Week 13 and lookin’ like a lemon. Well, not looking like one…more like the length of one? Who doesn’t love pound cake? Who doesn’t love lemons? Who doesn’t love cream cheese in a batter? Nobody I know. Let’s combine all of them into one recipe and make a Lemon Cream Cheese Bundt Cake. This is a dense, buttery, moist cake that has the most fantastic tart pop of lemon in the glaze that covers it. I love looking for old fashioned vintage cake pans that have fun shapes embedded into the cake. Have fun using what you have at home or looking online for a new pan. Keep it at 12 cups and have fun!
Ingredients
Cake:
3 cups Cake Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
4 Large Eggs (room temperature)
2 Large Egg Yolks (room temperature)
¼ cup Milk (1%, 2%, or whole)
⅓ cup Fresh Lemon Juice
2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 ½ cups Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
6 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
3 cups Granulated Sugar (or organic pure cane sugar)
2 teaspoon Lemon Zest
Glaze:
2 cups Powdered Sugar
2-4 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
Adjust your oven rack to the middle or center position, place a jelly roll pan or baking sheet on top, and preheat the oven to 300ºF. Generously spray a 12 cup bundt cake pan with a flour-based baking spray. Set to the side. Alternatively, you can butter and flour the inside of the pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour and salt. Set to the side.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the unsalted butter, softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and lemon zest at no higher than medium speed until light in color and fluffy in texture.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add in the egg mixture until it is fully incorporated with the rest of the batter. The batter at this stage may appear a bit curdled—this is okay.
Keeping the mixer speed on low, gradually add in the cake flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Alternatively, you can fold in the flour mixture with a spatula. The batter should be on the thicker side, smooth, and light in color.
Transfer the batter to the prepared IKEA cake pan or 12-cup bundt pan, then gently tap on the counter 2-3 times to release any air bubbles.
Place on top of the preheated jelly roll pan or baking sheet.
If using a traditionally shaped 12 cup bundt cake pan, bake for 85 – 95 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
If using a shallower and wider than normal cake pan, bake for 75-85 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
The outside of the lemon cream cheese pound cake will be a medium golden brown with slightly darker edges that have pulled away from the edge. When pressed lightly with your finger, the cake should spring back.
The best test is to insert a cake tester into the cake. If there is any batter left on the tester, continue to bake. To avoid a very dark outside, you can choose to place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top with 15-20 minutes remaining.
Let the cake cool on a wire cooling rack for 15-20 minutes, then carefully invert onto the cooling rack, removing the pan, then letting it cool completely (about 2-3 hours).
This lemon cream cheese pound cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can also be stored in the freezer, double wrapped in plastic wrap with an aluminum foil cover for up to 1 month.
Glaze:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice then evenly pour over the top of the cooled pound cake. The lemon glaze can also be added after you have sliced the cake too. For a thinner glaze, add more lemon juice. For a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar.
In place of the lemon glaze, you can easily dust the cake with a little powdered sugar or enjoy it plain!