Ultimate Lemon Bundt Cake: A Zesty Delight for Every Occasion

Discover the quintessential Lemon Bundt Cake recipe – an effortlessly elegant pound cake that delivers an exhilarating burst of lemon flavor. Crowned with a luscious, ‘relaxed’ cream cheese glaze and adorned with exquisitely homemade candied lemon slices, this cake is designed to impress without the stress, making it your perfect centerpiece for any celebration.

Embrace Effortless Elegance: The Perfect Holiday Companion

As the festive seasons roll around, often feeling like one holiday blurs into the next, finding time for elaborate baking can be a challenge. We all adore going all out for special occasions, but sometimes, reality calls for smart planning. This is where our incredible Lemon Bundt Cake truly shines. It’s the ideal solution for those moments when you want to present something spectacularly elegant without spending an entire day in the kitchen. Whether you’re preparing for Easter brunch, a Mother’s Day celebration, or a spring birthday, this recipe is designed to simplify your life while elevating your dessert table.

Forget the complexities of torting layers, crafting intricate fillings, or perfecting a stiff frosting. This Bundt cake offers sophisticated charm with minimal fuss. Its beauty lies in its simplicity and the sheer impact of its vibrant lemon flavor. A relaxed, yet incredibly delicious cream cheese glaze drapes over the cake with an inviting flow, requiring no expert piping skills. What’s more, we’ll strategically tackle the most impressive component – the candied lemon slices – in advance, freeing up precious time to enjoy the festivities, like an Easter egg hunt with the kids!

The Heart of the Cake: Rich Pound Cake and Zesty Glaze

At the core of this delightful dessert is a rich cream cheese pound cake that bakes to golden perfection. Imagine a wonderfully crispy, sweet exterior giving way to a soft, moist, and profoundly buttery interior. This exquisite texture is precisely what makes a pound cake so universally loved. The flavor profile is meticulously balanced: fresh lemon zest infuses the cake with a delicate, bright tang, which is then deepened and amplified by a touch of lemon extract, ensuring every bite is bursting with authentic citrus essence.

Complementing this robust cake is our super simple, yet incredibly flavorful, lemon cream cheese glaze. It strikes the perfect balance, possessing the luscious richness of a cream cheese frosting but with the easy pourability of a glaze. This isn’t a glaze you need to fuss over; it flows beautifully, creating elegant drips down the sides of the Bundt cake. Once refrigerated, it sets just enough to hold its shape while remaining wonderfully soft and creamy. Packed with its own powerful punch of lemon, this glaze is the perfect crown for an already exceptional cake, making it truly irresistible.

The Magic of Candied Lemon Slices: An Edible Garnish

What truly elevates this Lemon Bundt Cake from simply delicious to genuinely special-event-worthy are the homemade candied lemon slices. These aren’t just a pretty garnish; they are an integral part of the experience, offering a delightful chewiness and a burst of concentrated sweet-and-tangy lemon flavor that’s utterly captivating. The translucent slices, shimmering with crystallized sugar, provide a stunning visual contrast to the creamy glaze and the golden cake.

Creating these candied beauties involves a simple yet magical process of simmering thin lemon slices in a sugar syrup until they become perfectly translucent and tender, transforming into a chewy candy-like texture. While they do require a bit of attentive “babying” during their creation, the effort is incredibly rewarding. The best part? They keep remarkably well! Once made, these candied lemon slices can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week without losing any of their amazingness. This make-ahead advantage is a true game-changer, allowing you to prepare them days in advance and assemble your stunning cake with ease on the day of your event, saving you precious time and reducing last-minute stress.

Versatility Beyond Compare: Perfect for Any Gathering

One of the most remarkable aspects of this Lemon Bundt Cake is its incredible versatility. It effortlessly adapts to a myriad of events and occasions, making it a truly indispensable recipe in your baking repertoire. Envision it as the radiant centerpiece of a sophisticated bridal shower, a bright and refreshing addition to a Mother’s Day brunch, or a cheerful focal point for a spring birthday celebration. Its light, zesty profile also makes it an absolute winner for a relaxed summer BBQ or picnic, offering a palate-cleansing finish to savory meals.

The beauty of the Bundt cake form means it’s inherently elegant, requiring minimal adornment to look spectacular. You can easily dress it up or down to suit the specific ambiance of your gathering. Present it on an ornate cake pedestal with crisp linen for a formal affair, or on a simple wooden board with casual serviettes for a more laid-back gathering. No matter the setting, a generous slice of this refreshing, lemony cake is guaranteed to bring smiles and compliments. So, bake up this delightful creation, share its bursting lemony flavor, and get back to what truly matters: celebrating life’s precious moments with those you love!

