Lemon Pound Cake with Cake Mix
Lemon has always been a favorite of mine. The flavor is fresh and totally delicious. With hints of both sweet and tart, this Lemon Pound Cake with a cake mix has everything you could ever want from a citrus dessert.
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Why this Recipe works
Lemon desserts can be tricky. It can be hard to get just the right amount of lemon flavor. You want it to be strong enough to taste it but not so strong that it is sour.
Using a white cake mix with lemon pudding mix {this White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake uses pudding mix too} starts the cake off with a wonderful flavor. Adding the juice and zest of a lemon helps enhance the flavor without it being too much.
Adding dairy to the cake in the form of milk and sour cream keeps the cake super moist but also helps give it a dense pound cake texture. Sour cream is also a great addition in this Chocolate Crumb Cake.
The combination with the perfect lemon glaze creates a Lemon Pound Cake with a cake mix that you will find yourself making over and over again.
What you need for this Recipe
- White Cake Mix: A wonderful and neutral base for this lemon cake.
- Lemon Pudding Mix: Adding dry pudding mix gives the cake great lemon flavor and a super moist texture.
- Sour Cream: A bit of sour cream gives the cake a bit of tang and the added dairy helps with the pound cake texture.
- Lemon Juice & Zest: Using both the juice and zest of the lemon helps amp up the lemon flavor.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Cake Mix: A white, vanilla or yellow cake mix can be used for this recipe. If you want a deeper yellow color, use a yellow mix.
- Sour Cream: If you do not have sour cream, use full fat Greek yogurt instead.
- Additions: Fresh raspberries, blackberries or blueberries would be wonderful {this Blueberry Pound Cake is awesome}. A tablespoon of poppy seeds would also make a great addition to this cake.
How to make Lemon Bundt Cake with Cake Mix
1. In a large bowl combine a white cake mix and a box of instant lemon pudding mix, whisk to combine. Add milk, eggs, sour cream and the juice and zest of a lemon. Mix using a hand held mixer {or by hand}.
2. Once the cake batter is thick and wonderful, pour it into your prepared bundt pan.
3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs {but no raw batter}.
4. Allow it to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before inverting it onto your serving plate.
Easy Lemon Glaze Recipe
5. Once it is completely cooled, add all of the glaze ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
6. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the bundt cake and allow it to set up.
Expert Tips
- Whisk the cake and pudding mix together. Doing so will ensure that the ingredients get evenly incorporated.
- Don’t prepare the bundt pan with nonstick spray until right before you use it. Preparing the pan too far ahead of time allows all of the spray to pool at the bottom of the pan and not work as well.
- Remove the cake from the oven once a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs. If you wait until it is completely clean it could over bake.
- Allow the bundt cake to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before inverting. If you try to invert it too soon it will stick to the pan.
- You want the glaze to be thick enough to hold up on the cake but thin enough to pour. To adjust the thickness you can add more lemon juice {to thin} or more powdered sugar {to thicken}.
- Wait until the cake is completely cooled before glazing it. If you glaze the cake before it is cooled the glaze will soak into the cake instead of staying on top.
Storage
The best way to store bundt cakes is in a great airtight container either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. NOTE: You will get a couple extra days of freshness in the refrigerator. This bundt cake keeper is a wonderful way to keep them fresh.
Can I freeze Lemon Pound Cake?
This cake freezes wonderfully for up to 3 months. It is important to allow the cake to cool completely and store it in an airtight container for best results. I would also suggest adding the glaze after defrosting.
Recipe FAQs
There are a few things you can do to get a good pound cake. First of all, use good quality ingredients. Also, adding a bit of dairy to the cake helps give it a deep flavor and dense texture. The most important thing is to not over mix the batter or over bake the cake.
Yes! In fact, I encourage it. Using milk instead of water gives the batter added fat, flavor and will help give it a dense texture.
Do you love lemon desserts? Try these recipes…
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Lemon Pound Cake using Cake Mix
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 box lemon pudding mix {instant}
- 1 cup milk
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- juice and zest of one lemon
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- fresh Lemon juice {to thin}
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine the cake mix and dry pudding mix in a large bowl and whisk the ingredients together. Add the milk, eggs, sour cream and the juice and zest of one lemon. Mix together with a hand held mixer until thick and smooth.
- Spray a bundt pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs {but no raw batter}. Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a cake plate to cool completely.
Glaze
- Mix the glaze ingredients together with a whisk. Start with the juice of half of a lemon and add more juice as needed to get glaze consistency. Pour glaze over cooled cake and serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Whisk the cake mix and pudding mix together. Doing so will ensure that the ingredients get evenly incorporated.
- Don’t prepare the bundt pan with nonstick spray until right before you use it. Preparing the pan too far ahead of time allows all of the spray to pool at the bottom of the pan and not work as well.
- Remove the cake from the oven once a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs. If you wait until it is completely clean it could over bake.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before inverting. If you try to invert it too soon it will stick to the pan.
- You want the glaze to be thick enough to hold up on the cake but thin enough to pour. To adjust the thickness you can add more lemon juice {to thin} or more powdered sugar {to thicken}.
- Wait until the cake is completely cooled before glazing it. If you glaze the cake before it is cooled the glaze will soak into the cake instead of staying on top.
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