of your dry ingredients and give them a gentle fold to keep that air in it. Alternately mix in the milk and finish with the second half of the dry ingredients.
Properly Baking a Bundt Cake
Pour your batter into your bundt pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Then tap the pan on the counter. You want to make sure you’re getting batter into all the little crannies.
Set your bundt pan on a cookie sheet so it sits evenly on your oven rack, and bake at 350ºF for 70 minutes. Avoid opening the oven door or rotating the cake if possible. The batter will rise a lot, and you don’t want to deflate it by moving it around.
You want to let it cool until the pan is comfortable to touch. Don’t try and be brave and flip it out because you’re tough. Just wait until it’s really, honestly cool enough to handle.
Let it cool completely on a wire rack before you ice it.
Lemon Glaze Icing is Super Easy
All you have to do is mixing some lemon juice and a pinch of salt into a bowl of sifted powdered sugar. It’ll be nice and thick for a creamy white icing. If you use more lemon juice, it’ll be thinner and more like donut glaze.
Use a spoon to drop dollops of your icing at even intervals first, and then pour the remaining icing around the top to fill it in more. Coax the glaze to drip down the sides with your spoon, leaving enough on top.
Then, let it set for an hour so the icing firms up. Or don’t. It really depends how you like your icing. For me, that crackly finish is part of the experience.
Serving Lemon Bundt Cake
I don’t think it’s out of place to serve your lemon cake after a nice barbecue with a pitcher of iced mint tea. In fact, I think this recipe is one of those that works well for any kind of barbecue, afternoon tea, or shower. It’s bright, sunshiny, and fluffy!
How are you enjoying your lemon cake? Comment below and let me know! And don’t forget to subscribe for an awesome freebie!
Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 large lemons' zest
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup whole milk
For the Icing
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a bundt pan.
- Cream together the butter and sugar. Scrape down the sides, and add in the lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and eggs. Beat it on high until it looks airy and voluminous. About 5 minutes.
- Fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt. When it is half incorporated, add in the milk. Finish stirring until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the bundt pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Then, turn out and cool the rest of the way on a wire rack.
- Preparing the frosting by whisking lemon juice into powdered sugar, and drizzle evenly over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
- Let the icing set before serving.
