Moist Lemon Bundt Cake

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Super moist lemon bundt cake is a tender, sweet, and tangy lemon cake topped with a luscious lemon glaze. This bright and tasty lemon cake is a beloved family recipe that is perfect for any occasion!

Slice of moist lemon Bundt cake on a white plate.

We love a good pound cake in the South, and I know you are going to swoon over this luscious lemon bundt cake recipe! Fresh lemon juice and zest give this cake a punch of bright and tangy lemon flavor, and sour cream and buttermilk give it an incredibly moist texture.

For more irresistible spring desserts, check out our Easter Cookie Cake and Carrot Cake Loaf recipes next!

Table of Contents

Why You Will Love This Cake
Ingredients You Need to Make This Cake
How to Make This Recipe
Variations and Substitutions
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
Frequently Asked Questions
Pro Tips for The Best Lemon Bundt Cake
More Spring Dessert Recipes You Will Love!
📖 Recipe

Why You Will Love This Cake

Bursting with bright, fresh lemon flavor! Plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest give this cake an irresistible lemon flavor. The sweet lemon glaze is the perfect lemony finishing touch.
Super moist and tender! Buttermilk, sour cream, and egg yolks give this cake the softest and moistest texture. This luscious cake melts in your mouth.
Easy to make! I love bundt cakes because there is no leveling, layering, or fancy icing involved.

Moist lemon Bundt cake on a white cake plate.

Ingredients You Need to Make This Cake

Measurements and complete recipe instructions are in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.

Lemon Bundt Cake

All-purpose flour. Use good quality flour for this cake recipe for the best results. Make sure you measure your flour properly by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife.
Salt. To enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
Baking soda. To help the cake rise. Make sure your baking soda is no more than six months old. Old leavening agents can result in a dense cake.
Ground nutmeg. Nutmeg really enhances the lemon flavor in this cake and adds the slightest hint of warm, nutty flavor.
Buttermilk. For a moist, tender cake.
Sour cream. For added moisture and a subtle tanginess.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice. A must-have for this lemon cake. You may also use bottled lemon juice.
Lemon zest. For even more fresh, tart lemon flavor.
Granulated sugar. For a perfectly sweetened, moist cake.
Unsalted butter. For buttery flavor and moist, tender cake.
Whole eggs and egg yolks. To bind the ingredients and add richness.
Vanilla bean paste. For sweet, earthy vanilla flavor.

Lemon Glaze

Powdered sugar
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Milk

Ingredients for making moist lemon Bundt cake arranged on a gray surface.

How to Make This Recipe

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Generously spray a Bundt pan with baking spray or grease with butter, using a pastry brush to get the spray or butter into all the crevices. Set the pan aside.
Sift together the flour and baking soda into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the salt and nutmeg and set the dry ingredients aside.
In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and set aside.
Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high (7-8 on a stand mixer) for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy. Add the sugar to the bowl with the butter and beat on medium for 3-5 more minutes until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure the ingredients get evenly mixed.
Beat in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time at medium speed, making sure the eggs are completely mixed in after each addition.
Beat ⅓ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture just until no more dry flour is visible. Start on low speed and gradually increase the speed to medium. Beat in ½ of the buttermilk mixture. Scrape down the bowl and repeat this process, alternating beating in the flour and buttermilk mixtures until all have been incorporated. Mix in the vanilla bean paste. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth it out into an even layer. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted near the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan then carefully flip it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk for the glaze and pour the glaze over the completely cooled cake. Slice and enjoy!

Step by step images for making moist lemon Bundt cake.

Variations and Substitutions

Add more spice. Feel free to add even more flavor with a pinch of ground cinnamon, ginger, or cardamom. I just can't get enough of a pinch of warm spices in my cakes! You may also omit the spices altogether.
Swap out the buttermilk. Since this cake has plenty of acidity from the lemon and sour cream, you may use regular milk or half and half instead of buttermilk.
Add cream cheese. Swap the sour cream for 4 ounces of cream cheese for a rich and equally tangy flavor.
Use lemon extract instead of lemon juice. If you prefer you can swap the lemon juice for 2 tablespoons of lemon extract in this recipe.
Use vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean paste. If you do not have vanilla bean paste on hand you may swap this ingredient for the same amount of vanilla extract. Add a half teaspoon of almond extract for an even more complex and delicious flavor!

Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions

This lemon Bundt cake keeps amazingly well and can be made a day in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve. Wait until you are ready to serve before adding the lemon glaze to the cake so that it does not harden.

Leftover lemon cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days and in the refrigerator for up to one week. This cake also freezes beautifully and will last up to three months in the freezer.

Slices of moist lemon Bundt cake on white plates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between bundt cake and pound cake?

The main difference between Bundt cake and pound cake is the type of pan used. Bundt cakes are baked in a fluted round Bundt pan with a hole in the middle, while pound cakes are baked in many different types of pans, the most popular being a loaf pan. Pound cakes are sometimes made with more butter than regular cakes for a richer flavor.

Can I use lemon extract instead of lemon juice in this lemon cake?

You can use lemon extract instead of lemon juice for this cake recipe. Lemon extract has a more potent lemon flavor than lemon juice, so use a half teaspoon of lemon extract for every 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.

Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of freshly squeezed lemon juice for this lemon cake recipe?

Yes. Bottled lemon juice can be used in place of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Follow the same measurements called for in the recipe.

Pro Tips for The Best Lemon Bundt Cake

Measure your flour properly! Whatever you do do not dip your measuring cup into your bag of flour! Fluff your flour in the bag with a fork, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Adding too much flour will cause the cake to turn out dry and dense, the opposite of what I want you to experience when biting into this cake.
Use room-temperature ingredients! Make sure your butter, eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, and lemon juice are all room temperature. Using cold ingredients will prevent them from mixing together properly and can ruin the texture of your cake.
Do not overmix the batter! Mix the batter just until the last ingredient added disappears into the batter. Beating the batter at high speeds for too long can ruin the final texture of the cake.
Do not overbake the cake! Overbaking the cake is another way to ruin the texture and end up with a dry cake. Check the cake by inserting a long, wooden skewer near the center at the 1 hour and 5-minute mark.
- If the skewer comes out with wet batter, close the oven door and check again in 5 minutes. When you see a few moist crumbs on the skewer, your cake is ready! If the skewer comes out completely dry, you may have already baked your cake too long.
Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes in the pan. Do not attempt to flip the cake onto a cooling rack as soon as it comes out of the oven. It will fall apart if removed from the pan too soon and all of our hard work is in vain!