Updated Post- Lemon Bundt Cake

Hi everyone!  Happy Friday!  Is there a "polar vortex"  happening where you all live?  For me, a girl in California, a polar vortex is defined as biking without gloves when it's 32 degrees outside 😆.   At any rate, if it's cold, dark, and rainy where you live, you might be desiring some sunshine.  Today's lemon pound cake is great for satisfying that longing because each piece of it is a slice of sunshine!

I originally posted a cake similar to this almost a year ago.  (To see that post, click here.)  And while the recipe for that cake was good and the photography was not as bad as it could have been, that post needed an update.

But that's not the reason that my family and I made this cake.  We actually made it on New Year's Day to bring to share with friends for dessert and their house after our dinner together.  It's funny because when we decided to make this lemon bundt cake and were about begin, one of our neighbors came to our door bringing to us fresh Meyer lemons 😀!  We all got a kick out of the irony of that situation 😆!

There are three main components of today's cake recipe:  the cake itself, the simple syrup, and the glaze.  I'm going to briefly walk you through each of these components.

1.  The Cake

Unlike some bundt cakes, this lemon bundt cake is moist!  Why?  Well, I think that there are a few reasons why, including butter, sour cream, and eggs.  All of these rich ingredients help make this cake moist and delicious 😋!

2.  The Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is aptly named-  it's so simple to make!  All you do is dissolve sugar in fresh lemon juice over heat until a syrup forms!  You might be tempted to skip making this syrup, but please don't do it!  This syrup is a crucial factor in keeping this cake moist.  It also adds a welcome extra burst of lemon flavor.

3.  The Glaze

Because no cake is complete without some kind of frosting.  End of story.

If you make this cake because of a personal surplus of lemons and you still have more lemons that need to be used, you might want to make a Dutch apple pie (or two, or three 😉).

This recipe was tweaked to bring you today's recipe.

That's all for now.  Don't forget to follow me on Instagram!  I look forward to posting again on Monday 😊!  (Hopefully a delicious topping for steak 😋!)

Lemon Bundt Cake

For the Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream
• 1/4 fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• zest or 4 lemons
• 4 large eggs

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, then grease a 12-cup bundt pan and set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3.  In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk/sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

4.  In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until fluffy and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

5.  To the mixer, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

6.  On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the lemon juice mixture in two additions, starting and ending with the flour.  Do not over mix.

7.  Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top of the batter and bake it in the prepared oven for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

8.  Once the cake has cooled for 10-15 minutes, you may remove it from the pan and brush it with the syrup (recipe below).

9.  After the cake has completely cooled, drizzle the lemon glaze (recipe below) on top.

10.  Enjoy, storing leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and freezing for up to two months.

For the Syrup:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1.  In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and lemon juice.

2.  Cook the sugar and lemon juice on medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and a syrup forms.

3.  After inverting the cake onto a plate, brush the top and sides of the cake with the syrup.

For the Glaze

• 1.5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1 T. milk

1.  In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together, adding more milk and powdered sugar as needed.

2.  Once the cake has completely cooled, drizzle it with the glaze.