Easy Lemon Bundt Cake

This Easy Lemon Bundt Cake is a retro recipe from my childhood. We all need a few shortcuts this crazy time of year! Dense, moist and irresistible, it’s just as appropriate for a summer pitch in as it is for a holiday dessert!

Easy Lemon Bundt Cake

This lemon bundt cake was one of those recipes that my mom got from her bridge club friends. Back in the day, before the Internet, recipes made the rounds the old fashioned way. The ladies would rotate between each others’ homes for a few hands of cards, snacks and desserts. My mom had a stash of handwritten recipe cards from decades of these gatherings. Most were easy and almost all were a hit with my sisters and me.

This lemon bundt cake was dubbed “Mock Baba Cake,” possibly in homage to the Baba au Rhum cake, which is a yeast cake soaked in a liquor spiked syrup. Like many desserts from back in the 1970’s, this one started with a cake mix. Doctored up, this Lemon Bundt Cake bore no resemblance to the uninspired yellow cake mix from which it originated.

Simple Holiday Worthy Cake

A box of cake mix, instant lemon pudding, eggs and oil combine to make a sweet, dense pound cake. A unique glaze made with orange juice concentrate (yes, they still sell the stuff!!) doubled the citrus punch. I tend to start with a butter cake mix as it seems to have less of an artificial taste than the yellow cake, but truthfully, both that or a yellow cake mix work well. This lemon Bundt cake is easy peasy to make, yet tasty enough to serve to guests! Both picky palates in the house were thrilled with this cake. I think you will be, too.

Easy Holiday Party Recipes

My blogger friends know how busy it is around the holidays. Shopping, wrapping, and parties fill our days. Easier recipes are a huge bonus, especially when they’re as tasty as those we’re sharing today. If you love this lemon Bundt cake, don’t miss my Kentucky Butter Bundt Cake recipe!

Appetizers

• 3 Ingredient Citrus Salad by Wholistic Woman
• Caprese Dip by The Freshman Cook
• Easy Persimmon Appetizer with Minted Mascarpone by Caroline’s Cooking
• Goat Cheese & Basil Stuffed Peppadews by My Life Cookbook
• Mom’s Cheese Ball by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Mushroom Pate by Simple and Savory

Beverages

• Sparkling Pamplemousse by Books n’ Cooks

Desserts

• Candy Cane Fudge by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Easy Lemon Bundt Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Pumpkin Nutella Cookie Bars by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Sweet and Salty Toffee Bark by Pies and Plots

Finger Foods

• Cheese Ball Pops by Palatable Pastime
• Cranberry Bacon Jam Crostini by Life Tastes Good
• Cranberry Bratwurst Bites in Cranberry Jezebel Sauce by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Healthier Sausage Crescent Bites by Momma’s Meals
• Hoisin Beef Purses by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Jalapeno Potato Poppers by Mindy’s Cooking Obsession
• Spicy Sausage Tarts by A Mind “Full” Mom
• St. Louis Ravioli by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Tuna Salad Deviled Eggs by Food Lust People Love

Mains

• Loaded Pizza Stew by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Roast Chicken with Scallions and Mushrooms by Asian In America
• Simple Christmas Pizza by Cooking Chat
• Stuffed Turkey Cutlets by Sunday Supper Movement

You may need these supplies to make the lemon bundt cake recipe:

• Bundt Pan
• Whisk

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Easy Lemon Bundt Cake

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★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

A doctored up cake mix makes for an easy, delicious Bundt cake that will please even the pickiest eaters.

• Author: Liz Berg
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 12 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert, Cake
• Method: Baking, Mixing
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 box yellow or butter cake mix (15.25 ounces)
• 1 small box instant lemon pudding mix (3.4 ounces)
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, defrosted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Butter and flour a standard Bundt pan (or spray with Baker’s Joy). Set aside.
2. Combine all cake ingredients in a bowl and beat until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
4. When cake is almost finished baking, whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth.
5. When cake is removed from the oven, let cool for about 10 minutes. Then poke some holes over the surface of the cake with a long pronged fork. Drizzle part of the glaze over the cake. Invert cake onto a cake plate. Poke the top surface of the cake with the fork and drizzle the rest of the glaze over the cake.
6. Let cool completely before serving.

Notes

¼ cup of rum can be substituted for ¼ cup of the water if you’d like a lemon rum cake.