Nothing Bundt Cakes secret recipe might be under lock and key, but this scratch baked lemon Bundt cake comes incredibly close. It’s moist, fluffy, and tender with a bright lemon flavor you can’t get from a box mix.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Reliable and repeatable
This recipe has been tested and perfected to turn out beautifully every single time you bake it.
Bakery-style results at home
This cake is moist, fluffy, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor—just like something you'd buy from a professional bakery.
Made completely from scratch
No cake mix here. Just real, simple ingredients that deliver better taste and texture.
Related Recipes to Try Next
This lemon Bundt cake is one of my go-to recipes when I want a casual, no-fuss cake that still feels special. If you’re like me and love easy cake recipes, try this classic Swans Down Cake Flour Recipe. It uses the classic 1-2-3-4 pound cake method for a soft, buttery crumb.
Or, if you’re in the mood for something cozy, this Easy Coffee Cake is another favorite. It’s a simple, moist, snacking cake that always dissapears quickly.
What’s the Most Popular Nothing Bundt Cakes Flavor?
When a new Nothing Bundt Cakes location opened near me, I had to check it out. Their website lists so many tempting options, and I found myself wondering which flavor was the most popular.
Top Nothing Bundt Cakes Flavors
Some of their most popular flavors include:
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip
- Red Velvet
- Lemon
- White Chocolate Raspberry
I decided to try the lemon flavor because I love citrus desserts, and it’s one of their most talked-about cakes. I set out to recreate it from scratch using real ingredients like sour cream, buttermilk, and fresh lemon zest.
When I brought the finished cake to a neighborhood party, it disappeared in under 20 minutes. Now, every time I see someone who was there, they still mention how good it was.
What Is the Nothing Bundt Cakes Secret Recipe?
What makes Nothing Bundt Cakes so moist and tender? It all comes down to the ingredients and a few simple techniques that really work.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Let’s take a look at what you’ll need to make this lemon Bundt cake from scratch:
- All-Purpose Flour – No need for cake flour. This gives the cake structure while keeping the crumb soft.
- Granulated Sugar – Adds the right amount of sweetness to balance the lemon.
- Unsalted Butter – Use room temperature butter for a smooth, creamy batter.
- Baking Powder – Helps the cake rise and keeps the texture light.
- Buttermilk – Adds moisture and a subtle tang.
- Cream Cheese – You’ll use half a package here; save the rest for the frosting.
- Fresh Lemon Juice & Zest – Use the zest first, then juice the same lemons. That fresh citrus flavor makes all the difference.
These ingredients work together to create a soft, bakery-style Bundt cake that turns out perfectly every single time.
Tips for a Perfect Bundt Cake
I bake this cake often, and this is what I do to make sure it turns out perfectly each time:
1. Mix by hand when possible.
This batter is delicate. Overmixing, especially with a stand mixer, can lead to a gummy center. Whipping in too much air, especially with the cream cheese. It traps more air than butter and can throw off the texture.
2. Switch to a whisk for the eggs.
Once your butter mixture is smooth, switch to a whisk for the eggs. Whisk until fully combined and smooth. This helps prevent streaky batter and cuts down on overmixing.
3. Bake at 325°F instead of 350°F.
A lower oven temp allows the cake to rise slowly and bake evenly. This prevents an overbaked crust and helps the center set fully without getting dry edges.
Allyson's Tips for Avoiding a Gummy Bundt Cake
There are a few reasons a Bundt cake can turn out gummy. Even with a good recipe, overmixing or underbaking can ruin the texture.
In my experience, overmixing is the most common mistake. That’s why I recommend mixing this cake by hand. It keeps the texture soft and light.
You can see in the photo what happens when it’s overmixed. The center turns dense and gummy.
Follow the steps in this post and you’ll get a perfectly baked Bundt cake every time.
How to make a Nothing Bundt Cake Secret Recipe Lemon Cake
Here’s how to make a thick and moist bundt cake completely from scratch, using only fresh, pure ingredients.
- Grease and flour your pan. Use Crisco or homemade cake release for the cleanest release.
- Make lemon sugar. Zest two lemons directly into the sugar. Keep your hands off the zest so the lemon oil stays in the bowl.
- Soften and mix the fats. Use a rubber spatula to soften butter, then stir in cream cheese until smooth and lump-free.
