This Copycat Nothing Bundt Cake Lemon Bundt Cake recipe is so good, you won’t know the difference from the real thing! Our version of this recipe is moist and delicious and starts with a box cake mix so it’s a breeze to bake. Just follow our easy instructions and you’ll have the perfect copycat lemon bundt cake recipe.
Table of Contents
You’ll love this Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
We top our bundt cake with a thick and delicious cream cheese frosting that perfectly matches the signature frosting on Nothing Bundt cakes. Our frosting uses cream cheese and butter to make it extra creamy and perfectly sweet to compliment the lemon in the cake.
We love to serve this recipe for dessert at dinner parties and even make it as gifts – it’s that beautiful and delicious.
Nothing Bundt Cake Copycat Ingredients
For the cake:
- lemon cake mix
- 3.4 oz box instant pudding mix, lemon flavor
- sour cream
- eggs
- canola oil
- fresh squeezed lemon juice
For the frosting:
- cream cheese – room temperature
- unsalted butter, softened
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
How to make Lemon Bundt Cake with Cake Mix
Step One: Mix the Cake Batter
Mix the cake batter ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.
Pour the batter into a sprayed bundt cake pan.
Step 2: Bake
Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 3: Frost
Allow the cake to cool completely, either on a plate or on a cooling rack before decorating.
Make the Frosting:
Nothing Bundt The Cake is known for its thick frosting that is piped over the edges of the cakes, leaving space in between the drizzles.
In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and mix until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar until smooth.
Put the frosting in a piping bag with a round tip, or use a zip top bag and cut a hole in it. Pipe thick frosting lines starting at the inside of the hole of the bundt cake, going to the bottom edge of the cake. Repeat the strokes around the cake.
Place into the fridge overnight.
I love bundt cakes because they are so easy and simple to make, you don’t have to worry about stacking cake layers, or spreading frosting perfectly. It’s also a real crowd pleaser so it’s perfect for birthday parties and other celebrations, and is the best way to enjoy your afternoon coffee.
As well as this, they’re a great way to make a fancy cake for any special occasion with minimal fuss, and as this easy lemon bundt cake recipe uses two shop bought mixes so it really couldn’t be simpler for a busy Mom like me!
Moist Bundt Cake Recipe Tips
- Use Fresh Lemons:
- Start with fresh, juicy lemons to get the best lemon flavor. Avoid bottled lemon juice as it may not provide the same vibrant taste. Zest the lemons and use their juice for both the cake and the glaze.
- Ensure that the sour cream and eggs are at room temperature. Room temperature ingredients incorporate more easily into the batter and create a smoother texture. Cold ingredients can cause the batter to curdle or not mix properly.
- Don’t Over mix the Batter:
- Over mixing can lead to a dense and tough cake. Mix the dry and wet ingredients until just combined. It’s normal to have a few lumps in the batter. Use a gentle folding motion to avoid overworking it.
- Properly Grease and Flour the Bundt Pan:
- Bundt pans can be tricky when it comes to releasing the cake. To prevent sticking, generously grease the pan with butter or cooking spray and dust it with flour or a mixture of flour and sugar. Make sure to tap out any excess flour before pouring in the batter.
- Use a Toothpick Test:
- To ensure your lemon bundt cake is perfectly baked, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it, the cake is done. If it’s still wet, continue baking for a few more minutes and test again. Over baking can result in a dry cake, so be vigilant.
Moist Bundt Cake Recipe Variations
- Try a lemon cream cheese frosting by adding lemon zest, lemon extract, lemon syrup, or lemon juice into my cream cheese frosting recipe.
- Make the glaze icing into a sweet lemon glaze by adding lemon flavors as suggested above.
- Decorate this cake with edible embellishments, lemon zest or curls, or even white chocolate chips on top of the cake!
- Canola Oil can be substituted with grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil in a 1:1 ratio in this recipe.
How to store Lemon Bundt Cake
You can store this lemon bundt cake in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap for 3-5 days.
