Luscious Lemon Sour Cream Cake

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 05/23/21
Luscious Lemon Cake

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 12 to 16 servings

This lemon pound cake is surprisingly easy to make with a cake mix, sour cream, and butter. Lemon juice and zest flavor this fabulous Bundt cake.

Feel free ice the cake with the included lemon glaze or dust it with sifted powdered sugar and serve it with a lemon dessert sauce.

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Ingredients

  • 1 (18.25 ounces) package white cake mix (moist style with pudding in the mix)

  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

  • 8 ounces sour cream

  • 1/3 cup milk

  • 4 large eggs

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated

  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract, or oil

Lemon Glaze:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated

  • 1 cup confectioners sugar

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan.

  3. Preheat oven to 350 F.

  4. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low, combine the cake mix, 4 ounces of softened butter, the sour cream, milk, eggs, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 to 3 teaspoons of lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan.

  5. Bake the lemon cake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

  6. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate and cool completely.

  7. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with the following lemon glaze.

  8. Serve and enjoy!

Lemon Glaze

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a bowl, combine the melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest, and the confectioners' sugar. Add lemon juice, a teaspoon at a time, until the icing is thin enough to drizzle over the cooled cake.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
263 Calories
12g Fat
35g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 16
Amount per serving
Calories 263
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 16%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 74mg 25%
Sodium 320mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 2mg 9%
Calcium 99mg 8%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 64mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)