- Stir in sugar. Add your lemon sugar to the butter mixture and mix gently. Don’t beat or whip.
- Whisk in the eggs. Switch to a whisk and mix in the eggs one at a time until smooth.
- Alternate dry and wet. Fold in dry ingredients and lemon-buttermilk mixture in stages. Mix just until combined. Don’t worry about a few lumps.
Choosing the Right Bundt Pan
Nothing Bundt Cakes offers two sizes of their full-size cakes: an 8-inch and a 10-inch. This recipe is designed for a 10-inch Bundt cake, which is the standard size for most home bakers.
To get the best results, use a Bundt pan that holds about 10 cups of batter. The batter should fill the pan to about 1 inch from the top. This helps the cake bake evenly without overflowing.
Look for a Bundt pan with a non-stick coating to help the cake release cleanly. I like these Nordic Ware bundt cake pans. They bake evenly and have reliable non-stick performance.
Glaze and Frost the Cake
- Once the cake has cooled, brush with a simple syrup made from lemon juice and sugar.
- Prepare the frosting by mixing powdered sugar, buttermilk, cream cheese, and a pinch of salt.
- Glaze the cooled cake with the prepared frosting. Here is a full tutorial on frosting your bundt cake in the Nothing Bundt Cakes Style.
Copycat Lemon Nothing Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups All-purpose flour 240g
- ⅔ teaspoon Baking powder 3g
- ⅔ teaspoon Salt 3g
- 2 sticks Butter- softened 226g
- 2 cups Granulated sugar 450g
- 4 large Eggs- room temperature
- 4 ounces Cream cheese, room temperature 113g
- ⅔ cup Buttermilk 160ml
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
Glaze Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Lemon Juice
- ⅓ cup Granulated sugar
Frosting Ingredients
- 3 cups Powdered sugar 339g
- 1 tablespoon Buttermilk 15ml
- 4 oz Cream cheese- softened 113g
- 4 tablespoon Butter- softened 57g
Instructions
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 10-cup bundt cake pan to ensure easy release. Use a stand mixer, electric mixer, or hand mixer on medium speed to prepare the cake batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, measure the buttermilk, and fresh lemon juice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand-held mixer and another bowl), beat the softened butter, with the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest and mix until well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix; stop as soon as the last addition of flour disappears.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan, spreading it evenly and tapping the pan gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Place the bundt cake pan in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Baking times may vary, so keep an eye on the cake and adjust as needed.
- Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then, carefully invert the cake onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
How to Make the Lemon Glaze
- Combine ⅓ cup lemon juice, with ⅓ cup granulated sugar and bring to a simmer. Let cool slightly and brush over the top surface of the bundt cake. Allow to cool and absorb bedfore frosting.
How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Begin by softening the cream cheese and butter. Leave them out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before beginning.
- Use an electric mixer on medium speed to soften the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and mix until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar in two or three additions. Whip them together until well incorporated and creamy.
- Gradually add the buttermilk (1 teaspoon at a time) until the desired consistency is reached.
- Once you've achieved the perfect consistency, your cream cheese frosting is ready to frost your bundt cake.
How to Frost Your Bundt Cake
- Ensure your Bundt cake is completely cooled before starting the frosting process.
- To fill a piping bag: first, insert a large round piping tip into the bottom of the bag. Then, use a spatula to scoop your frosting into the bag, ensuring it's evenly distributed and avoiding air pockets, before twisting the top of the bag to close it.
- To replicate the iconic Nothing Bundt Cakes look, you'll want to create lines of cream cheese frosting. First start on the outside of the cake, squeeze your pastry bag until you get a bead of frosting about ½ inch wide. Now draw the bead of frosting in an arch over the top of the cake and finish in the center. Rotate the cake and pipe another line the same way about an inch away from the first line. Repeat this process until you've gone all the way around the bundt cake.
- If desired, add decorative touches like sprinkles or edible flowers to recreate the Nothing Bundt Cake style.
- Allow the frosting to set slightly before serving your beautifully frosted Bundt cake.
How to Turn this cake into a White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt cake
- Add ½ cup of white chocolate chips to the batter before baking
- Substitute ½ cup crushed fresh raspberries for the lemon zest and lemon juice
Love Bundt Cakes? Here’s What to Try Next:
If you enjoyed this lemon Bundt cake, you might also like these helpful Bundt cake posts:
- No Bundt Pan? No Problem.
