Greek Lemon Bundt Cake
This lovely, fine-crumb Greek Lemon Bundt Cake has a double hit of lemon and is perfect for tea time or dessert.
With Greek yogurt to add moisture and tenderness, this Homemade Lemon Cake always receives rave reviews.
Why You Must Make
- This recipe is perfect to feed a crowd, 12 or more, depending on the size of your slices.
- If you are serving a few people who don’t like chocolate, lemon desserts are always a tasty alternative.
- The addition of Greek yogurt adds richness, moisture, and tenderness, along with helping the cake rise, since its natural acidity activates the baking soda.
Greek Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
My mom made a few Greek recipes for our family, including a lemon soup, pork shish kebabs marinated in lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil, and the dreaded moussaka. We weren’t quite sure what to think of Greek cuisine until we tried the desserts, namely my mom’s incredibly tasty Baklava recipe.
Back then, eggplant was new to my sisters and me, and lamb wasn’t a favorite either. I know when moussaka came up on the menu, there was a bit of a revolt. With that in mind, instead of torturing the picky hubby with an eggplant-centered dish, I turned my sights to dessert. His palate is similar to that of immature school girls (shhhh, don’t tell him I’m writing about him again!).
Even though this may not be an authentic Greek recipe, this tasty Greek Lemon Bundt Cake is my homage to their fondness for lemons and to the Bundt (“Boont”) cake scene in the original Big Fat Greek Wedding movie that induced hysterical laughter. This homemade lemon cake was an excellent choice.
Tips for Making a Bundt Cake:
Have you ever flipped over a Bundt cake and had big chunks remain in the pan??! So frustrating, especially if the cake company is coming for dinner! I have some tips for making sure your Bundt cake comes out perfectly!
- Make sure your Bundt pan is in good shape. If it’s non-stick, over time the coating can wear off. If the coating is worn, make sure to prep your pan well. If you still have sticking problems, it may be time to buy a new pan.
- PRO-Tip: Grease and flour your pan to prevent sticking. You can also use a non-stick flour and oil spray like Baker’s Joy. Just make sure to spray right before you add the batter. Doing it too far in advance will lessen its effectiveness.
- PRO-Tip: When you take your cake out of the oven, let it rest on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes before releasing to allow the exterior crust to firm up. If you release the cake too early, you may find it won’t come out in one piece. Alternatively, if you wait too long, it may not release at all!
- I gently shake the pan back and forth to loosen the cake, then flip it over onto a cooling rack.
- PRO-Tip: If you do have a disastrous cake release, use the cake pieces to make a trifle or parfaits!
Frequently Asked Questions
Bundt cakes are a sub-category of tube cakes, which are cakes baked in a pan with a tube in the middle so the cake bakes up in a ring shape. A Bundt pan is a trademarked tube pan with curved, fluted sides.
There are a few reasons a Bundt cake can stick. Sometimes it’s simply that the pan has aged and the non-stick surface has worn off. It also may not have been prepped properly. Even if you have a non-stick Bundt pan, it’s best to coat it with a layer of fat (like butter or shortening) and dust it with flour or spray it with a non-stick baking spray like Baker’s Joy (affiliate link).
There’s something magical that happens when yogurt is added to a recipe. In a marinade, lactic acid gently tenderizes the meat and keeps it moist. In a cake or muffin, the yogurt adds richness, helps the baking soda do its leavening work, and makes for a tender crumb by loosening the gluten strands in the flour.
More Citrus Recipes You’ll Love:
- Key Lime Pie Cookies from Grandbaby Cakes
- Swedish Orange Sweet Buns from Barbara Bakes
- Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
- Easy Lemon Bundt Cake
- Lemon Madeleines
- Raspberry Topped Lemon Soufflé
- Plus, check out more Dessert Recipes
Greek Lemon Bundt Cake
A lovely lemon cake made with Greek yogurt
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups white sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (not fat-free)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with non-stick oil and flour spray like Baker's Joy.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
- Separate the eggs. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add ½ cup of the sugar, beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Set aside.
- Put the remaining 1 ½ cups of sugar into a medium bowl with the lemon zest. With your fingers, rub the lemon zest into the sugar.
- Cream butter into the lemon-infused sugar. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon juice, and mix until fluffy.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt to the egg yolk mixture.
- Gently fold in the egg whites and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Level the top with an offset spatula if needed.
- Bake at 350º for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to finish cooling.
- Serve with berries and sweetened whipped cream if desired.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 437Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 315mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 1gSugar: 34gProtein: 8g
33 Comments on “Greek Lemon Bundt Cake”
Such an easy and tasty cake to make for this weekend. I am sure everyone will love this!
This is a perfectly flavored, perfectly textured cake. It is delicious on it’s own or makes a great base for lots of toppings. It is divine with fresh strawberries and whipped cream!
I love that you made this with Greek yogurt and can’t wait to make this for Christmas morning!
Merry Christmas!
this look delicious! I would love a slice with my coffee right now
Wow. This greek lemon bundt cake looks like heaven! I went over the ingredient list and although it seems like i’m going to need a few items that are not in my cupboard, i’m still going to try this. Thanks for sharing.
Interesting…I almost always opt for sour cream over yogurt in baking. I think I might just try yogurt sometime! Beautiful cake and love that it is lemon-flavored! Love anything lemon!!
It looks FANTASTIC Liz! Perfectly baked and moist. Excellent work!
As for the moussaka, we don’t use lamb in moussaka here in Greece. We don’t know if that’s something Greek-Americans do in the States, but here in Greece we always use ground beef and sometimes a mix of ground beef and pork. Lamb sounds very “intense” flavor for the dish.
If you have some time take a look at a classic Greek version in our blog to see how it’s usually cooked in Greece.
Thank you for another yummy recipe dear!
Sending you lots of sunshine from Athens!
xoxoxo
Simple rich and delicious cake. One of those cakes that once you start eating it, it’s kind of hard to stop…. 🙂
There’s nothing better than a good “Boont” cake! Filing this one away for safe keeping.
My mum used to make vegetable moussaka for me 🙁 it’s not a dish I am fond of. This lemon cake is much more my thing, love it.
I think lemon is the perfect flavor for your Greek bundt cake. Definitely with the yogurt!
A beautiful cake, Liz. Just waiting for my lemons… hope you enjoyed a good Easter holiday. xx
Your cake looks great, Liz! I’d take lemon over chocolate any day, so this is a must try. Can’t wait to see the movie! Take care