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Mom’s easy lemon bundt cake with cake mix and pudding is light, moist, and finished with a sweet lemon glaze. It’s a simple dessert that’s perfect for any occasion!
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If you love lemon recipes, be sure to try this lemon cream cheese pound cake, these old-fashioned lemon squares, this old-fashioned lemon buttermilk pie, this lemon poppy seed loaf, and these easy no-bake lemon bars with graham cracker crust, too!
Have made this several times now and it always comes out perfect!
– Morgan
Everyone Loves this Easy Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
This is my mom’s lemon bundt cake recipe, which she made regularly throughout my childhood — and continues to make today. It’s easy to whip up, it looks and tastes impressive, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser! Serve the bright, citrus-infused cake with a cozy Sunday supper, offer it on the Easter dessert buffet, or take it to your next church potluck. With a handful of basic pantry ingredients, this is a simple and delicious cake that you can mix together in minutes for all of your last-minute dessert needs!
The Bundt Pan Makes it Special
The Bundt pan was invented by H. David Dalquist, the owner of Minnesota’s Nordic Ware company, in 1950. The unique ring-shaped pan allows more of the cake to be in contact with the edges of the pan, and therefore the heat is transferred more evenly. This allows the inside of the cake to cook through without burning the outside, creating a crisp, golden brown crust on each slice.
Bundt cakes are also special because, unlike traditional sheet cakes or layer cakes that are baked in shallow pans, a Bundt pan has decorative sides and tops. It’s typically used for pound cake, coffee cake, and other dense, moist cakes like this old-fashioned lemon Bundt cake. Since more of the cake’s surface is exposed to high heat in a Bundt pan, you achieve a nice golden brown crust on the outside of the cake, while keeping the inside perfectly moist.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- My mom always uses Duncan Hines lemon cake mix, but any similar boxed lemon cake mix will work.
- You’ll need the small (3.4 ounce) box of instant lemon pudding mix. The dry mix goes directly into the cake batter. You do not need to prepare the pudding.
- The gelatin component in the pudding mix makes the cake super moist. It’s the secret ingredient to make your cake more fluffy, too! When baking a cake in a Bundt pan, a very moist batter is necessary so that the cake doesn’t dry out. Don’t omit the pudding, which is a key ingredient.
- Fresh lemon juice is best if it’s available, but you can use bottled lemon juice in this cake, too.
- The cake gets better as it sits, so this is a nice dessert option to prepare the day before you plan to serve it.
How to Make Lemon Bundt Cake using Cake Mix
This easy cake strikes a perfect balance with rich, moist flavor and a light, tender crumb. It’s not as dense as a classic lemon pound cake, and it’s finished with a delicious lemon glaze for maximum citrus flavor. You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Mix together the batter ingredients in a large bowl on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the batter to a Bundt pan. Grease the Bundt pan really well by coating with butter and then dusting with flour. Alternatively, you can use a nonstick baking spray. These options will ensure that your cake pops right out of the pan when it’s done!
- Bake in a 350°F oven for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Bundt cakes require a longer baking time than most other cakes since the Bundt cake batters are dense and the pans are so large.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely before glazing. Don’t leave the cake in the pan for too long after baking. After about 10-15 minutes, condensation will start to form and the moisture will negatively impact the crust.
- Whisk together the confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to create a thick yet pourable glaze. Drizzle the glaze on the cool cake.
- Give the glaze a little while to set, then slice and serve!
Preparation and Storage Tips
Covered loosely or stored in an airtight container, this cake will keep at room temperature for about 2-3 days. To extend the life of your cake, store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
The lemon bundt cake freezes really well. Allow the cake to cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. If possible, wait to glaze the cake until it’s thawed, just before serving.
I love lemon cake and this is the best I’ve ever tasted!! I made it without any machines, just a spoon. (Just for fun!) It was beautiful and delicious!
– Jan
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Lemon Bundt Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box lemon cake mix
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant lemon pudding mix (just the dry mix — not prepared into pudding)
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
FOR THE GLAZE
- 1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 2-3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan or spray with nonstick baking spray. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat together the cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, lemon juice, oil and eggs for about 2 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan; tap on the counter once or twice to release air bubbles. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and the vanilla extract until a thick, pourable glaze comes together. If the glaze seems too thick, add more lemon juice, one teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. If the glaze is too thin, gradually add more confectioners' sugar.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.
- Once the glaze sets, slice the cake and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons of poppy seeds to the batter for a lemon poppy seed bundt cake.
- If you don’t have a Bundt pan, you can bake this cake in two loaf pans. The cooking time will be about the same or slightly shorter, typically 30-40 minutes in a 350°F oven.
- Gently fold 2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries or blueberries into the batter. If using frozen berries, do not thaw.
- For a stronger lemon flavor, add a little bit of lemon zest to the batter.
- Dust with powdered sugar instead of drizzling with the lemon glaze.
- You can make a bundt cake from cake mix in so many other flavors. Try this strawberry bundt cake, this easy cinnamon coffee cake with cake mix, a maple walnut cake, this rum cake recipe, and this orange juice cake, too.
More Bundt Cake Recipes Using Cake Mix
Chocolate Bundt Cake {Using Cake Mix!}
3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Grandma’s Old Fashioned Whiskey Cake Recipe
3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Originally published in March 2021, this post was updated in March 2025.
My Bundt cake was beautiful while baking but after resting for 15 minutes in the pan after baking it deflated. I followed directions. What did I do wrong?
We’re sorry to hear this, Janet! Without seeing the cake it’s hard to tell, but the most common reasons are that the oven was too hot or cold, the incorrect amount of leavening agents were included, opening the oven too frequently, and overmixing.
I made this lemon cake and it was such a hit at my sister’s Halloween party! Everyone commented how good and moist it was! I will make this again because it was that good!
We’re so happy to hear this, Tina! Thank you for trying it out.
Delicious Bundt Cake. Easy to follow directions and cake is amazingly moist, and perfect way to set off a chicken or fish dinner.
Yay! I’m so glad that you love it, Marren. Thank you!
I made this cake for my friend’s son’s 9th birthday. He LOVEs lemons and I happen to have two Meyer lemon trees in my backyard. This was the first time I made a Bundt cake and it came out perfect! I made the frosting a little bit lighter because I put extra Meyer lemon juice in it and it was delicious! Thank you so much for posting this recipe to share with everyone❤️❤️
How nice of you, Sarah! We’re so glad it was a hit and hope your friend’s son had a very happy birthday! Thank you for trying out the recipe and taking the time to leave a review.
I live at high altitude. Would you make any adjustments to recipe ? I’m always confused when using a cake mix as a base for a recipe.
Hi, Cindy! Yes, I believe that you’ll need to adjust for the high altitude. While I don’t live at a high elevation to test that way, some standard suggestions include:
– Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of extra liquid to help keep the cake moist.
– Raise the oven temperature by 15–25°F to help the cake set faster.
– Decrease the baking time. Check the cake 5–10 minutes earlier than the suggested time, since baking can be faster at high altitude.
I hope that helps!
Very light and delicious. I added lemon jest to the recipe. I will make this again.
Thank you, Robin! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
I make a rum bundt cake for Christmas that reminds me of this recipe. Thank you for the information. I am making it over the weekend for my birthday. lol!! I am sure this will start a summer tradition. My family always requests my rum bundt cake at Christmas is I can’t wait to try this!! thanks again for sharing!!!!!
We hope you enjoy it, Brenda! Happy early birthday!