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This Lemon Bundt Cake recipe tastes just like a Nothing Bundt Cakes original! A sweet, tart cake with an AMAZING cream cheese frosting.
Table of Contents
This gorgeous Lemon Bundt Cake is just as delicious as what you can get at the Nothing Bundt Cakes store, but now you can make it right at home! The dense, rich, moist cake is bursting with lemon flavor, with the flavor and consistency of lemon pound cake. It’s topped with a light, fluffy cream cheese frosting. Make this yummy Lemon Nothing Bundt Cake for a special birthday, baby shower, or a casual Saturday evening dessert. See below the recipe for helpful tips and more recipes like this one.
Key Ingredients
- Lemon cake mix – A quick and flavorful base that brings bold citrus flavor.
- Lemon instant pudding mix – Adds extra lemon flavor and keeps the cake super moist.
- Sour cream – Makes the crumb tender and rich, just like the original.
- Eggs – Help bind the cake and give it structure.
- Vegetable oil – Keeps the cake soft and moist.
- Fresh lemon juice – Adds bright, natural lemon flavor.
- Water – Helps thin the batter to the right consistency.
- White chocolate chips (optional) – Add a creamy, sweet contrast to the tart lemon.
For the Frosting:
- Cream cheese and butter – A rich, tangy base for the frosting.
- Vanilla extract – Adds a warm flavor to balance the lemon.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens and thickens the frosting to a pipeable texture.
- Fresh raspberries and mint (optional) – For a beautiful and fresh garnish.
How to Make Lemon Bundt Cake
- Preheat and prep your Bundt pan with non-stick spray or butter and flour. Mix the batter by combining cake mix, pudding, sour cream, eggs, oil, lemon juice, and water until smooth. Fold in white chocolate chips if using, then pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, before turning out onto a rack.
- Remove from the bundt pan (see tips below) and place on a serving plate. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill the cake overnight for best texture and easier frosting.
- Make the frosting by beating together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar until thick and fluffy.
- Fill a piping bag or ziplock bag with frosting. If using a ziplock bag, snip a corner of the bag to allow for a thick frosting stripe.
- Frost and decorate by piping thick stripes over the cake and topping with fresh raspberries and mint if desired. Keep the cake refrigerated, if not serving immediately.
Tips and Tricks
- Use fresh lemons for zest and juice to get the best citrus flavor. Bottled juice works in a pinch but isn’t as vibrant.
- Bring ingredients to room temperature (like eggs, butter, and sour cream) for a smoother, well-mixed batter.
- Don’t overmix—stir just until combined to avoid a dense texture.
- Grease the Bundt pan thoroughly with baking spray or butter and flour for easy release.
- Avoid overbaking by checking a few minutes early. A toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for 15–20 minutes before inverting to help the cake set and prevent breakage.
- Try a lemon glaze with powdered sugar and lemon juice for a quicker, zesty topping.
- Garnish with lemon zest to brighten the look and flavor.
- Store in an airtight container at room temp for a few days, or refrigerate to keep it fresh even longer.
Removing the Cake from the Bundt Pan
Sometimes it can be tricky to remove the cake from the bundt pan after baking. Here’s a tip to remove the cake once it cools.
- Run a knife around the outer and inner edges of the cake (between the cake and the pan).
- Place the plate or stand you will be using to hold the cake upside down on top of the bundt pan.
- Gently hold the bundt pan and plate together as you flip them both right side up. The cake may pop out of the pan as you are flipping, but if it does not leave the cake pan upside down on top of the plate.
- Gently tap around the top of the pan with the handle end of a butter knife. This will loosen the cake from the sides and it should easily come out onto the plate.
- If not, flip the platter and bundt pan over again and start over by running the knife around the edges of the pan.
How to Frost
Sometimes I frost this cake like the store on our Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake. This looks pretty, but I always feel like someone gets short-changed if they don’t get the big blob of frosting on their slice. To prevent this, I sometimes frost the whole cake as pictured above. There is always plenty of frosting and I pile the extra in the middle so there is added frosting on each piece when I slice it. You can also thin the frosting with milk to make more of an icing and drizzle it over the top.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I have made this cake from this recipe so many times I figure it is way past time I gave a review. It is a delicious moist cake and the frosting is to die for. I do not add all the powdered sugar (usually around 2 cups) and I grate a little lemon zest along with the raspberries and mint leaves for the top. This is one of my go to recipes when I want to impress!!!” – Rosie G.
“Amazing! I’ll never spend $30 on the real deal Bundt cake ever again. This recipe is as good, if not BETTER! Thank you for sharing! It was delicious!!” – Michelle
“I even made this Gluten Free using Magnolia Mixes GF Lemon pound cake mix. I also zested my lemon before juicing it. The non-gluten free family and friends could not believe how good it tasted! Thank you!” – Leah N.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! In fact, it tastes even better the next day. Chill the unfrosted cake overnight for the best texture, then frost before serving.
