Easiest Lemon Cake (From a Cake Mix)
Making lemon bundt cake with cake mix takes the indimidation out of baking and gives you the tastiest, easiest lemon cake ever.
Decadent lemon cake from mix is soft, super moist and has an incredible lemon flavor that you will love.
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If I’m offered cake, I’m not going to turn it down. I’ll probably go for two slices if I’m offered lemon cake.
Since I was a little girl, I have been a fan of lemon cake. It’s the cake I always requested for my birthday and the one I start thinking about as the first signs of spring start to appear. It’s bright and lemony and tastes like sunshine.
Lemon is a great fruit to bake with, because it adds such a zippy flavor.
Just like my Instant Pot Lemon Poppy Seed Cake, this cake is made with a doctored-up box cake mix.
Add in some instant pudding and sour cream and you have a cake that is not only easy to make but boasts incredible flavor and texture.
Making cake doesn’t have to be difficult, and there is no shame in using boxed mixes to ensure that you get perfect results every time you bake lemon cake mix recipes. It’s one of my favorite baking secrets.
Prefer a scratch-made cake instead? Try this lemon mayonnaise cake!
More Lemon Recipes You’ll Love:
- Easy Lemon Cobbler
- Easy Lemon Cookies Made with Cake Mix
- Lemon Syrup Cake
- Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake
- Lemon Pistachio Cookies
- Lemon Pudding Crinkle Cookies
- No-Churn Lemon Ice Cream
- Lemon Curd Cookies
- Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Southern Sun Drop Cake
- Cake Mix Lemon Loaf Cake
- Lemon Curd Quickbread
- Easy Lemon Whoopie Pies
The Secret to Moist Lemon Sour Cream Cake
Lemon cake with lemon pudding mix is incredibly moist and tender. It’s hard to understand until you try a bite of this cake for yourself.
The box cake mix and the instant pudding make this recipe super easy to throw together, but the real secret is the sour cream.
Learning to use sour cream in baking has been a complete game-changer for me, and I often use this secret.
Sour cream adds moisture, richness and acidity and, when paired with the lemon cake mix and the lemon pudding mix, takes your cake to a whole new level.
I promise that lemon cake from mix will be dreamy and decadent.
More Delicious Cake Mix Recipes:
- Angel Food Cake from a Doctored Up Mix
- Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Sun Drop Cake
- Apricot Nectar Cake
- Pecan Upside Down Cake
- Cream Cheese Pound Cake from a Mix
- Easy Dream Whip Cake
- Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Dump Cake
How to Make Lemon Bundt Cake with Cake Mix
It’s really easy to make lemon cake from a mix.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
For the Cake:
- Lemon Cake Mix
- Instant Lemon Pudding Mix
- Water
- Vegetable Oil
- Sour cream
- Eggs
For the Glaze:
- Powdered Sugar
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Vanilla Extract
How to Make It:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Prepare the batter. First, you’ll combine the cake mix, pudding mix, water, vegetable oil, sour cream, and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed and mix for 2 more minutes.
Bake the bundt cake. Next, you’ll pour the batter into a greased bundt pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. A
llow the cake to cool for 15 minutes, then loosen with a knife and invert onto a serving platter.
Glaze and serve. Last, you’ll prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Pour or brush over the cake and allow it to cool and harden.
Notes and Adaptations:
- I love the addition of the glaze, but you can also just dust with powdered sugar if you prefer.
Recommended Equipment:
Easiest Lemon Cake (From a Mix)
This bright and zippy lemon cake starts with a cake mix, then is doctored up to create a delicious dessert with minimal effort.
Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- 15.25-oz lemon cake mix
- 3.4-oz package of instant lemon pudding mix
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 4 eggs
- For the Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a bundt pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachemnt, combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, vegetable oil, sour cream, and eggs.
- Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed for about 2 minutes.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then use a knife to loosen from the sides of the pan. Invert onto a serving plate.
- In a small bowl, prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
- Pour or brush glaze onto the warm cake, allowing it to settle into any crevices. The glaze will harden as it cools.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 295mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 0gSugar: 29gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
Be sure to save this recipe to your desserts board on PInterest!
Wow this was so good! Thank you!
1 nice touch with the sour cream.
