I have made this Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake many times, and it’s always a favorite. You can dress it up, with a glaze, or leave it plain and serve with fresh raspberries and whipped cream. Either way, it’s moist and incredibly good.
Many of you have heard the saying that “Lemon is my Chocolate”. I like chocolate, but lemon is what makes my taste buds very happy. When I think of lemon, I think of a clean and refreshing taste. Plus, I think lemon is one of those universal fruits that makes perks up the flavor in otherwise bland dishes, such as creamed soups and steamed vegetables.
Our garden has both a Eureka and a Meyer lemon tree. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Meyer lemons, they are a hybrid that traces back to Mandarins. The skins are much smoother than the more common Eureka lemon, and the flavor does have a sweet note of mandarin.
The first recipe I made with this year’s harvest of these lemons was a Meyer Limoncello Sorbet. (My husband has been hinting for more of this refreshing treat.) I decided to make one of my favorite lemon dessert recipes, from Ina Garten; it’s a popular in blogosphere, as I’ve seen it on several blogs. I found the recipe in my Ina Garten cookbook library, “Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You’ll Make Over and Over Again.” The first time I posted this recipe, I named it “Guilt-Less Lemon Yogurt Cake“. This time, I used Meyer lemons, instead of Eureka lemons– but either lemon works very well. You can see step-by-step photos on how to make this right here.
This time, I used a bundt pan and I made two changes– I added pure lemon extract into the batter, for more flavor. I also used low-fat vanilla yogurt since I didn’t have Greek yogurt on hand. The cake took about 45 minutes to be ready, but I always say it’s safer to check your cakes before the suggested time (Ina says 50 minutes).
Thank to Baker’s Joy Baking Spray, I can easily spray my bundt pan and the cake slips right out! Allow the cake to cook for about 5 minutes, on a cooling rack.
While the cake is almost finished baking, I made a simple syrup of lemon juice and sugar. Pour it on the warm cake, and allow it to absorb.
Once the cake has cooled, I made a quick glaze of powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice.
… and I spooned the glaze over the top, and allowed it to pour down the sides. Nice!
To me, bundt cakes are so effortless to make. There’s no fussing with making icing (I never buy canned icing… bleccccccccccch!) There’s no need to slice the cake and frost them.
Once sliced, they also transport well in lunch boxes. They also taste great with a fresh cup of coffee or tea. My family loves this cake. It’s fool-proof and it disappears really fast.
Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt I use non-fat Greek yogurt or low-fat yogurt with great results.
- 1 1/3 cups sugar divided
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest grated (2 lemons)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease an 8 1/2 X 4 1/4 X 2 1/2-inch loaf pan ). Line the bottom with parchment paper (Don’t skip this). Grease and flour the pan.
- Or, you can use a bundt cake pan but be sure to flour it well (I use Baker’s Joy for perfect results)
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.
- Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- NOT: I always check my cakes 5 minutes before the recommended time, so I don’t over bake it.
- Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining ⅓ cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
- When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan.
- While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
For the glaze:
- combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.
Notes
Nutrition
What a lovely cake Debby. This is the second Meyer lemon recipe I've seen today. I adore Meyer lemons, so I'm off to the store to see if I can get my hands on some. They are rare where I live. Lucky you to have them in your backyard.
Sam
I adore this cake! I want to bath in lemon and sugar LOL, well it would be better if I stick to eating it…your cake looks wonderful!
Lemon is definitely my chocolate Debby!!!! This cake looks nice and light and perfect for watching my waistline and I don't mean watching my waistline grow:D
I've really fallen head over heels for lemony desserts as of late and this cake is screaming out to me! what I wouldn't give for a meyer lemon tree…
The cake looks wonderful…I'm so jealous of your abundance of meyer lemons.
This cake looks delicious, but it looks like the amount of flour to use in the recipe is missing?