Nope! They’re optional. They add a sweet, creamy bite, but you can leave them out or swap with another mix-in like blueberries.
Absolutely! Just make sure it’s a lemon-flavored mix or add extra lemon zest and juice to boost the flavor.
Keep it covered in the fridge. It stays fresh for up to 4–5 days. Let it sit at room temp for about 15 minutes before serving for the best texture.
Yes—freeze the unfrosted cake tightly wrapped in plastic and foil. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost before serving.
A 10- to 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan works well. Just make sure to grease it thoroughly so the cake releases easily.
More Bundt Cake Recipes
This is one of our most popular cake recipes! And we didn’t stop at lemon! We have copycat recipes for all the Nothing Bundt Cakes classics: Chocolate Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Raspberry, Red Velvet and more!
Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lemon cake mix
- 3.4 ounces lemon instant pudding mix, *IMPORTANT – SEE RECIPE NOTES
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, (fresh lemon juice tastes best)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, optional
Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- raspberries , for garnish (optional)
- mint leaves, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gather your ingredients.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cake mix, pudding, sour cream, eggs, oil, lemon juice, and water for 2 minutes. If using white chocolate chips, chop the chips into smaller pieces and add to the cake batter. Pour cake batter into a greased bundt cake pan (nonstick cooking spray works best).
- Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the bundt pan and place it on a serving plate or cake stand. See post above for details on how to easily do this. Wrap the cake well with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight before frosting and serving.
Frosting
- In a medium bowl or mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Start with 2 cups and then keep adding until the frosting is nice and thick.
- Place a ziplock bag or piping bag into a cup and fill with frosting.
- Snip the corner of the bag. You want a thick frosting strip, so make sure the hole is big enough to let out the right amount of frosting.
- Frost the cake in thick stripes going from the middle to the outside. Keep cake refrigerated.
Equipment
- Hand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Bundt Cake Pan
Notes
- IMPORTANT NOTE ON INSTANT DRY PUDDING MIX:
- Use fresh lemons for the brightest flavor—bottled juice just isn’t the same.
- Room temp ingredients mix more smoothly for a better batter.
- Mix gently to avoid a dense cake—just until combined.
- Grease the pan well to help the cake release cleanly.
- Check for doneness early; a few moist crumbs on the toothpick is perfect.
- Cool in the pan for 15–20 minutes before turning out.
- Try a lemon glaze for a quick topping, or finish with cream cheese frosting.
- Sprinkle lemon zest on top for a fresh look and flavor.
- Store airtight at room temp or refrigerate to keep it fresh.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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December 31, 2018 at 10:39 AM you replied to a reader whose cake didn’t turn out, “It must have needed more cooking time if the cake sunk. I live at an elevation of 4600 ft.” Wow! That is probably why several people, like me, had problems with the cake falling. According to https://www.wheatmontana.com/content/high-altitude-baking-how-make-your-recipes-work-mountains “High altitude is generally considered 3,500 or more feet above sea level. If this is you, then you need to make some adjustments to your recipes to ensure that your baked goods rise evenly.” So I take that to mean those who live closer to sea level (I’m at 338 ft.) must make the reverse adjustments to your baking recipes. Here are some things to try for those who live at lower altitudes (since not all can be done for this recipe, I’ve only listed those which can be done):
Decrease temperature by 15-25° F.
Increase baking time by 20-30%
Decrease liquids by 1 to 2 tbsp. per 1,000 ft.
I’m going to try again.
This time I added 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, reduced the water by 1 Tbsp. and increased the baking time 5 minutes. I was more careful not to overbeat the batter. Also I was slow to bring the cake out of the oven. When it was done, I pulled the rack partway out with the cake still on it and left it there for a few minutes before moving it to a wire cooling rack. It didn’t fall this time. Hope this helps others.
I made this recipe and it was quick and easy and full proof! It was so good that my husband had three pieces before I had a chance to frost it and he’s quite the cake snob! Thanks so much for a great recipe
Can I use vanilla pudding mix instead of lemon?
Sure!
Just made this tonight and it was EXCELLENT! So moist and tasty! And the frosting was to die for! I didn’t have a Bundt pan so I made 2 cakes in 8” round pans and baked them at 325 for 33 minutes. The only thing I didn’t include were the white chocolate chips because I didn’t have any on hand. Thank you!!! 🙂
I never made a bundt cake before and I want to try this, I want add berries into the cake, how do I need to adjust the recipe to accommodate or do I? I also want to split into smaller bundt cakes instead of on large on what are changes to the oven temp and time or do i? Thank you!
