Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting . . . this buttery lemon bundt cake is absolutely scrumptious, and the frosting is out of this world!
I am a big fan of Bundt cakes because with minimal effort you can have beautiful, bakery style cakes that everyone swoons over. I love my White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake, and my Coconut Cream Bundt Cake. Check ’em out!
I love cooking and baking with lemons. Their flavor is just so darn fresh and yummy! I first tried this lemon cake at a baby shower years ago and I think I may have groaned after the first bite. Of course I made sure to get the recipe from my friend Lila the very next day.
This cake is seriously amazing, and the frosting is what makes it. It is to die for. No kidding. I could eat it by the spoonful right out of the bowl. Doesn’t it just look incredible?
I’ve served this cake at baby showers, bridal showers, and potlucks, and it always gets rave reviews. Who can resist a frosted Bundt cake, especially when it’s served on a pretty cake plate?
Bundt cakes also transport really well because you don’t have to worry about layers sliding apart. I’ve had that happen with a layer cake, and it was a disaster!
How to make Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
To skip my tips and just see the full recipe card, scroll to the bottom of the post.)
Ingredients:
- butter (I use regular salted butter.)
- sugar
- eggs
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- buttermilk
- lemon zest (This is what adds lemon flavor to the cake and the frosting, so don’t leave it out. If you really like lemon, use even more than I did.)
- fresh lemon juice
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Sift together dry ingredients. Add with buttermilk; mixing well. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice.
Spread into a well greased and floured 12 cup Bundt or tube pan. I like to spray my pan with Baker’s Joy, but if you don’t have that I recommend spreading the pan liberally with shortening, then sprinkling with flour.
Bake at 325° for about 1 hour or till a toothpick comes out clean. (Don’t over bake or the cake will be dry.) Let sit in pan for 10 minutes, then dump out onto a cooling rack.
Cool completely and frost with lemon cream cheese frosting.
Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter till smooth. Beat in remaining ingredients, adding enough milk or cream to achieve spreading consistency. Frost cooled cake.
Tips for making lemon cake:
-Use real butter, and make sure your butter is softened to room temperature. I like to leave mine out on the counter overnight.
-Beat the sugar and butter till they are very light and fluffy. The sugar will actually start to dissolve a bit, making the cake extra silky.
-Fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest make a huge difference in the flavor of this cake and frosting, so don’t try to substitute.
How do I store my lemon bundt cake?
I just store mine covered at room temperature and it lasts for 2-3 days. You can store it in the refrigerator if you prefer, but I recommend letting it come to room temperature before you serve it.
How do I zest a lemon?
I recommend getting a good microplane lemon zester. I press the end of the zester onto a cutting board or plate and rub my lemon down against the tiny blades, rotating as I go. You just want to get the very outer part of the peel that is yellow. The white part is bitter, so don’t press too hard.
Can I freeze this Bundt cake?
Yes, but you need to freeze it before you add the frosting. After it is warm to the touch, wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap. You should be able to freeze it for up to a month. Before serving, thaw and frost.
If you like lemon desserts, you have got to give this cake a try!! I promise you will not be sorry.
Need even more lemon in your life? Here are a few more recipes to try:
Butter Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
MORE CAKES MADE FROM SCRATCH:
Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon Bundt Cake
Lemon Bundt cake with luscious lemon cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup butter, soft
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, soft
- 3 Tbsp lemon zest
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- Remaining juice from lemon used in cake (1-2 tablespoons)
- Milk or cream as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one.
- Sift together dry ingredients. Add alternately with buttermilk; mixing well. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Spread into a well greased and floured 12 cup Bundt cake pan or tube pan.
- Bake at 325° for about 1 hour or till a toothpick comes out clean. (Don't over bake or the cake will be dry.)
- Let sit in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully dump out onto a cooling rack. Cool cake completely and frost with lemon cream cheese frosting.
- Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter till smooth. Beat in remaining ingredients, adding enough milk or cream to achieve spreading consistency. Frost cooled cake.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 501Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 318mgCarbohydrates: 76gFiber: 1gSugar: 55gProtein: 6g
Do you know high altitude adjustments?
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I live at a high altitude and it works just fine as written. 🙂
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The cake is delicious. I just had a little trouble with the icing. I used the rest of the lemon juice for the icing but the icing was too runny. I tried adding powdered sugar to make it the right consistency. Can you add the number of tablespoons to the recipe so I know the right amount. Thanks.
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Usually I only need 1-2 tablespoons, but it depends how soft the butter and cream cheese are. I have updated the recipe, so hopefully it will prevent future confusion for people. Thanks for letting me know!
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Do you have to use buttermilk?
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You could use 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain yogurt mixed with milk as a substitute.
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Would love to know how you frost a bundt cake with cream cheese frosting!
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I usually just try to spoon it over the top in the middle, then let it naturally fall down the sides. Nothing fancy. 🙂
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Hey there was reading ingredients and peoples comments .. is there a reason that there’s no baking powder In this cake compared to most Bundt cakes ? Was just checking before I make this – thanks !
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I was very disappointed in this cake, the recipe was vague and hard to follow at crucial steps and the actual cake came out tasting more like warm flour than lemon despite following the measurements precisely.
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So sorry you had trouble, which steps do you have questions about?
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Hello! I just had one question! I was wondering if this batter was supposed to be kinda thick? Thank you!
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You do realize you have no measurements listed in the ingredients right?!!! How are we suppose to use your recipe without the measurements?!!!
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I am having a problem with my site, but I contacted my host and it should be corrected in the next few hours. I can’t access the recipes either. So sorry! 🙁
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Can this be made with low carb ingredients? Like almond or coconut flour and a sugar substitute?