Holy Smoke! You are so right, Jambino! Thank you for pointing that out. I've fixed that omission.
I would love nothing more than to have fresh lemons in my very own backyard. This cake is one that I will have to make one day. It looks superb!
If I had a choice between lemon or chocolate cake, lemon would always win for me. I'm very jealous of your lemons!
Oh, dear me! I am a big sucker for lemony cake! This looks so light and airy…just beautiful, Debby!
You are speakin' my language! Gosh that cake looks delectable. Anything in a bundt pan is good, and meyer lemons too! Every time I read "bundt" I think of the movie Fools Rush In. When she brings the bundt cake and the family doesn't know what to do with it so the mother "fixes" it and puts a potted plant in the center. An oldy but goodie movie. Maybe to watch eating bundt cake.
I am also a huge fan of lemon and so jealous you have a Meyer Lemon Tree, I can barely find them around here even in summer! I love Bakers Joy tooooo!
I'm with you on that! I'd go for lemon instead of chocolate any day and your cake looks and sounds delicious. A must try! Printed!
I LOVE lemon and will take it over chocolate any day!! Crossing my fingers my Meyer Lemon Tree survived this winter!
~Leslie
That is absolutely stunning! Guess what I'm making for Easter?
SO LOVELY I am crazy about lemony cakes – please do check out my Crazy for Cakes event and would love your participation http://priyasnowserving.blogspot.com/2011/02/announcing-second-guest-event.html
You are SO lucky to have a lemon tree in your backyard! I do have a soft spot for anything citrus-based, and this is no exception! (Hubby doesn't like lemon cakes, so this one's ALL mine!)
The pictures of this sliced cake are beautiful! I had a few meyer lemons in the fridge that need using up and I've been looking for the perfect recipe to make for a friend. It might be this one!
A beautiful cake. It makes my mouth water just looking at it!
A beautiful cake. It makes my mouth water just looking at it! Well done.
My b-day is coming up and I have requested this cake. Can't wait!
Hi Debby
How much lemon extract did you use in this recipe.
Just took this out of the oven and it is INCREDIBLE! You can really taste the fresh zest and juice, it's not overly sweet, just right. I was lazy and just mixed the juice in with the batter, minus the extra 1/3 cup of sugar, and skipped the glaze. The funny thing is it smells so rich and buttery even though there's no butter in it. Thank you for posting the recipe.
I'm so glad that this cake is meeting your lemon expectations, Robin! Thanks for commenting.
I’m not finding the printable version. Is it still available?
I am so frustrated with Key Ingredient. My recipe program sold and my recipe cards aren’t showing. They have promised to get it fixed, but I will try and create a new recipe card today. You can always email me directly, foodiewife@gmail.com. So sorry…
New recipe card is now up!
I love this and am going to make it again this weekend. Question about the bundt cake pan – what size did you use? I can’t tell if my 10″ bundt pan is too big for the amount of batter in the recipe? Thanks!
I used a 10″ Bundt cake like this one.
This was so delicious! I modified it a smidge by replacing the zest with a whole lemon – I cut off the ends, cut it in half and removed the seeds, and then food processed it with the sugar, etc. It was amazing! Thank you so much!
What a great idea! I’m so glad that you had success with this recipe. Thank you for the positive feedback.
This recipe is not for a bundt cake, there was not enough batter for a 10″ bundt pan. I was confused when the batter only went less than 1/2 way instead of 2/3, but reading the reviews she confirmed she used a 10 ” bundt pan so I went for it. Maybe I missed something where she said to up the amount of ingredients? The cake came out but it was very short. It was dense and dry. The flavor was good but if you use this recipe you should use a loaf pan.
I’m really sorry that you had problems with this recipe. I am 100% honest when I photograph the process of making a recipe. As you can see, I used a bundt pan and had no problems! As far as being dense and dry, I feel your pain. I always check my cakes at least 5 minutes before the minimum baking time that is suggested.