Other Bundt Cake Recipes
Other Lemon Dessert Recipes
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon and Strawberry Lasagna Trifle
- Simple Lemon Pie
- Lemon Lush
- Lemon Cookies with Cake Mix
- Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Buttercream Frosting
More Favorite’s From Balancing Motherhood
Copycat Nothing Bundt Cake FAQs
A bundt pan requires a moist cake mix because the shape of a bundt pan exposes more of the cake mix to high temperatures than in a normal cake tin. This recipe makes a perfectly moist lemon bundt cake due to the added wet ingredients to the cake mix to ensure an even cooking of the cake.
In this recipe, the various lemon cake and pudding mixes as well as the lemon juice provides the lemon flavor. If you want to boost the lemon flavor of the cake you can add lemon zest or curls to the batter or to the decorative topping!
Nothing Bundt Cake are famous for their thick velvety cream cheese frosting decorating their cakes in thick petals. The amazing cream cheese frosting in this recipe tastes even better, and you can have as much of it as you want! If you prefer a lighter topping or experimenting with different decoration, you could try a glaze icing instead.
A bundt cake is baked in a bundt cake tin which is a unique shape, rounded with ridges around it and a hole in the middle, like a donut or a bagel. This shape allows more of the cake surface to be exposed, so the batter for bundt cakes needs to be more moist to compensate for the heat. When baked, the tin is then flipped upside down and the cake comes out in the donut shape with a hole in the middle.
Lemon Bundt Cake With Cake Mix
Equipment
- bundt pan
- piping bag
Ingredients
- 1 lemon cake mix
- 3.4 oz instant lemon pudding mix 1 box
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- ½ C canola oil
- ¼ C fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ C water
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Copycat Nothing Bundt Cake Lemon Bundt Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9-inch round bundt pan with baking spray.
- Using a standing mixer, beat the cake mix, pudding, sour cream, eggs, oil, lemon juice and water until combined
- Pour the batter into the bundt pan
- Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
- Allow to cool completely
- Place into the refridgerator overnight
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a standing mixer, beat all ingredients until combined and smooth
- Scoop into the piping bag
- Cut the tip off the piping bag
- Pipe onto the frosting onto the bundt cake
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Maria says
This cake is fantastic! Thanks!
Alicia at BalancingMotherhood.com says
thanks for sharing!
Gammy says
Do you have Gluten-free bundt cake? I know that I have bought some. But I don’t know if you still have that.
Nancy Slisko says
Amazing. Thank you
Shannon says
When should I take the cake out of the fridge after sitting in the fridge over night before I put the icing on the cake?
Rose says
I will be making this cake on Friday for the gym staff that I attend. My question which will come off petty. As a former culinary student, my head chef taught me never to garnish with something that the food does not contain. I have never forgotten that. I would have placed beautiful lemon with the stem and leaf or leaves attached. Just an observation. I have had a particular recipe in mind for months however after reading your ratings and the look of your cake I decided to go with your recipe.Thank you so much.
Gloria Gina Chun says
I must admit the cake looked great!! Sadly I was absolutely disappointed with the taste and texture. The cake was heavy and tasteless inspite of fresh lemon juice. I followed the recipe to a T but I will not make again. I ended up throwing away 3/4 of it.
Devon says
Really yummy and easy to make – I love nothing bundt cakes but can’t get them where we live in Canada so this was a great alternative!
Grizel says
Can I use mini Bundt cup cake instead of a large Bundt mold
Alicia says
The baking time will be different if you use mini bundts.
Erin says
I made the cake exactly per the recipe. It didn’t rise well. Maybe the ingredients total up to be more of a pudding custard-like texture. Very disappointing. Made it for my friends birthday. Won’t be making this one again.
Charlene says
This a moist, flavorful cake that was easy to make. All of my guests loved this dessert! I will make this again.
Cindy says
This is excellent! I made 2 for a party and they came out of the pan beautifully! Everyone said these were better than the Bundt cake store! I did add some lemon juice and zest to the frosting, otherwise no other adjustments.