Quick Lemon Pudding Bundt Cake
Short on time? This Quick Lemon Pudding Bundt Cake is a quick and easy cake recipe that will show you how to make a delicious bundt cake with lemon cake mix and lemon pudding mix. The result is a zesty and refreshing cake that is perfect for summer gatherings or potlucks!
Even as a trained pastry chef, sometimes I take shortcuts . . . delicious shortcuts! If you’ve ever needed a dessert that is decadent and tasty, sometimes it’s ok to use quick items like store bought cake mix or boxed pudding mix.
This lemon bundt cake is one of my most popular desserts on the blog! It’s made with both Duncan Hines lemon cake mix along with lemon zest, egg, oil, water, and a box of lemon pudding mix. That’s it! Just 7 ingredients to make up the base of this cake.
Simply add all of the ingredients to a bowl or stand mixer, bake, then finish it off with a simple glaze. This refreshing lemon flavor is great for summer BBQ’s or any occasion where you need a quick dessert that tastes fresh out of a bakery!
This is great recipe for beginner bakers to try too! The cake always bakes up nicely. If you do run into any issues you can always learn why cakes sink in the middle and how to fix it!
If you want to make a lemon bundt cake from scratch check out my lemon blueberry bundt cake or make this easy no bake lemon cheesecake if you don’t want to turn on your oven. I am just crazy about easy lemon desserts!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
- Lemon Cake Mix – You can find lemon-flavored cake mix in most grocery stores in the baking section. My favorite one to use is the lemon supreme flavor by Duncan Hines.
- Lemon Instant Pudding Mix – Also found in the baking section, lemon pudding mix gives the cake a moist and dense crumb while keeping it light and fluffy. You will only use the dry powder, not make the actual pudding.
- Lemon Zest & Lemon Juice – Adds a fresh zesty lemon flavor that complements the cake and pudding mix.
Please use Lemon instant pudding mix and not “cook and serve”. The results wont be the same.
Lemon Glaze:
- Confectioners Sugar – This finely milled sugar mixes with the liquid ingredients to create a thick drizzle texture.
- Cream – Some cream or milk helps thin out the glaze to make it a pourable consistency.
- Lemon Zest – Adds a bright lemon flavor to the glaze that complements the rest of the cake.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON BUNDT CAKE WITH CAKE MIX
Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 10-cup bundt cake pan with baking spray heavily and set aside.
Assemble the cake batter: Add the paddle attachment to the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use an electric mixer with a mixing bowl. Pour in the cake mix and pudding powder and mix until combined on low for 30 seconds. Then, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, water, and eggs. Give it a mix on medium speed for one minute before adding the vegetable oil and mixing again just until fully combined.
Bake the cake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt cake pan. Add to the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the cake is set. After it cools for 10 minutes, flip it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Glaze and serve: While the cake is cooling mix the glaze ingredients together in a small mixing bowl until well combined. Once the cake is cooled, drizzle over top. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
TIPS FOR RECIPE SUCCESS
- Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before mixing into the cake batter as this will help them to mix in more evenly.
- For the glaze, add enough cream until you reach your desired consistency. If you want a thinner glaze, add more cream until it reaches the consistency you desire.
- 4-5 lemons of medium-large size will give you about 1/2 cup of lemon juice. To get the juices flowing out of the lemon easier, roll it on a hard surface with a bit of pressure, then cut it in half and squeeze.
Yield
This cake makes enough to feed 12-15 people.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
Storing: This cake can be made a day in advance and stored covered at room temperature until you are ready to serve it. If you make it further in advance, I recommend storing it in the fridge for up to four days.
Freezing: To freeze bundt cake, wrap it tightly in cling film or place it in an airtight container and freeze for up to two months. Let the cake thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Using other flavors instead of lemon
II havent personally tried it but other readers have found success with different flavors.
If you can’t find lemon-flavored pudding mix, try using vanilla. Adjust the lemon flavor by adding a few drops of lemon extract. Make sure to use instant pudding mix and not cook and serve.
Other cake pan sizes
You can use any size or shape of cake pan that you have on hand. The bake time will vary depending on the size and shape of the pan. For a 9″ cake I would check after 30 minutes or so.
Quick Lemon Pudding Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz box lemon cake mix, ( I use duncan hines lemon supreme)
- 3.5 oz Instant lemon pudding mix, (just the dry powder, not made, not cook n serve)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup lemon juice, fresh
- 4 eggs large
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Lemon Glaze:
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tbsp cream, or milk
- ½ tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 10 cup bundt pan heavily with baking spray.
