LEMON BUNDT CAKE
a simple bundt cake infused with lemon and covered in a thick zesty cream cheese icing!
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER | QUANTITY: 16-20 slices
LISTS
GROCERY LIST:
1 ½ sticks | Unsalted Butter
5 large | Eggs
¾ cup | Sour Cream
4 ounces | Cream Cheese
1 ¾ cups & 2 tablespoons | Granulated Sugar
1 ¼ cup | Confectioners’ Sugar
3 cups | All-purpose Flour (plus more for dusting bundt pan - about 1-2 tablespoons)
¾ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
¾ teaspoon | Baking Soda
1 ½ teaspoons | Baking Powder
1 ½ teaspoons | Vanilla Extract
4 large or 6 small | Lemons
KITCHENWARE:
10-inch Bundt Cake Pan
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
Medium Mixing Bowl
Measuring Spoons & Cups, Sieve (fine mesh strainer) Rubber Spatula & Whisk
PREP
Helpful tips!
Let butter, eggs and cream cheese come to room temperature by leaving out for about 1 hour*.
Let sour cream come to room temperature by leaving out for about 30 minutes*.
When measuring flour, don’t pack the flour or you will end up adding more flour into the mixture and risk having a drier cake. Instead, use a large spoon to scoop flour into measuring cups and level off with the handle of the spoon.
Don’t sift kosher salt and lemon zest. It’s usually not fine enough to get through the sieve.
*Dependent on the temperature of your home
BAKE
CAKE:
3 cups | All-purpose Flour
¾ teaspoon | Baking Soda
1 ½ teaspoons | Baking Powder
¾ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
1 ½ tablespoons | Lemon Zest
1 ½ sticks | Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 ¾ cups & 2 tablespoons | Granulated Sugar
5 large | Eggs (room temperature)
⅓ cup | Lemon Juice
¾ cup | Sour Cream (room temperature)
1 ½ teaspoons | Vanilla Extract
ICING:
4 ounces | Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 ¼ cup | Confectioners’ Sugar
2 tablespoons | Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon | Lemon Zest
1 tablespoon | Lemon Zest (optional)
Keeping ingredients separate, zest and juice lemon and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350° F and place rack in the center of the oven.
Make the cake by sifting flour, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add salt and lemon zest, mix and set aside.
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth and there are no visible lumps, about 1 minute if your butter is truly at room temperature. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add lemon juice, sour cream and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Note that it will be somewhat separated from the acidity in the lemon juice but will come together with the dry ingredients. Add flour mixture in two parts, beating until incorporated after each addition. Batter should feel thick and well combined. Use a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients at the bottom and around the edges are incorporated.
Lightly grease bundt pan with about 1-2 tablespoons of room temperature butter. Use your hands to smear butter all over the bottom, corners and sides of the inside of the pan. Sprinkle about 1-2 tablespoons of flour over buttered pan and rotate and tap the pan to move flour around to completely coat the bottom, corners and sides. Tap out excess flour. This will allow for an easy and clean removal. Set aside.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, spreading evenly with rubber spatula, making sure to get the batter in the corners.
Bake cake for 30 minutes. Rotate loaf pan to ensure an even bake and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is a light golden brown. Let cake cool for 15 minutes. Carefully remove cake from bundt pan by running a butter knife along the edges and turning out onto a wire rack. Let cool.
When loaf is cooled, make icing by whisking cream cheese until smooth and there are no visible lumps. Add confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest and mix until combined. Icing will be quite thick. Dollop icing evenly over cake and use a spoon or knife to gently push icing down cake. Sprinkle tablespoon of lemon zest over cake.
Store leftovers in plastic wrap or airtight container at room temperature.
