Buttery, yet fluffy lemon cake with a crackled lemon glaze.
My sister and I went to this breakfast place last weekend, and they had samplers of a lemon bundt cake sitting out for you to try. I tried one piece and then another and then another …. and well you can see how this went.
They had the recipe for the cake sitting out, but it listed their baking mix as an ingredient. I briefly entertained the idea of buying the mix because this cake was THAT good. But then I came to my senses and remembered I am strictly opposed to recipes that use mixes. I’m all for using a boxed cake mix occasionally, but I refuse to have my recipe rely on a mix that you can only get at one store in one city. So I set out on a mission to recreate this cake 100% from scratch.
Guess what? Their mix turned out to be flour, salt, and baking powder!
I realized that their recipe looked like a Kentucky Butter Cake, so I made a Kentucky Butter Cake with some lemon glaze. It was pretty close but there was too much of a browned crust. After some research, I realized that (in addition to many other differences between baking soda and baking powder) baking soda tends to help things brown more. The first cake was made with both baking soda and baking powder, so I made a second cake entirely with baking powder and voilà …perfection!
So now you have the recipe for the best bundt cake that is somehow both buttery and fluffy at the same time! It is really simple and quick to make … do make sure to grease and flour the bundt pan well so that it doesn’t stick in the crevices of the bundt pan.
I’m usually not all that big a fan of lemon but this cake defies my indifference towards lemon. It is really good served with berries and a cup of coffee. You could fill the center of the bundt with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and black berries and serve it at a party. If you do fill the center with berries, do so immediately before serving so that it doesn’t become soggy!
Enjoy!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1½ Tablespoons lemon juice (about ½ of a lemon)
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Grease and flour a bundt pan.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla together until it is smooth and clumps together into a ball.
- Add in the eggs and sour cream and beat until smooth.
- Mix in the lemon zest.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.
- Bake the cake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Immediately remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the glaze by stirring the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth.
- While the cake is still on the wire rack, put a paper towel or waxed paper under the cake and then spoon the glaze over the cooled cake and let it drip down the sides. The excess will drip through the wire rack to the paper towel.
- Store at room temperature. Best served within 3 days of baking.
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to partake of your lemon bundt cake – words can’t express how delicious it was!!!! (I work with your mom and she was kind enough to share.)
You have a great blog – it is very attractive – simple and uncluttered.
Thank you Debby! I’m so glad you enjoyed the bundt cake and my website!