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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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Delicious
Everyone loves this recipe and so easy! Thank you
It was just OK. I substituted the lemon cake mix for chocolate, substituted the lemon pudding mix for vanilla, used 1 cup of heavy cream, only used 3 eggs and 1/4 cup oil, omitted the lemon juice, and used semi sweet chocolate chips instead of the white chocolate chips. For some reason it did not turn out as good nor did it have any lemon flavor? Why?
Just kidding. Don’t you hate it when people take wonderful recipes and try to change it?
Okay I can’t lie…you totally got me! Haha.
The way I was yelling at you in my head!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I can’t get over how good this is. This was my first Bundt cake, so I followed the directions exactly and it was delicious. Thanks!
how long would you cook bundtinis for?
I haven’t tried cooking this in a bundtini, so I would just start with about 25 minutes and then check on them every few minutes.
I don’t know what I did wrong, but for the first time in all my baking years, my bundt cake shrunk. It’s only about 3 inches high. I was so excited watching it bake as it rose to the very top of the pan. After 45 minutes I tested it and it was beautifully done. Let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan and when I came back to flip it, it had shrunk at least an inch. I covered & refrigerated it overnight and it tastes fantastic! BUT….this was a trial run for a bake sale item and it’s so tiny. What could I have done wrong?
The two most common factors in cakes falling is moisture and oven temperature. Do you live somewhere humid?
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!!! ❤️
This always happens to me too. I think it is because the box cake mixes are not as big as they used to be
The same thing happened to me. My cake shrunk horribly as it cooled. I wanted to bring it to a friends house for a party. What went wrong?
I came here to read the comments because I had the same problem! It looked so awesome coming out if the oven, then it literally folded into itself:-( It tasted great, more like a pound cake though.
Can I use lemon jello mix instead of lemon pudding mix?
Cannot find lemon pudding
We haven’t tried using a lemon jello mix, so I unfortunately can’t say one way or another. Let us know how it goes if you do try it!
Hi! What is the lemon pudding? What did you use? Also, do you prepare the cake mix like the box says and then you add the 4 eggs + oil or does your recipe already account for it? Thank you!
The lemon pudding is a dry instant pudding mix. You can find it by the Jello on the baking aisle of most grocery stores. You don’t prepare the cake mix, you just add it in with the listed ingredients. Hope this helps!
My cake took almost 65 min to cook. The crack was wet while the outside was done. It looks dark but per my dark pan they always are so that’s no biggie. Its beautiful and tastes delicious. I have made this for years.
“THE” best cake I have ever made!
As someone who worked at NBC, I would suggest changing the lemon juice for lemon extract and the lemon pudding mix for vanilla pudding mix. Or even getting rid of the pudding mix all together. Also get rid of the white chocolate chips. NBC’s lemon cake is strictly that– a lemon based cake. It’s not a white cake so there’s no white chocolate in it. This is really good recipe for just a lemon bundt cake, but it’s not the best dupe for NBC’S cake.
Oh, interesting! Thank you so much for sharing!
I never recommend lemon extract! It tastes horrible! Every recipe I have ever put it in is wretched. If you want more lemon, use lemon zest! But any recipe that has lemon extract RUN from!
How much lemon extract would you use in place of the lemon juice?
Put 2 drops of lemon extract in a 1/4 cup measuring cup then fill it with water. This will give the same lemon flavor as 1/4 cup lemon juice. Thanks for asking!
The results were pleasing and it was a great week night recipe for a lemon bundt cake to bring to work the next day. I made the cake after work and then wrapped and kept in the refrigerator. I woke up a 1/2 hour early and made the frosting. It was moist and tasted very good and people at work enjoyed it. I added one cup of white chocolate chips just because I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. They added a little texture which wasn’t too sweet. I also used real lemons for the juice. I decorated it like like a Nothing bundt cake and put lemons in the middle. The only difference is that I don’t think it had the height that I would have liked but it was fine. Thank you so much for this recipe.
My cake was very dark, almost looks burnt…..I did cook it for around an hour because at the 45 and the 50 minute mark, the cake wasn’t done. Any insight as to why it got so dark? Thanks you!
What kind of pan were you using? Sometimes different metals and coatings can transfer heat at different speeds.
Great moist cake with plenty of flavor. It’s not quite as good as NBC, but it’s very tasty.
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!!
Yay! I’m so happy this was a win for you! We agree completely!
Can I use fresh lemon juice instead?
Of course! Fresh is always best!
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!
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Turned out perfectly. I added 5 extra mins to the bake time because I was worried it would collapse but it came out perfectly and I will try each time cutting the time back. This is just as good as the real ones. Thank you for sharing!!!
I’m gonna TRY TO make this delicious lemon cake for my granddaughter for thanksgiving tomorrow I pray that you can respond quickly my granddaughter LOVES LEMON NOTHING BUNDT CAKES so I wona NAIL IT!! I wanted to see if you could tell me what box cake brand would you suggest and is it crucial to let the cake be refrigerated for a day or is it optional if I have to I will thank you for reading
Hi! I am so sorry we didn’t respond back sooner, we were spending Thanksgiving with family. I hope your cake turned out well! Brand of cake mix doesn’t really matter with this recipe, and if you don’t have the time to refrigerate overnight, you can just put it in the freezer for 30 mins – 1 hr instead.
The store didn’t have lemon instant pudding so I used vanilla. Instead of sour cream I used 2 small Greek lemon yogurts. I also used my stoneware 6 buntini pan. Tasted warm out of oven and was yummy! In fridge now.
I’ll just dust with powered sugar as I’m not a huge frosting fan.
Can I freeze these ahead of time? If so, can I frost them and then freeze them or should I avoid frosting them until I thaw them?
I would freeze them unfrosted and then frost them right before you serve. Hope this helps!
My daughter’s wedding cake was a NBC. They explained how to freeze it. Place cake on the LID of a plastic bowl that will hold the etire cake. Freeze frosted cake unwrapped. When completely frozen, put the bowl itself on the lid. We ate that cake a year later and it was perfect!
I would like to know if I could use this recipe and add raspberries to copy their seasonal lemon raspberry Bundt 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!