- In the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the dry cake mix and lemon pudding powder and mix on low speed for 30 seconds.
- Add the lemon zest, ½ cup water, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 4 eggs. Mix on low -medium speed for 1 minute. Add ½ cup oil and mix again.
- Fill the prepared bundt cake pan with batter. Bake for 35 mins.
- Cool for 10 mins then flip over onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Optional Lemon Glaze
- Mix the ½ cup confectioners sugar with 1 tbsp cream and ½ tsp lemon zest until fully combined.
- Drizzle over cooled cake.
The glaze recipe is just wrong. So thick it would not pour.
Hi Christian, sorry the glaze didnt work out for you, you could just add a bit more cream to thin it out. Noone else has had any issues with it.
Is 1/2 cup of lemon juice too much for this recipe? Please let me know, Thank you!
Hi Lydia! It’s not too much at all! I have 1/2 cup of lemon juice listed out in the recipe card. That’s the amount I use as well!
The best lemon cake ever! I couldn’t stop eating it. So moist it nearly melts in your mouth. My husband doesn’t like lemon but he loved this cake.
Stop it right now omg thank you so much!!! SO appreciate you!!! Thank you for the 5 star rating!! So happy your husband liked it too, yay for converting non lemon lovers!
Can you use buttermilk instead of milk?
You sure can!
Could I use lemon curd in place of the drizzle
You sure can! That sounds delicious!
Great tips for making a box cake really special! I did substitute good butter for vegetable oil and used a 1:1 ratio and it turned out great! I also mixed fresh lemon and lime because I didn’t have enough lemons…haha! I was able to make 12 mini bundts (they are really small molds) and 6 mini loaves. I used a simple lemon glaze like you described for the bundts and a lemon cream cheese frosting for the loaves that’s so quick and easy to put together. Too yummy!
So cute!! Thanks so much for making this and letting me know how it turned out Mary!
So maybe you can use butter instead of oil? I would prefer that, but wanted to double check.
I havent tried that but if you do let me know!
What a terrific recipe! I made it exactly as described and the cake was spectacular – I am making it for my first grandchild’s baby shower, so I wanted to practice to see how it came out in case it needed adjusting, but it was perfect. We do need to be nondairy so I made a simpler glaze with confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice, and the tartness was a wonderful counterpoint. I will be proud to present this at the shower.
I also need a gluten-free nondairy cake to accommodate some of the guests, and the mom-to-be’s favorite flavor is Earl Grey with lavender, so I’m trying it again in a bit with vanilla gluten-free mix and pudding and instead of the lemon juice and zest, substituting a strong brewed tea and ground-up tea leaves. I’m hoping it’ll come out well too!
Hi Jen! Thank you so much for letting me know how much you love this recipe! Congrats on your fist grandchild, thats so exciting! So nice of you to try out the cake first, so glad you like it! Please let me know how it comes out with the other flavor, that sounds interesting! Have a great time!
Great
Thank you SO much for making this and the 5 star rating Charlena!
I made this cake and baked it at the recommended time in the recipe. Was not done. Has to bake an additional 20 minutes. I have an older version of this recipe and the bake time is 1 hour. I will follow that from now on. 35 minutes is not enough
Hey Debra, sorry this didnt work out for you. There are over 90, 5 star ratings on this recipe and none that had this problem. I have also never had that problem while baking. Since this is made with a cake mix, its makes a smaller amount of batter to fit into a bundt pan than you would have if you made this from scratch which means the bake time is less. Please remember everyone ovens are different.
Absolutely amazing flavor and so moist. My family is not big on lemon but I made it for Sunday dinner, and it’s gone. Followed recipe and bake time to a t and it came out PERFECT. THANK YOU
Ahhh this makes me SO happy Jeane!!! Even better that it won over a not-so-lemon-loving crowd. That’s a huge compliment! Thank you so much for trusting the recipe and for taking the time to leave this sweet review. So glad it was a hit!
Can I use lemon pudding instead of the powdered
Mix
Hey Mary, I havent tried it, I only listed the one I used in the post.
Fabulous! And easy to put together!
This came out exactly as mentioned and I put some on my homemade cream cheese frosting on it that my husband wants on everything. Great even without frosting I must add.