Adding fresh or frozen berries to a cake can be tricky because it introduces a lot of liquid to the batter. I would use freeze dried berries. Or, you could add the berries into the frosting! For the smaller cakes, reduce the oven temp by 25 degrees and start with 20 minutes of baking. Check the cakes after that every 5 minutes until a toothpick or knife comes out clean after being inserted in the middle.
Hi! I used a similar recipe years ago for my wedding trying to recreate their bundtinis, since they wouldn’t sell them to me with the frosting on the side and there are no locations to be had in Alaska 😆 and I was traveling from California. Anywho it’s now my daughters first birthday and I want to make them again and can’t for the life of me remember how long I should bake them for cupcake size Bundts. Can you give me your best guess? Thanks for your time!
I would start with 20 minutes and then check them every 5 minutes after that!
I love these recipes! The recipe says white chocolate chips in the lemon cake are optional. Is that only if you want to add a different flavor or so they do that on the original recipe? I tried the white chocolate raspberry and it was amazing! Thank you!
They don’t have white chocolate chips in the original lemon cake, but we think it is yummy!!
Hi. Do I make the pudding before making the cake or just add the dry pudding mix? Thank you 😊
Just add the dry mix!
Hello! Planning to bake this for my mom’s birthday this weekend! Is it necessary to let chill in the fridge overnight, or is there a way to bake and serve in the same day? Thanks for your help!
You can achieve the same effect by putting it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Hope this helps! And Happy Birthday to your mom!
I made this and my family loved it! It turned out so moist and the frosting was perfect with the lemmon.
I consider myself an “OK” baker and usually my desserts turn out OK, so my friends often volunteer me to make dessert for our dinner parties.
I was making this cake for Easter and followed the instructions and ingredients closely. When I removed it from the pan it totally just flopped and sagged. Not sure what went wrong, however not as fool proof as one might hope.
I’ve made this cake it’s delicious and turned out great several times. The last time I made it mine also flopped and sagged – you said check the baking powder/baking soda – the ingredients don’t call for either. Am I missing something?
I’m so sorry! Thanks for catching that. I have deleted the comment. It was a response to another post about cake. There are a few different reasons that cakes can sag. If the oven door was opened during cooking, that can cause it to sag. It can also sag if it is under-baked. I hope this helped!
Same here! I was so disappointed it literally deflated when I placed on rack to cool…. it still tasted good. I am so mad at myself. My baked goods always turn out fluffy and moist. However I threw away the box of pudding. Not sure If Hubby picked up one and not the other?
I found a recipe back on the 4 th of July and it was a killer Bundt cake recipe! I wish I could find it
That usually happens to me when i havent cooked it long enough. If you want to try again I would suggest adding 5-10 mins to the baking time.
Of course I followed the bake time accordingly. But thanks for the tip!
Can you use cook and serve lemon pudding instead of instant pudding?
Sorry, no. It will not turn out the same!
In what way will it not turn out? I checked 3 different stores in my area and the only lemon pudding mix I could get my hands on is the cook & serve… is it going to ruin the whole recipe? Do I absolutely need the instant kind?
You can probably get away with the cook & serve. The cake might just turn out a little thicker. Hope this helps!
I just made this tonight. It came out nice and full. But, in a couple of minutes it went flat. What did I do wrong?
I’m sorry it went flat. When you cut into it, was it fully baked in the center?
Can you add raspberries to make this like their lemon raspberry seasonal cake
If you do, I would use freeze dried raspberries. Adding fresh raspberries will introduce too much liquid to the cake batter. Hope this helps!
I just made this lemon Bundt cake I used yogurt instead of sour cream and it was amazing. I will use half of the frosting recipe next time, otherwise, it was delicious as the ones from nothing Bundt cakes.
Thanks sharing.
Can I make this in a springform pan? I don’t have a Bundt pan. Thanks!
Yes! You can put a ceramic ramekin or other oven safe cylinder in the middle to get the hole in the middle.
It’s me again, I cut Large portions of the frosted lemon Bundt cake, and froze them in foil paper and put them in a freezer bag. The cake was way too big for just my husband and I. And I did not want it to go to waste. Yesterday I took a portion out of the freezer, let it thaw out on the kitchen counter and let me tell you it tasted delicious and still moist and the frosting was excellent. I still have two more portions in the freezer.
Can I use this same recipe for cupcakes?
We haven’t tried to use this batter for cupcakes before, so I can’t speak to how they would turn out. Let us know if you do try it!
How and what would I adjust for a higher altitude? 4300 feet….
These are good rules of thumb for adjusting to high altitude. Hope this helps!
Reduce baking powder: for each teaspoon, decrease 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon.
