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.
I don’t have any lemons so can I just use real lemon juice?
yep!
Tons of lemon flavor I will definitely make this again my grandson’s loved it thanks for this recipe
YAY thanks so much Genny!
Yum should I add blueberries
Yes do it!
Made this for a friend’s birthday. Loved it.
Amazing! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂
Can I use a square cake pan 9×13 or 2 round cake pans?
You can totally use a 9×13 for this but 2 round cake pans might be too small, I would go for 3 in an 8″ round.
Thank you! I used 9×13 just needed to leave in the oven less time but overall delicious!
So glad it worked out, thanks so much for making it!
This was so easy to make and absolutely delicious. Definitely making again.
Ahh! Thank you so so much!
Love this recipe. It’s so easy and so delicious! No one suspects it’s from a box mix! Thanks!
Right?! Thanks so much Judy! Glad you loved this easy lemon cake!
This is sooooo good and easy!! I have made it with lemon cake mix and plain yellow cake mix and its a huge hit in my home and they beg me to bring some to work.
Ahhh thank you so much for letting me know! Glad to know it works with vanilla too!
Delicious and very moist. Only thing I changed was to add some of that fresh lemon juice to the icing
Thank you so much Sarah!
Can you use frozen blueberries?
You sure can! I would make sure to defrost and dry so it doesnt add too much moisture.
I’m sorry but I mad this cake 3 times over the last 24 hours thinking I had done something wrong. Every time it was raw in the middle and dripping all over my counter top while supposedly cooling. I am an accomplished baker and I know there’s something wrong with the liquid measurements. A total BOMB.
Hi Kathleen, theres nothing wrong with the liquid measurements- I personally test every recipe a few times, plus this recipe has over 120 5 star ratings. I am not sure what happened with your cakes as I wasnt there with you in the kitchen but its definitely not on our end. It might just be that your ovens calibration is off and that the temperature its saying it is, isnt accurate. If the cake is raw in the middle and dripping then it clearly needed more time to bake, not any adjustments with ingredients.
I made this cake for a spring luncheon at my church and it went over very well. I thought maybe I could add some poppyseeds next time, but I’m not sure how much. Could you help me?
Thanks so much for making this Susan! Yes you could totally add poppy seeds to this, I would do about 2-3 tbsp 🙂
This recipe worked out perfectly for me on multiple occasions. The first time, I followed the directions exactly. The second time I did the lemon bundt cake with blueberries added. It was a resounding success! Most recently, I made it into a chocolate bundt cake, using chocolate pudding and chocolate cake mix and just increasing the water and eliminating the lemon juice obviously. I did add some orange extract, vegan chocolate chips, replaced all eggs with applesauce (one of my guests is vegan), and add half a teaspoon of baking powder. It was absolutely outstanding! I did a different icing for the chocolate one. This is a recipe that can stand up to all kinds of alterations and still give you awesome results each time! I got so many compliments! Thank you!
Hey Brandon! This comment just made me SO happy!! A blueberry version AND a chocolate orange vegan version?! You are seriously so creative and I love that the recipe held up to all of your amazing tweaks.
I’ve made this several times now. Bundt, PERIOD. 32 minutes enough in my oven.
Moist, easy delicious.
PERIODT. 🤣 Thank you!!
Has anyone made this with chopped pecans added?
You totally can. Dust them with flour first so they dont sink to the bottom 🙂
I made this today. I did bake it for 40 minutes. I was going to make the icing but decided to try a little piece first. It was so delicious without the icing that I didn’t add it! This is a wonderful easy recipe. I’ve had three slices today!😋
So glad! Thank you so much Libby!
Can I use round cake pans for a two layer cake? Cooking time?
Totally can! I would check after 28 mins
I only have 3 eggs, will that work or should I I add more liquid?
Hi, Im not sure as I havent tested it with 3 eggs. You can try subbing an egg with 1/4 cup applesauce if you have.