Lemonade Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
User Reviews
5
Lemonade Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Description
The Lemonade Bundt Cake recipe uses room temperature butter and eggs creamed with sugar and lemon zest to develop a light and fluffy batter. Buttermilk and fresh lemon juice add moisture and citrus brightness, while baking powder and baking soda provide lift. The cake's texture is tender and moist, complemented by a pronounced lemon flavor from zest, juice, and syrup. The batter is baked in a lightly greased bundt pan with smooth sides for even cooking and shape.
After baking, a lemon syrup made from sugar and additional lemon juice is applied to enhance moistness and intensify the lemon flavor. The topping is a cream cheese frosting combining butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest, yielding a tangy, creamy finish that balances the sweetness of the cake.
The recipe offers options for high altitude adjustments, blueberry additions, and making bundtlets or cupcakes. Storage instructions include keeping the cake refrigerated up to seven days or freezing the frosted cake wrapped securely. The frosting can be whipped again after thawing for best texture.
Tips include adjusting ingredient amounts for altitude, using an offset spatula for frosting application to create smooth, defined edges, and techniques for thickening frosting if needed. Covering the cake loosely with foil during baking can prevent over-browning.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature (if using unsalted butter increase salt by ⅛ teaspoon, salted
- 2 cups granulated sugar I use all natural, cane sugar (reduce to 1 ¾ cups for high altitude)
- 1 cup buttermilk see notes for how to make or replacements
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed, about 1-2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract I love Rodelle
- 4 large egg room temperature
- lemon from 4 lemons, zest
- 3 cups all-purpose flour add 2 tablespoons for high altitude, unbleached
- 1 teaspoon baking powder reduce to ¾ teaspoon for high altitude
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Lemon Syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar I used cane sugar, regular may be used
- ⅓-½ cup lemon juice 3-4 large lemons
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter I used salted, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature, may use low fat
- 2 ½ - 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or use vanilla bean paste
- pinch kosher salt
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh squeezed (about ½ large lemon)
- 1 large lemon zest
Instructions
- With your oven rack placed in the center rack, preheat to 350 degrees (375 for high altitude). Lightly spray a 12 cup bundt pan and set aside — I recommend using Tourangelle non-stick baking spray!
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
- Stir together buttermilk, lemon juice, vanilla and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream butter 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Next add sugar and lemon zest and beat on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, scraping sides occasionally. If using all natural cane sugar, beat on the longer side.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed for 1 minute after each addition, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
- With mixer on low, add one cup of flour mixture, alternating with half of the liquid ingredients, ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Pour cake batter into prepared bundt pan, smoothing with spatula. Place pan on cutting board or oven mitt and tap the pan firmly a couple of times to smooth batter and settle.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer or cake tester comes out clean, covering the top loosely with foil if browning too quickly.
- Remove from oven, cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully invert onto wire rack keeping hot bundt pan on top until ready to brush with lemon syrup.
Lemon Syrup
- Make the lemon syrup by adding sugar and lemon juice to small saucepan, stirring over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens. Brush lemon syrup over the warm cake over the bottom, sides, center of cake, allow to cool completely.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat butter and cream cheese in stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrap down sides of bowl and then add vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste), pinch of salt and lemon zest.
- With mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar along with a little lemon juice at a time. Start with 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, if needed add more of each until desired consistency and tartness.
- Once cake is cooled, spoon frosting into piping bag fit with a large round tip and starting from the inside of the bundt cake, pipe a large finger to the outside and then back in if thick fingers of frosting desired. Smooth inside of bundt cake using off set spatula. Serve alone, with whipped cream or make it crazy and serve with vanilla ice cream or lemon ice cream.
Notes
- Store unfrosted cake on the counter if eaten within hours; otherwise refrigerate up to 7 days or freeze wrapped up to 3 months.
- Freeze cream cheese frosting separately up to 3 months; whip well before use.
- High altitude adjustments include reducing sugar and baking powder and increasing flour slightly.
- Use an offset spatula for frosting to create smooth, defined edges called "fingers" of frosting.
- Add 1–2 cups of blueberries tossed in flour for a lemon blueberry variation.
- Bake bundtlets or cupcakes similarly but for shorter times, checking for doneness by springback.
- If frosting is too thin, add powdered sugar in small increments to thicken.
- Cover cake loosely with foil if browning too quickly during baking.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 12people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 682 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 682kcal | 34% |
| Carbohydrates | 94g | 31% |
| Protein | 7g | 14% |
| Fat | 32g | 49% |
| Saturated Fat | 19g | 95% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 144mg | 48% |
| Sodium | 466mg | 19% |
| Potassium | 132mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 68g | 136% |
| Vitamin A | 1088IU | 22% |
| Vitamin C | 6mg | 7% |
| Calcium | 84mg | 8% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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