Learn easy swaps and tips for baking Bundt-style cakes without the traditional pan. - Nothing Bundt Cake Icing Recipe
For a full tutorial on how to get that signature look, be sure to check out this frosting post. I'll show you exactly how to frost it just like the bakery does!
Elizabeth says
Hi, would it be possible to have the weight in grams as well please? Thanks a lot, I appreciate
Better Baker says
Hi Elizabeth, One of my goals is to always have my recipes accessible to everyone. I will try to circle back to this one with the weight in grams. I appreciate you commenting and visiting my blog!
Edie says
@Jenn,
1 cup softened = 2 sticks of butter.
Nikki says
Hi!! So I’m looking to make this as buntkets. Can I do same recipe?? And any idea on how long to bake and how many
Better Baker says
Yes, you can use the same recipe for bundtlettes. Bake at the same temperature and start checking for doneness around 20-25 minutes. You should get about 12-15 bundtlettes.
Patrick Sheridan says
I always copy the recipe into chatgpt and tell it to convert to grams for me.
Better Baker says
Hello! The recipe has been updated to include ingredient weights in grams. Enjoy!
Lori Deron says
Could you publish your copy cat recipe for the chocolate chocolate chip nothing bundt?
Better Baker says
That sounds good! I'll add it to my ideas list. Thanks for the suggestion! 😊
Josette Mentzer says
For some reason I am not able to rate this recipe but I want to say….5 STARS!!! Best lemon recipe I have ever made! Super moist and wonderful flavor! Thank you!
Dianna says
How do you store the cake and can it be made ahead of time?
Better Baker says
Thank you so much for the amazing feedback! I'm thrilled you loved the lemon recipe—it means the world to me! 💛
Better Baker says
You can bake the cake 1-2 days ahead and store it wrapped at room temp or in the fridge. Frosted cakes last 5 days in the fridge, or you can freeze unfrosted layers for up to 3 months.
Alessandra says
thanks,This recipe is wonderful... thank you very much
Better Baker says
Thanks so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Kayla A. says
I made it into cupcakes instead. I did half recipe and it produced 15 cupcakes. I baked for only 15 mins since the cupcakes were a lot smaller. Thank you so much! It tasted identical to Nothing Bunt cake.
Kay says
Your frosting recipe for this cake is different than the link for given for the full tutorial. One uses cream cheese and butter, the other uses all cream cheese. Plus the amount of buttermilk is different. Which one should I use?
Tina says
I absolutely love this recipe! I got so many compliments! I’m in a total Bundt cake craze now. I really want to make a cookies and cream one for my fiancee’s birthday this week but cannot find a recipe that I think will turn out as good as this. I would LOVE if you could make a cookies and cream version of this! Pretty pretty please!!!
Carol Harris says
I am sorry not to give a Rating..
I did make the Lemon Bundt Cake for a friend's birthday and we didn't have the opportunity to enjoy it together. I can vouch for the delicious batter! I do have a question...Is all of the Lemon Glaze to be used? I hope my measuring wasn't off...it seemed like a lot, and I'm not sure it it was supposed to "set up" or just soak into the cake..?. I will definitely make this again and will be trying more of your recipes ☺️. Thank you...I will appreciate hearing just a bit more about the glaze.
Better Baker says
Thanks so much for giving it a try—I’m glad you enjoyed the batter and I hope your friend loved the cake too! Yes, the full amount of glaze is meant to be used. It soaks into the warm cake to keep it extra moist, rather than setting on top. So glad you’ll be making it again! Let me know if you try another recipe!
Better Baker says
I love hearing that—I'm so glad it was a hit! A cookies and cream version sounds amazing and now it’s officially on my list. I’ll start testing soon because that’s too good of an idea to pass up!
Kiran Di Tomaso says
I made this and it was the best lemon bundt I’ve ever had. EVEN BETTER THAN NOTHING BUNDT CAKES!!!!!!
Christine Dykstra says
Can these be made up ahead of time and how well do they freeze?
Better Baker says
Wow, what a compliment! I’m so glad you loved it. Thank you for baking it and sharing!
Quinn Cook says
Can you please tell me how to adjust this to the raspberry lemon cake? I can't wait to make it!