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I have made this cake 3 times this week and it came out perfect every time! Not sure why people had problems with it sinking in the middle. I am guessing they must have opened the over in the middle of baking.
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How many lemons do you use to get all the zest needed? That will give me an idea of how much lemon juice to use in the frosting as well. Thanks so much. Going to make this incredible sounding cake today.
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It depends on the size of the lemon, but I usually just need one.
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I have a question: the buttermilk is dry or liquid. You didn’t specify on your recipe.
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Definitely fresh buttermilk. I think it’s safe to assume that when any recipe calls for buttermilk (or milk), it means the liquid unless specified otherwise.
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Like another had mentioned, my cake sank in the middle. Googled why this happened. Says maybe too much levening, but you only have 1/2 tsp baking soda and salt, so that can’t be it. Possibly too hot oven….but everything else turns out OK…..also, a humid climate. Currently, it IS 95 degrees with high humidity, but the AC is on.
Here’s what I’m going to do to salvage it (tasted some crumbs…YUM!)… It’s cooling on a rack…. I will double the frosting and fill in the hole once cooled and then flip onto cake stand and frost top. Hoping it won’t be too messy. Making for a dinner we were invited at. Really want this to work out.
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So sorry your cake sank in the middle, that is a bummer! I’ve made it many, many times and never had that happen. Did you open the oven to check on it while it was baking? I’ve had other cakes sink when I (or one of my kids) did that. Other than that, I can’t think of why it sank. I don’t think humidity in the room would make a difference for the cake, even though it makes us feel like we are melting. Haha.
I hope you were able to salvage it for your party!
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WOW! This is amazing! I LOVE all things lemon and this was perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Will definitely be my go-to dessert….thanks for posting.
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I am so glad that you loved it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, I appreciate it! 🙂
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Hi do you have gram weights for ingredients we tend to use this or ounces in Scotland never used cups.
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This recipe is a keeper. It was easy to make, turned out well and was delicious! Thanks.
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I just made this cake and it was outrageously yummy. Thank you for this recipe! The icing was perfect for this cake. Just the right amount of lemon. I ran out of zest and only usedabout 1.5tbsp but added more lemon juice to taste. Consistency was perfect.
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Is the flour all purpose or self rising
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All purpose flour unless specified. I’ve never used self rising flour.
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Do you use salted or unsalted butter ?
Thank you
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I use salted butter in all my recipes, I like to keep things easy!
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The amount of milk/ cream was not specified in this recipe for icing for the bundt cake. I added 1/2 cup of milk, and much to my dismay, my icing “exploded”!! I poured it on the bundt cake, and I ended up with a cake that was slathered with the icing, and a pool of icing that accumulated on the bottom of my cake. Please make a change to your recipe specify that you may only need 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk for the icing.
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Can you bake this in one of those extra long (24 inches) loaf pans that Wilton makes?
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I have never done it, but you could definitely try. It wouldn’t take as long to bake, so watch it closely. Good luck!
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This was a beautiful cake to make !!! The crumb was moist and lemony throughout both cake and icing. Perfect!!!!
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My son LOVES lemon cake and I have made several throughout the years, but this one has been the BEST. The frosting is so fabulous!! It was a hit with my son and the rest of the family!! This will be his birthday cake for now on!
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Yay, happy to hear it was a hit! I agree about the frosting, it is my favorite!
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Should you regridgerate leftovers or can you leave the cake out ?
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I store my leftovers at room temperature, but if your house is really warm you could store the cake in the fridge.
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Do you know what I would need to do to adjust for high altitude?
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I live at a high altitude and it works just great at my house. 🙂
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Can this recipe be used to make cupcakes.
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I have never tried making it into cupcakes, but I would assume that it would work.
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This was the best lemon pound cake that I’ve made. The cake is moist with a subtle lemon flavor not overpowering. My family and friends loved it! Thank You
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I am so glad to hear that it was such a hit Diane! I know I sure love it. 🙂
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Just made this cake and it was wonderful! I will definitely make it again.
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So glad to hear that you loved it as much as I do!
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Can i use a different pan? I don’t have a bundt.
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I like the browning and texture of a Bundt pan, but you could try it in a 9×13″ pan. I’m not sure how long it will take, but start checking it after 25-30 minutes.
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How much lemon juice do you put in the frosting?
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I never measure it, I just use whatever is leftover from the cake, then add milk or cream as needed. You don’t need much with cream cheese frosting, so I’d start with a teaspoon or two.
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Every time I try to make the frosting it doesn’t turn out nice and thick like yours. I don’t get the consistency right, always too thin. How much milk or cream do you use?
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After I add the lemon juice, I often don’t even need to add any milk or cream. I’d start with a teaspoon or two and add more if needed. You don’t need much with cream cheese based frostings.
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I used tube pans, and mine sunk in the middle, and suggestions?
Still tasted SUPER delicious!!
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I am not sure why it sunk in the middle, that has never happened to me. 🙁
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Just made this cake and mine sank in the middle as well. Google “why bundt cake sank in middle” ….several possibilities. Several solutions…a few ways to save your cake. Going to make extra frosting and fill the hold….Who knows….Maybe it’ll taste even better.
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Can I freeze this cake and if so how do I do it and for how long?
How many days in advance can I make this cake if not frozen?
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I’m sure you could freeze the cake before you frost it. Just wrap it up tightly with plastic wrap. Defrost before serving and add the frosting. Should work great! Or you could make it a day or two in advance, and add the frosting when you are ready to serve.
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I made this in July 2012. It is one of the best cakes I have ever made, if not THE best. Thank you 10x. Love it!!
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