This lemon rosemary bundt cake combines tart lemons with savory rosemary to make a bright, light flavorful cake. The bundt cake is excellent to make during the peak citrus season.
Lemon Rosemary Bundt Cake Recipe
One of the bright spots of the cold winter season is the citrus season. The lemons are so juicy, and their tartness is almost sweet in a way. Which is why this combination of lemons and rosemary makes for a great bundt cake.
This lemon rosemary bundt cake is perfect for all occasions. It is great to end a meal with a satisfying dessert, excellent for a snack with a cup of tea, or even great first thing in the morning (who says breakfast can't be for dessert?).
Now I know what you are thinking, rosemary in cake? Don't knock the herbs in a cake until you try it. The savory herbs are super subtle but add a nice herby balance to the tart lemons. Adding rosemary and other herbs into desserts is one of my favorite ways to use them, actually. It is always so surprising how a savory element can make a sweet treat taste so good.
The lemon flavor in this cake is unmatched. It's basically like a lemon overload in a good way. The cake incorporates every single part of the lemon. The zest, the juice, and whole slices of lemon themselves are all in the cake. The tartness from the lemon is balanced by the sugar in the cake, allowing such a strong and pleasant lemon flavor to shine through.
This lemon rosemary bundt cake is a must-try during the winter months. It will easily add brightness to those cold and dreary days.
Why I Love This Lemon Rosemary Cake
- Bold Flavors - Savory rosemary and tart lemons work together to make a punch of a cake.
- Refreshing - The lemon flavor, plus the lemon glaze, makes this cake a super refreshing bite.
- Fun To Make - It is always exciting when using an ingredient to its fullest. The full lemon goes into this cake in all different ways.
Ingredients Needed For Lemon Rosemary Bundt Cake
See below for all the details on what you'll need to make the full recipe.
- Lemons - Use the zest, juice, and slices of the lemon.
- Rosemary - Stick with fresh rosemary to accentuate the flavors.
- Sour Cream - Adds richness to the cake.
- Oil - Keeps the crumb nice and moist.
- Eggs - 4 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, give an excellent texture to the cake.
How To Make Lemon Rosemary Bundt Cake
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a bundt pan with grease. Set to the side.
- Dry ingredients. Mix together the dry ingredients. Set to the side.
- Chop, zest, and supreme. Zest the lemons and chop the rosemary. Combine the two in a small bowl. Set to the side. Supreme the lemons, making sure to remove all of the piths. Chop the slices and place in a small bowl to the side.
- Add sugar. In the bowl with the zest and rosemary, add the sugar. Massage the sugar with the zest and rosemary to bring out all of the natural oils. Set to the set.
- Wet ingredients. In a bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the oil and sugar mixture. Add in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add in the sour cream, followed by the lemons, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and slowly mix until combined.
- Prepare bundt and bake. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, it will be really thick. Bake the cake in the oven for 50-60 minutes.
- Make the glaze. While the cake is baking, make the glaze. Mix together powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and heavy cream. Mix until the liquid is combined with the powdered sugar, making for a very thick glaze.
- Cool and glaze. Let the cake cool completely on a cooling rack. If the cake is still warm when taken out of the bundt pan, it will crack. Glaze the cooled cake, serve, and enjoy!
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Make Ahead: This cake can be made in advance if needed. If making the cake ahead of time, do not glaze the cake until ready to serve. Store the cake in the bundt pan with foil on top, or take the cake out of the pan and wrap it in an airtight container.
- To Store: The cake will stay in an airtight container for 3-5 days after baking.
- To Freeze: The cake can also be frozen and last in the freeze for 2-3 months.
Tips and Variations
- No Lemons - Don't love lemons or can't seem to find juicy ones? No problem! Replace the lemons with the citrus of your choice.
- Grease - Bundt pans can be very finicky. Go a little overboard when preparing the pan with grease to make sure it gets in all of the nooks and crannies.
- More Rosemary - If you want more of the rosemary flavor to shine through, add another tablespoon of chopped rosemary to the cake for a fuller flavor.
FAQs
No! If you'd rather leave the glaze off the cake, go ahead. The cake can also be sprinkled with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Bundt is a German word, with the translation of bundt cake meaning "a cake for gatherings."
Let the cake cool completely, then flip it on to a plate and let it slowly work its way out. If it needs a little help, run a butter knife around the edges to give it a little nudge.
Lemon Rosemary Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 lemons, zested and supremed
- 2 tbsp rosemary, chopped
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup (1 ½ half sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 4 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ¾ cup sour cream
Glaze
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- splash of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a bundt pan with grease. Set to the side.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set to the side.
- Zest the lemons and chop the rosemary. Combine the ingreidents In a meduim-sized bowl, set to the side.
- Supreme the lemons. Make sure to use a sharp knife and do not get any of the white pith into the bowl, as that will make the flavor bitter. Give a rough chop to them lemons place in bowl.
- Add the sugar to the zest and rosemary mixture. Use your hands to massage the sugar into the mixture. This will bring out the natural oils in the zest and rosemary.
- In a bowl with a hand mixer or in a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and oil with the sugar mixture, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs in one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add in the lemons and the sour cream. Don't worry if the mixture looks slightly curdled.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture, scraping down the sides as needed. The batter will be very thick.
- Add the batter to the prepared bundt pan and cook in the oven for 50-60 minutes.
- While the cake is cooking, make the glaze. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, heavy cream, and vanilla in a bowl. Mix until desired texture is reached.
- Let the cake fully cool before removing it from the bundt pan. When the cake is cool, remove it from the pan and add the glaze on top.
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