This Lemonade Bundt Cake is one of the fluffiest and tastiest cakes on earth! You don't even need a mixer to prepare it: just a bowl and a whisk.
A perfect classic dessert that everyone can enjoy at home!
Recipe origin
The Lemonade Cake was a very popular dessert in my childhood. Someone somewhere found out that the carbonated drink makes the cakes even fluffier than if you used milk or yogurt, and so the recipe was spread across.
Lemonade Bundt cake was the first dessert I learnt to bake. So many times I observed my grandma preparing it that I simply memorised all the steps and ingredients.
The secret of this recipe
Did you know that you can use carbonated water instead of eggs in baked goods? Well, a test found that it might be the best egg substitute for cakes.
So imagine a good quantity of eggs mixed together with some carbonated water that has a similar effect. No wonder this cake is fluffy even without all the mixing.
What ingredients you need
To make a Lemonade Bundt Cake from scratch you need few simple ingredients: eggs, sugar, flour, oil, lemon zest, baking powder.
And of course, the most important ingredient which brings the name of the cake: lemonade. Or any soft drink like sprite, tonic, 7 up, even just plain soda water - as long as it is carbonated.
The lemonade taste is usually not strong enough to create a citrus flavour but some lemon zest is a perfect addition.
Preparation summary
The vintage Lemonade Cake recipe which my grandma taught me was pretty straight forward: just mix all the wet ingredients and add gradually the dry ones.
I decided to take a slightly different approach by adding the lemonade to the cake mix at the end. That way we avoid the tough situation with flour floating in the liquid batter, which might easily result in lumps. And we don't want them in our baked goods.
Variations
- For even nicer consistency, you can substitute 2 tablespoon flour with cornstarch.
- Lemon zest can be substituted with lemon extract. Or why not with vanilla!
- Ultimately, this cake could be great with some marble pattern in the middle. To make it, just mix few tablespoons of the batter with cocoa powder. Then pour half of the white batter in the pan. Pour the cocoa mixture on top and cover with the rest of the light batter.
Serving ideas
It is best to serve it with a lemonade cake glaze - another detail which did not exist in my grandma's cake. In my recipe you will find a pretty easy glaze which makes the cake even nicer.
Storing
Store the cake 2-3 days at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap or portioned in boxes. In the fridge it will stay fresh for about 4 days.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 month, covered in plastic wrap or sliced in freezer bags.
Let me know what you think of this recipe! And if you want to see my versions of other vintage cakes, check out the below selection:
- Easy Napoleon Cake Recipe
- My Grandma's Old Fashioned Walnut Cake
- How to make a perfect Creme Caramel
- Mississippi Mud Cake
📝 Recipe
Lemonade Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup/ 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 cups / 260 g all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- ⅓ cup/ 100 ml vegetable oil, I use olive oil
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅔ cup/ 160 ml cup lemon soda, see notes
For the glaze:
- 1 cup/ 120 g powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350° F/ 180° C. Grease and flour very well a bundt cake pan.
- In a bowl sift together flour and baking powder.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs and sugar for 2-3 minutes. Add lemon zest and oil and beat until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, start folding the dry ingredients into the mixture. Alternate with the lemon soda, mixing gently, until absorbed. The batter should not be too thick.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely in the pan before removing it. Run carefully a butter knife around the edges and then invert it on a plate. Spoon the hot glaze on top and serve.
Glaze:
- In a small saucepan combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Heat until the mixture starts simmering.
Notes
- Store the cake for 2-3 days at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap.
- You can use any kind of carbonated lemon flavoured drink: yellow lemonade, lemon soda, sprite, 7 up, etc. Alternatively use just carbonated water.
- How to grease the pan: pour few tablespoons of oil and put half tbs flour inside the pan. Use a kitchen brush to mix both ingredients and spread them very thoroughly inside the pan.
- To make a marble pattern: take 3-4 tablespoon batter in a separate bowl and mix it with 2 teaspoon cocoa powder. Pour half of the light batter into the prepared pan. Pour the cocoa mixture on top. Cover with the rest of the light batter.
Diane Lester says
Puzzled by this recipe. No melted butter listed in the ingredients but you have to mix in during the mixing process?
Daniela Lambova says
Thanks for spotting this and sorry for the confusion. There is no melted butter in this recipe (must have been part of the recipe testing and so I have missed to remove it from the instructions). You can see also in the steps and ingredients photos that it is only oil.