Thank you, Jeron! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it. 🙂
Who knew a jazzed up box cake mix could taste this fabulous! I’m a home baker and I use lemon recipes a lot. This recipe is a keeper. Not only is the quality cake superb but it also saves me flour, sugar, and leavening. Thank you Chrysti.
Thanks so much, Beverly! I’m so happy to hear that it will help simplify your baking. Everyone needs a good shortcut now and then! 🙂
Thank you for a simple and tasty recipe! I made a half recipe of a butter based lemon frosting as I wanted it a little richer than the glaze. It is delicious and was quick and easy to make.
You’re welcome, Jo! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Your idea for a lemon frosting sounds absolutely delightful! 🙂
Recipe for the butter based frosting please. It sounds so delicious
Is it possible to make this as a birthday cake in a regular cake pan?
Hi Olivia! Yes, you can use a different pan if you’d like. The baking time will be shorter, though. If you’re using a 9×13″ pan or two 8″ round pans, I’d recommend checking it around 28 minutes or so, and if it needs to bake a bit longer, check it every couple of minutes after that. For 9″ round pans, start checking around 24 minutes. Enjoy! 🙂
This sounds amazing! Does it need to be refrigerated?
Hi Patrice! I don’t refrigerate mine–I just keep it in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy! 🙂
I am a cooking dad. Baking is no way my specialty. Maybe brownies and chocolate chip cookies. I love lemon cake.
Could I just bake this in a flat pan? Cake pan or say, like, 9X11 pyrex dish? No mixer for me either. I will “stand” and mix by hand. What do you think? Haven’t got a bundt thing.
Thanks for your reply. I am not a bad cook, just no experience baking.
Hi Jim! No problem! This recipe is easy enough for non-bakers to make. 🙂 You can definitely use a different pan if you’d like. If you’re using a 9×13″ pan or two 8″ round pans, I’d recommend checking it around 28 minutes or so, and if it needs to bake a bit longer, check it every couple of minutes after that. For 9″ round pans, start checking around 24 minutes. And no problem if you don’t have an electric mixer. It takes a bit of elbow grease, but you can definitely mix by hand instead. Enjoy! 🙂
Could I replace the sour cream with non fat plain greek yogurt?
Hi Ruth! The fat content of sour cream or regular plain greek yogurt helps with the texture, but you can use non-fat yogurt in a pinch. It just may not be quite as moist, but should still be tasty. Enjoy !:)
I was wondering if I could make it a day ahead and keep in the fridge or leave the cake out in a Bundt cake holder?
Hi Brenda! Yes, you can make it ahead of time! The glaze may soften a bit when the cake is stored overnight, but it will still be delicious. You could always add the glaze later, if that’s important to you. I store mine at room temperature in a bundt cake holder. Hope that helps! 🙂
I’ve made this cake several times and we love it. Do you think I could bake in a muffin tin instead of a Bundt pan? Thank you
Hi Debbie! Thank you so much for your kind words–I love hearing that you enjoyed the cake. 🙂 Yes, I think it would work fine to bake them in a muffin tin. You’ll need to decrease the baking time–I’d start checking them around 14 minutes, but they may take up to 20 minutes. Enjoy! 🙂
hi, make lemon cakes/bundts almost always from scratch, but because of time limitations, and the recipient just turned 99 and isn’t really cognizant of much, this boxed mix was my only real alternative, and it looks lovely but smaller than my other recipes??
having followed another recipe combo, i didnt use any sour cream, used milk and not water, zest and juice of fresh lemon. have applied powdered sugar but if it evaporates which is often the cash, will prepare a lemon glaze in the AM before taking it to my dear friends home!
thx for sharing:) Kelli
Hi Kelli! I’m glad you found the shortcut helpful, and I hope your friend loved it. 🙂 You’re right, sometimes cake mix recipes bake up a little smaller than scratch-made recipes. Thank you for sharing your tweaks!
Hi , I’d love to try this lemon cake recipe, but what if I’m using now the Betty Crocker cake mix it’s reduced to a little over 13 ounces. What do I add to it? Please let me know. Thank you.
Hi Nancy! It should work fine with the 13.25-ounce boxes. I’ve tested several of my cake mix recipes with both sizes of mix, and they work out fine even with the smaller size. It’s a small enough difference that you don’t need to make any adjustments. Enjoy! 🙂
Can this be made with regular lemon pudding?
Hi Jane! I haven’t tested it with cook and serve pudding mix, so I’m not sure how it would turn out.