Crafting Your Perfect Lemon Bundt Cake: A Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s everything you need to bake this incredible Lemon Bundt Cake, complete with a powerful lemon punch, a relaxed cream cheese glaze, and those irresistible candied lemon slices. Follow these instructions closely for a flawless and delicious result that will surely become a favorite.

Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe

Print Recipe

An easy lemon pound cake recipe that delivers a powerful lemon punch, topped with a relaxed cream cheese glaze and stunning candied lemon slices. Perfect for any celebration!

• Author: Carrie Sellman
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Bundt Cake

Ingredients

For the Lemon Pound Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 to 2 organic lemons, ensure fresh zest for best flavor)
• 12 ounces unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened slightly
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

For the Candied Lemon Slices:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 organic lemons, preferably unwaxed and firm

Instructions

Make the Lemon Pound Cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Generously grease and flour a 10-12 cup Bundt pan, ensuring every nook and cranny is coated to prevent sticking. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and fresh lemon zest. This step helps distribute the lemon flavor evenly throughout the dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes. Continue beating until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to fully incorporate. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl periodically to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
5. Stir in the lemon extract and vanilla extract. Mix again briefly to combine these flavorings evenly into the wet ingredients.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture (flour, salt, lemon zest) to the wet ingredients while mixing on low speed. Mix only until just combined and no streaks of flour remain, being careful not to overmix, which can lead to a dry, dense cake.
7. Pour the cake batter evenly into your prepared Bundt pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Gently tap the pan onto your counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles, ensuring a more even bake.
8. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top of the cake begins to brown too quickly, lightly tent the pan with aluminum foil to prevent over-darkening.
9. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. This cooling period helps the cake firm up before removal. Then, carefully invert the Bundt cake onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely before glazing.

Make the Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the softened cream cheese and slightly softened butter until completely smooth and creamy, with no lumps.
2. Add the fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly to combine these liquids into the cream cheese mixture.
3. Gradually add the sifted confectioners’ sugar, starting on low speed to avoid a cloud of sugar. Increase speed as the sugar incorporates. Mix and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary until smooth.
4. Whip the glaze on high speed for another minute or two until it is completely smooth, light, and airy, with no visible lumps of cream cheese.

Make the Candied Lemon Slices:

1. Thoroughly wash the organic lemons and pat them dry. Using a sharp knife or mandoline, thinly slice the lemons into uniform 1/8-inch thick slices. Carefully remove any visible seeds.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until all the sugar has completely dissolved, forming a clear syrup.
3. Add the thin lemon slices to the simmering syrup. Reduce the heat to low, maintaining a gentle simmer (do not boil vigorously). Cook the lemon slices, stirring occasionally and gently turning them, until they become completely translucent, which typically takes about 35 minutes or more. The exact time will depend on the thickness of your slices.
4. Using tongs, carefully remove the translucent lemon slices from the syrup and place them onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Allow them to cool slightly at room temperature before transferring the pan to the refrigerator to cool and set completely.
5. Once the lemon slices are completely cool and firm, they should easily peel away from the wax paper. Store them in an airtight container, layered with additional wax paper between slices to prevent sticking and clumping. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to use them.

Assemble the Cake:

• Ensure the Bundt cake is completely cooled before proceeding. Place the cooled cake onto your desired serving dish or cake stand. Spoon the prepared lemon cream cheese glaze over the top of the cake, gently smoothing it with the back of the spoon and allowing it to beautifully flow down the sides. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze to set slightly.
• Once the glaze is set, artfully arrange the candied lemon slices around the top of the cake for a stunning presentation. Serve chilled or at room temperature for the best flavor and texture.

Notes

• Candied Lemon Slices: These can be prepared up to a week in advance. Store them in an airtight container, lined with wax paper or parchment paper, in the refrigerator. If you need to layer the slices, place a piece of wax paper between each layer to prevent them from sticking together.
• Cake Storage: Due to the cream cheese glaze, the cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Serving Temperature: For optimal flavor and a wonderfully soft texture, allow the cake to come to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before serving.

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Explore More Lemon-Inspired Delights

If you’ve fallen in love with the vibrant flavors of this Lemon Bundt Cake, we invite you to explore more of our delicious lemon-themed recipes. From delicate cupcakes to refreshing layer cakes, there’s a lemon creation for every palate:

• Lemon Poppyseed Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Strawberry Lemonade Cake
• Lemon Lavender Cupcakes
• Lemon Honey Cake