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This amazing Lemon Bundt Cake uses two secret ingredients (cake mix and instant pudding!) to make it the easiest, most delicious lemon cake you’ve ever had.
I love from-scratch baking, but when it comes to lemon cake, I reach for a boxed mix every time. Why? Because the bright yellow color and lemony flavor are hard to match with actual lemons, no matter how ripe and juicy they are. I learned this trick in my pastry classes at culinary school, and your favorite restaurants, bakeries, and wedding cake makers are all doing the exact same thing. It’s one of those “industry secrets” that no one talks about, and now you can get on the fun.
Table of Contents
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Lemon Pudding Cake Recipe ingredients
- Lemon cake mix: This gives you a head-start on the cake and is the secret to ultra-lemony flavor. Yes, even restaurants use boxed lemon cake mixes. Since package sizes vary, look for a box that makes 13×9 or two 8-inch rounds.
- Instant lemon pudding: Can’t find lemon pudding? Vanilla tastes great too! Most of the lemon flavor comes from the cake mix, so you don’t lose too much flavor with vanilla pudding. I tested this to make sure.
- Vegetable oil: Readers have reported that substituting ½ cup applesauce for the ½ cup oil works perfectly. To quote Karen from the comments, “[I] saved over 800 calories per whole cake without any noticeable difference in taste or texture.”
- Lemon zest: Zest the lemons before you cut them in half for juice. To zest a lemon, hold a grater in one hand and the lemon in the other over a cutting board or clean work surface. Going in one direction, push the lemon away from you across the rough side of the grater, removing the colorful part of the fruit, exposing the pith. Gently rotate the lemon as you go.
How to make Lemon Bundt Cake with Cake Mix
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat a large Bundt pan with shortening or nonstick spray (if you don’t grease the pan enough, the top of the cake pay stick and tear when you flip the pan to remove the cooled cake). In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix and pudding mix.
- Add water, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs and whisk to combine. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in pan. Invert on to cooling rack set over a baking sheet and cool completely.
- To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled cake and let glaze harden for at least 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving platter and serve with fresh strawberries if desired.
Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe Variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 12 slices (or fewer bigger slices, depending on how you cut them).
- Bundt pan size: Any 12-cup bundt pan will work.
- Greasing the pan: Be very generous with your nonstick spray or shortening. Nothing ruins a bundt like a stuck cake!
- Blueberries: Fold 6 ounces fresh blueberries into the batter at the end of Step 2 (do not use more than 6 ounces). Bake as directed.
Storing Lemon Bundt Cake
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
Lemon Pudding Cake Recipe FAQs
Yes! A lot of readers have had success with this substitution. Just use ½ cup applesauce instead of the ½ cup oil in the recipe.
Vanilla pudding tastes great too! Most of the lemon flavor comes from the cake mix, so you don’t lose too much flavor with vanilla pudding. I tested this to make sure.
No, unfortunately not. There are other cakes in the world that use lemon Jello instead of lemon pudding. The amount of eggs, water, oil, etc. is different for cakes made with Jello. This recipe has only been tested with pudding.
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Lemon Bundt Cake
Equipment
- Bundt Pan (I only use the Nordic Ware ones)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 package lemon cake mix (see note 1)
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant lemon pudding mix (see note 2)
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (see note 3)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (see note 4)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 4 eggs
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fresh strawberries for serving, optional
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat large Bundt pan with shortening or nonstick spray (if you don't grease the pan enough, the top of the cake pay stick and tear when you flip the pan to remove the cooled cake).
- In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix and pudding mix. Add water, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs and whisk to combine.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 40 minutes.
- Cool 15 minutes in pan. Invert on to cooling rack set over a baking sheet and cool completely.
To make the glaze:
- Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled cake and let glaze harden for at least 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving platter and serve with fresh strawberries if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Lemon cake mix: This gives you a head-start on the cake and is the secret to ultra-lemony flavor. Yes, even restaurants use boxed lemon cake mixes. Since package sizes vary, look for a box that makes 13×9 or two 8-inch rounds.
- Instant lemon pudding: Can’t find lemon pudding? Vanilla tastes great too! Most of the lemon flavor comes from the cake mix, so you don’t lose too much flavor with vanilla pudding. I tested this to make sure.
