Lemon Bundt Cake with lemon drizzle icing is a dense, very lemony cake, great for tea, or for dessert with some crème fraîche.
Lemon Bundt Cake
I love Bundt cakes because they are easy to make but they look very glamorous. To be honest, the cake can be quite plain, which sometimes is just what I want - like this Lemon Bundt Cake. I eat it without any extras, just a piece of cake and a cup of tea or coffee - and sometimes I don't bother to ice it.
Bundt cakes are generally more dense than, say, a Victoria Sandwich, because the cake has to keep its shape when it comes out of the mould. That doesn't mean they're heavy or dry, but this is definitely not a light cake, and you don't need a thick slice - mind you I do sometimes have a couple of thin slices of this.
The Heritage Bundt Tin is the latest in my growing collection of Bundt tins. My Pine Forest Bundt Tin which I use to make a Christmas Bundt Cake is quite dramatic, but it doesn't really work out of season. This recipe makes a very similar cake but lemon-flavoured rather than vanilla-flavoured. In some ways it's like a fancy looking Madeira Cake, and I'm thinking of adding cherries next time as I'm rather partial to a Cherry Cake.
I'm also keen to try some more exotic recipes and there are plenty around, but translating the US recipes to UK quantities and ingredients isn't always straightforward. An additional challenge is that lots of US recipes use cake mixes, which isn't my preferred option. I do have a rather nice looking blueberry and lemon cake recipe that I'm experimenting with at the moment, so hopefully we'll be eating that this summer.
What else do you need to make a Lemon Bundt Cake?
- My tins are all Nordic Ware bundt tins. They are expensive but will become family heirlooms as they are so robust. The design you choose doesn’t matter, but make sure the size is right. You need a 2.5-litre or 10-cup cake tin for this recipe.
The tin I’ve used is a Heritage Bundt Tin. Just be aware when buying that the same design can come in different sizes, so choose the one you want or adapt the recipe.
- Cake Release Spray - This is essential for a Bundt tin recipe. I've never had a problem getting the cake out of the tin since using this spray. It gets into every nook and cranny and means your cake keeps its shape
- Lemon Zester - This zester changed my cooking life. I know I'm late to this particular party but I relied on my box grater for decades. Now I've changed to a Microplane type of zester I don't grate my fingers and it catches the zest so there's more of it.
- Helix Citrus Press - I've had a number of juicers over the years and this one's quite different. I wasn't sure that it would get all the juice out but it seems to, and doesn't require much effort. If your grip isn't good, this really helps.
If you like this...
...Why don't you try:
Fruit Bundt Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Lemon and Elderflower Cake
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Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the bundt cake:
- 225 g butter, softened
- 300 g caster sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 350 g self-raising flour
- 250 ml plain full-fat yogurt
- 3 lemons, zest only
For the marinade:
- 2½ lemons, juice only
- 3 tablespoons caster sugar (45ml)
For the icing:
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 75 g icing sugar
Equipment
Instructions
Preparation
- Put a baking sheet in the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/ gas mark 4/ 350°F
- Grease the Bundt tin with the spray. Spray evenly over all the surfaces, right into every nook and cranny.If you have the non-spray version or are using oil, use kitchen paper and/or a pastry brush to get into all those crevices
- Leave the tin upside down over the sink to stop the oil from accumulating in the bottom
For the bundt cake:
- Put all the cake ingredients into the processor, mixer bowl or large mixing bowl and blitz until mixed225 g butter,, 300 g caster sugar, 6 large eggs, 350 g self-raising flour, 250 ml plain full-fat yogurt, 3 lemons, zest only
- Scrape down and mix again. Pour into your tin, using a spatula to get all the mixture into the tin and smooth the top
- Place the tin on the pre-heated baking sheet and cook for 45-50 minutes. Check if it’s done by pushing a skewer in. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is doneThe cake will be well-risen and golden
For the marinade:
- Mix the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar has dissolved2½ lemons, juice only, 3 tablespoons caster sugar
- Leave the cake to cool for 5 minutes, then push a thin skewer or cocktail stick into the cake all over and spoon half the lemon marinade over. Leave in the tin for about 25 more minutes
- Gently push the cake away from the edges of the tin. If the cake has a domed top, you may want to level it off with a sharp knife so that it sits flat
- Put a wire rack over the top of the cake and turn upside down. The cake should slide out of the tin
- Use the skewer/cocktail stick to make more holes and spoon the rest of the marinade over the cake. Leave to cool
For the icing:
- Mix the lemon juice and icing sugar together to make icing that is runny but will hold its shape75 g icing sugar, ½ lemon, juice only
- Once the cake has completely cooled, drizzle the lemon icing over with a spoon.
Alistair says
Is that just the zest in the cake and 5.5 lemons in with the caster sugar?..
Susie Collings says
Hi Alastair. Zest of 3 lemons, juice of 2.5. I'll update the recipe to make it clearer 🙂
Cat says
What size pan is this for?
Susie Collings says
9-10 cup/ 2.4 litre bundt tin was the missing item. Post updated - thanks.
Caro says
Fantastic! I had to bake it for 2 hours due to using a silicon mould but it was moist and lemony and absolutely delicious! Great recipe, thank you.