the best lemon bundt cake!

Lemons! Lemons! Lemons!

This is the third lemon dessert in an amazing line-up that I've shared with you over the last few weeks. Thanks to a bag of lemons that was gifted to us by our oldest daughter's teacher. Thank you, Mrs. Hughes!

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glazed lemon cookies

lemon bundt cake

lemon and honey tart with salted shortbread crust
lemon poppy-seed muffins
vanilla bean lemonade

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I'm really excited to share this amazing lemon bundt cake recipe with you.

It's the best lemon bundt cake I've ever eaten.

It's perfectly flavored, incredibly moist, and has a tender crumb. Honestly, it's perfection!

It's my new favorite lemon cake recipe. The perfect addition to any breakfast or brunch . . . a wonderful dessert to enjoy with tea, and a scrumptious dessert to enjoy for any special occasion.

I think it would be quite spectacular with the center over-flowing with fresh berries. Ahhhh, so pretty!

So where did I find this amazing recipe? It's another one from my Cook's Illustrated Cookbook.

They developed a battery of tests challenging the classic lemon bundt cake ingredient proportions, and finally decided to increase the butter and replace the milk with buttermilk. The result? An amazingly light, tender, and moist bundt cake. Sigh.

Cook's elevated the lemon flavor by adding the zest of 3 lemons, which not only perfumes the cake beautifully, but flavors it perfectly.

The glaze! It's a simple mixture of lemon juice, buttermilk, and confectioners' sugar. The zip from the lemon juice and the tang from the buttermilk makes for the most delightful glaze.

Half of the glaze is poured over the cake while it's warm, soaking into the tender crumb . . . oh my heavens! And the remainder is poured over the top after it has slightly cooled, giving it  more of the traditional glazed top that we're used to seeing on bundt cakes.

And finally, I sprinkled a little lemon zest on top for a simple, yet pretty, finish.

Since discovering this recipe, I've played with citrus variations and used oranges (in the place of lemons) and made an orange bundt cake. It's equally delicious! Tastes like Summer!

I can't wait for you to try this recipe! Enjoy!

  

lemon bundt cake

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4 lemons 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 large egg yolk, room temperature

18 Tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

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cake preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray (the kind with flour), or butter and then flour your pan.

Zest and juice 3 lemons and then mince the zest until it is almost a paste - you should have about 2 Tablespoons.

Mix zest with 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice in a medium bowl and set aside for 10 - 15 minutes. (set aside the rest of the juice for the glaze)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

To the lemon juice mixture, add vanilla and buttermilk and whisk to combine.

In a separate small bowl, gently whisk eggs and egg yolk.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, bet together butter and sugar at medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Turn speed down to medium and add half the eggs. Mix for about 15 seconds, then add the rest of the eggs and mix until combined.

Turn speed down to low and add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Mix for about 5 seconds, then add half of the buttermilk mixture and mix for another 5 seconds. Repeat this process with flour, buttermilk, and flour. Give the batter a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure all flour is incorporated.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, until top is light golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Start checking it for doneness at 40 minutes, and every few minutes after that  Do not over bake!

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Turn the cake out of the pan onto a wire rack. Set the rack on a rimmed baking sheet for easy cleanup. Pour half the glaze over the cake and then let it cool for an hour. Cover the glaze bowl with a damp towel while the cake cools. After an hour, pour the rest of the glaze over the cake and then let it cool to room temperature.

courtesy Cook's Illustrated

lemon glaze

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2 - 3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon buttermilk

2 cups confectioners' sugar

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Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, buttermilk, and confectioners' sugar to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add more lemon juice until desired consistency is reached - you want the glaze pourable but still slightly thick.

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