Reduce sugar: for each cup, decrease 0 to 2 tablespoons.
Increase liquid: for each cup, add 2 to 4 tablespoons.
Increase oven temperature by 25 degrees F.
Still making this cake! It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD! I think, that folks are using different brands of ingredients which greatly affects the outcome!
Very easy, a bit pricey to make, but well worth it!
While this made a decent cake, it is NOT the Nothing Bundt Cake recipe or even similar to me. I reduced the pudding in half to keep it from being “heavy” but it was still not light like the on you buy. Also the cream cheese frosting was not like the stores. I feel I wasted time and good money on this one.
I’m so sorry that this recipe didn’t turn out for you. There are so many factors that can affect a recipe, such as altitude, brand of ingredients, and freshness of ingredients. I hope you’ll give some of our other recipes a try!
I made the lemon cake for my husband’s birthday. I followed the instructions exactly except that I used an angel food cake pan instead of a bundt cake pan. The time was correct. I tested the cake with a Thermapen for temperature. It was 210°F. I took the cake out and set the pan on a cooling rack. A few minutes later it fell to about half its original height. After 20 minutes I removed the cake from the pan. After it cooled I cut a piece. It was delicious, but not presentable for a party. The inside of the cake was very dense at the bottom and had small holes in the top half. I didn’t bother with making the frosting. Such a disappointment. I’ve looked at recipes that had sour cream, but no pudding mix and others that had pudding mix but no sour cream. Maybe this recipe just tried to add to much. My cake mix was Duncan Hines 15.25 oz.
I’m so sorry that this recipe didn’t work for you! We test all of our recipes to make sure they are accurate, but so many factors contribute to a recipe working out – altitude, freshness of ingredients, and brand of ingredients to name a few. I hope you’ll give our recipes another chance!
This was yummy! Made this the day before our event and refrigerated overnight. I used the Aldi’s gluten free (LiveGFree) brand – I used just one lemon cake mix (16 ounces). I also made it dairy free by using dairy free sour cream (also from Aldi’s). I like lemon as a flavor, but often need another balancing flavor (personal preference) – so I did a strawberry frosting from AllRecipes. I also left out the white chocolate chips since dairy-free WCC are hard to find.
It was still very delicious, though! My non-gluten/dairy free hubby really liked it, and we agreed that it didn’t taste gluten/dairy free 🙂
Wow, glad this recipe worked out so well for you– even gf and dairy free! Thanks for sharing!
Three people told me this was the best cake they had ever eaten! I did add lemon zest to the frosting and only used 2 cups of the powdered sugar… Perfection. Thank you for the awesome recipe!!!
Wow, what a huge compliment! Great idea adding lemon zest to the frosting– yum! Thanks for the nice comment and for the 5 stars!
You deserve every single star! Now off I go to make another amazing cake!! 😉
Thank you! 🙂
I wanted so bad to make my husband a cake and totally destroyed it. I tried to cook the raspberry white chocolate cake and ruined it. The direction state to add one 5 once box of white pudding. When I bought it I got the smaller box and got two just in case i needed it. Sure enough my box was only half that so I added two boxes and cooked it that way. Not good. I then checked another recipe (The lemon cake recipe) I wanted to try of yours and it called for 13.4 ounces if pudding mix. I know know not to trust you again.
Hi Amyi- I am so sorry this recipe was confusing. The recipe is for one (1) 3.4 ounce box. We switched recipe plugin templates and it made the numbers closer together so it looks like a 13 instead of (1) 3.4 oz. I changed it on the recipe to make it more clear. We are going through all of our recipes as we speak (all 1,000+ of them) to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We hope to regain your confidence in us again and try more of our recipes in the future!
I made this with the only exception I used Gluten Free Lemon Cake mix because my daughter and I have Celiac. My family LOVED it!!!! We are addicted to NBC and have to drive an hour to the nearest one. This recipe is a keeper for sure! Thank you!!!!!
I am going to have to try that! We have Celiacs in our family as well. So glad you liked it!
The recipe calls for 13 oz of instant pudding mix. That is more than three 3.5 oz boxes. That seems like a lot. Am I reading the recipe correctly?
It’s actually one 3.4 oz box. Sorry with the new recipe format it looks confusing. Hope this helps!
I made this and it turned out wonderful!! I think it tastes better than the original Nothing Bundt Cake recipe!!
Thank you so much!!
I make these in mini bundt pans so they are single serving size .. i made lots for a fundraiser they were perfect every time. Love the frosting .. will; never buy store bought again .. I’m called the cake lady at work .
Hi Karen- I love that they call you the Cake Lady! That is definitely a good name to have! Thank you so much for coming back to tell us your success. Thanks for the 5-stars!