- Vegetable oil: Readers have reported that substituting ½ cup applesauce for the ½ cup oil works perfectly. To quote Karen from the comments, “[I] saved over 800 calories per whole cake without any noticeable difference in taste or texture.”
- Lemon zest: Zest the lemons before you cut them in half for juice. To zest a lemon, hold a grater in one hand and the lemon in the other over a cutting board or clean work surface. Going in one direction, push the lemon away from you across the rough side of the grater, removing the colorful part of the fruit, exposing the pith. Gently rotate the lemon as you go.
- Yield: This recipe makes 12 slices (or fewer bigger slices, depending on how you cut them).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
Can this recipe be used in round pans for a layer cake ??
Hi Amy, I don’t see why not! I haven’t tested this myself, but I would think to check the size of the round pans you plan to use to make sure there is enough batter for them. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out! Thanks – Meggan
I’ve been making this cake for years. My mother first made it with Lemon jello and then moved to the pudding. It’s been a favorite in my family since I was a little girl, and I’m a grandmother now myself.
Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing! It’s so lovely when we can pass these happy family memories on through the food we make. – Meggan
haven’t tried this recipe yet but was wondering about the size of the cake mix you used. Cake mixes had been 18.25 oz for years, but are now only 15 oz. (432 grams) – That’s about a 20% difference which, to me, will make quite a difference in the outcome.
Hi Betty, good question! You’re right, every cake mix is 15.25 ounces now. I have made this cake many times in the last few years and I haven’t had any issues, so I think the recipe should work fine. I guess I don’t know when they switched the size of the cake mix. I also don’t know if they changed the formula overall so that it still produces the same size cake? They reduced the amount of cake mix, but they are still saying it makes a 9×13 or whatever, you know what I mean? So it should still be fine. But good question, I hadn’t thought about that! -Meggan
I made this and it was a HUGE hit for my family that doesn’t normally love lemon desserts. So light and airy. I did convection bake mine and whisked the eggs together before I added them to the mix (might be why other reviewers tasted like an omelet). I macerated strawberries and they were the perfect compliment. Only change I would make next time, yes they want me to make it again, is putting less glaze on it. I tried to use all of it and it was just a bit too much for some. Thank you for this hit!!!!
I made this lemon Bundt cake, it was delicious! I used skim milk in place of water and I used unsalted butter in place of oil. This was the best lemon cake ! Thank you
My great niece would love this in a mini Bundt pan. I am not a baker so I am hoping if you could please tell me how I can make this in the mini pans. Thank you so much for all your delicious recipes!
Hi Linda, I don’t know exactly for sure. I actually made these in a mini bundt pan several years ago, and I never made a note of how long I baked them. I would do a 350-degree oven for something like 20 to 25 minutes. Just let your nose be your guide, if you start to smell them, they might be getting close to done. Just test with toothpicks until they come out clean (possibly with a few dry crumbs attached). I know this recipe works in those pans. I just don’t remember the specifics. Thank you! Good luck, I hope this was helpful at least a little bit. -Meggan
My aunt made this cake a lot and we loved it. Instead of water she used orange juice. I started making this and bringing to the office and now I get request for Lemon Bundt birthday cakes.
Has anyone tried this recipe by substituting the oil with butter? My cake mix calls for 1 stick of butter and I wonder if that’s okay to stick with for this recipe!
Hi Radhika! I am not sure. I feel like it would probably be okay (butter is so good, and if your cake mix calls for it, that would be based on the dry ingredients in the mix). If you have any tolerance for risk, it’s probably worth trying. But if it’s going to ruin your day if anything goes wrong… I don’t want to ruin your day! LOL! -Meggan
The cake was ABSOLUTELY amazing my husband and I almost ate the entire cake in one night.
Hi, what size Bundt pan do you use? I used the 9.75 and it didn’t seem tall! I am not sure of the taste yet as I am making it for my son-in-law for Father’s Day tomorrow. The batter tasted good so hopefully the cake will be nice and moist also! I was just curious what size you had used or recommended for this recipe!!
Hi Dottie, I’m so sorry I didn’t answer you in time for Father’s Day. I use a standard bundt pan, 12-cup, the normal size. I am not sure why the cake seemed flat to you. Hopefully the cake was nice and moist and you enjoyed it – maybe it just isn’t as tall as you were expecting? Sorry again for not replying sooner! -Meggan