Thank you!
This will be added to my cookbook binder.
YAY! So glad to hear this Beth! Thank you so much for letting me know, so honored to be added to your cookbook binder!
Hello, I would like to make this into a 16 x 22 sheet cake pan. Would I need to double or triple the mix and ingredients ?
I would triple it.
Thanks I’ll keep you posted 🙂
This recipe is simple and absolutely delicious!
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much for giving it a try and for taking the time to leave a comment. So glad you enjoyed it!
This cake looked so delicious. I was disappointed because it did not rise. It tasted ok, however, not fluffy. Can’t share with company. Not a 10 as I had hoped.
Hey Jamie – I’m so sorry this one didn’t work for you. This one can be really sensitive to temperature. Do you know if you opened the oven while baking?
The oven temperature could have also either been to high or too low. Sometimes the reading on the outside of the oven isn’t always right. I recommend keeping an oven proof thermometer to see the accurate temperature.
Didn’t set and deflated
Sorry this didnt work for you, any chance you opened the oven before it was ready? That can cause a cake to fall.
Hello, how can I adjust the recipe for a 12 cup bundt cake pan?
You can use the same, but I would check about 8 mins earlier than usual.
This recipe is simple to make and so delicious. It is a huge hit every time I make it!
Thank you so much Dianne!
Thank you for the recipe, looks and tastes delicious,I just made for mother’s day for church brunch and added some pansies in the center, looks beautiful and professional,can’t believe I made it
Wow! Its the best feeling to be proud of something you made, so happy for you! Happy Mothers Day, thank you so much for making this and letting me know how it came out 🙂
Love this easy recipe! Everyone raves about it when I bring it to a party. So lemony and delicious. Making it again today for Mother’s Day!
Wow yay! Thank you Stephanie! Happy Mothers Day!
Have made it multiple times now! Serve it with fresh whipped cream and berries!! everyone loves it!!!!
YAY Deb!! So glad to hear it! The berries sounds like a great idea!
Nice recipe. Bottom of cake was way too brown after baking recommended time.
Hi Richard! Thanks so much for making this! This can happen because everyones ovens and pans that are used are different. IF you used a dark colored pan, the cake will bake faster bc it holds heat longer than a light colored pan does. Also every oven can be slightly off. If you decide to make it again I would bake in a light colored pan and maybe a couple of minutes less.
Love this recipe – I will continue to use, make and share. Thanks much!
Thank you so much Shannon!!
I never leave comments but I had to for this – so yummy – it didn’t even need any frosting or glaze – yum
That is so kind, thank yo SO much!
No where in this cake is there a lemon tunnel and that’s what I asked about.
Im not sure what youre referring to here
5 Stars
Thank you so much Rosemary!
This lemon bundt cake is so delish! I was wondering if the strawberry cake mix would work with strawberry jello powder?
Hi Jude! Thats a great questions, I havent tried it, but its definitely on my list to see. If you try it please let me know!
Made it 3 times and it is delicious and easy. Once was orange juice and orange zest using vanilla pudding. I can’t recommend this cake highly enough.
OH! SO good to know it works with orange juice too, thank you so much for making this so many times and the 5 star rating!
Well I made your Beautiful lemon cake, Bundt cake. I’m having a girl party tomorrow on Saturday and I made this for them. I’m sure it’ll be good cause I love lemon cake anyway and I made a version of it of your cake and it turned out really good so I wish I could take a picture. I’d send you a picture of it cause it’s so pretty. I’ll let you know how everybody liked it and I’m sure they will. Thank you, Sam for all your recipes.
AHH YAY! YES! please send me a photo! I would love to see it, thank you so much for making this recipe and letting me know how it came out, it just made my day!
This is the first bundt cake that I’ve ever made, and not only was it easy, with easy to follow directions, but it is absolutely delicious!
I have a feeling this will become a permanent staple in my house, the way my grandmother always kept a pound cake around for an after dinner treat or for visitors. I think this may become my cake that I keep on hand for guests. She also always made two at a time. She said she never wasted a cake. There was always a birthday, anniversary, a death, or a number of occasions where she gave a cake to someone. She always made two, and never wasted one. I’m going to have to make two the next time I make it, and see how her theory works for me.
I love this Robin! So glad the recipe was easy to follow and you loved it! Im honored that you want to make this a staple in your house! I wanna come over!