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Citrus Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Lemon Glaze

I buy so much citrus on a weekly basis, and I love sweets, so naturally…we’ve got a flavorful, moist citrus bundt cake. This is a slight rift on my previous lemon bundt cake, but this time I just wanted to add more citrusy notes. I suggest you do whatever is in your sweet little heart. If you’ve got blood oranges, cara cara oranges, meyer lemons, key limes — whatever. Make this your own!

If you’re a fan of completely coated bundt cakes, then I suggest you double the glaze recipe and fully drench your cake with it. Otherwise, you should be ok with the amount I mention below. No picture tutorial here, because you have a whole entire video to see how this is made, so check it out. You aren’t subscribed to my channel? What in God’s name is wrong with you…

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Give this recipe a try!

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Citrus Bundt Cake

Citrus Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Lemon Glaze


Description

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated


Ingredients

Units

For the Cake:

  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced (2 tbsp) (see note below)
  • 1 lime, zested
  • 1 orange, zested 2 tbsp juiced
  • 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (15 ounces)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp lemon extract
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 18 tbsp unsalted butter (2 1/4 sticks), at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar

For the Glaze:

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon buttermilk
  • 2 cups confectioners sugar (8 ounces)
  • Edible flowers, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE:

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour (alternatively, brush pan with mixture of 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon melted butter). Mince lemon, lime, and orange zest to fine paste (you should have about 3 tablespoons). Juice the lemon until you have 2 tablespoons, and juice the orange until you have 2 tablespoons, or a total of 1/4 cup juice. Combine zest and juice in small bowl; set aside to soften, 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Combine lemon juice mixture, vanilla, lemon extract, and buttermilk in medium bowl. In small bowl, gently whisk eggs and yolk to combine. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, cream butter and sugar at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes; scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce to medium speed and add half of eggs, mixing until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Repeat with remaining eggs; scrape down bowl again. Reduce to low speed; add about one-third of flour mixture, followed by half of buttermilk mixture, mixing until just incorporated after each addition (about 5 seconds). Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Scrape into prepared pan.
  3. Bake until top is golden brown and wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into center comes out with no crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes.

FOR THE GLAZE:

  1. While cake is baking, whisk 2 tablespoons lemon juice, buttermilk, and confectioners’ sugar until smooth, adding more lemon juice gradually as needed until glaze is thick but still pourable (mixture should leave faint trail across bottom of mixing bowl when drizzled from whisk). Cool cake in pan on wire rack set over baking sheet for 10 minutes, then invert cake directly onto rack. Pour half of glaze over warm cake and let cool for 1 hour; pour remaining glaze evenly over top of cake and continue to cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours. Decorate with edible flowers, if using. Cut into slices and serve.
  2. Store leftover cake in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out.

Notes

You should have about 1 tbsp of lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lime zest, and 1 tablespoon of orange zest. You won’t need all of the juice from the orange, just 2 tablespoons to soak the zest.

  • Prep Time: 25 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
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Recipe rating

  1. Kat says:

    This was one of the best cakes I have ever made! I followed the recipe pretty closely, only emitting the lime zest and adding a layer of lemon curd. I decorated it with pistachios and dried cranberries for a holiday party. Everyone raved! I will definitely make this cake again!!

  2. phyllis hall says:

    this is JUSTT stunning!!!! …looking at those beeyoutiful pictures …its gots mah eyes awwl googlie!!

    i went traipsing off looking for a buttermilk lemon glaze and HERE you come ah runnin!!

    i was not expecting to get slapped with a beautiful blog!!
    THANKS sooo much !!!!