Dive into the most delicious lemon dessert with this ultra moist gluten-free lemon bundt cake recipe. A mixture of lemon pudding mix and sour cream makes the crumb soft and tender. Plus, I use an easy baking trick to hydrate GF flour starches to eliminate any gummy denseness. Top it all off with a citrusy lemon glaze and you have the best GF cake ever!
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Extra Moist Gluten-Free Lemon Bundt Cake with Pudding Mix
This gluten-free bundt cake outshines all recipes with a bright lemon flavor and ultra moist crumb. A combination of oil and sour cream avoids any displeasing dry texture, while lemon pudding mix and lemon zest guarantees the best citrusy taste!
When testing this dessert I used a simple trick that has proven success in many of my highly-reviewed gluten-free cake recipes, especially when experimenting with using different brands of gluten-free flour blends. Adding boiling water to the cake mixture benefits this cake in a couple different ways.
First, it hydrates the GF starches to eliminate any grittiness. I found this especially advantageous because home bakers like to use their preferred flour mixes. Unfortunately, the varying starches between brands means a variety of outcomes.
Across the board, using boiling water softens any type of GF starch blend, so after baking the results are more consistent. It also loosens the batter, which helps flour blends containing a lot of cornstarch. The cake had a lesser tendency to fall after baking.
When creating a homemade gluten-free bundt cake, I found simply adding lemon zest and extract did not go far enough for a bright lemon flavor. I wanted it to really shine through, like in these incredible gluten-free lemon bars!
Therefore, I added instant lemon pudding mix to the batter for bigger citrusy flavor. The combination of pudding mix with sour cream also means having to add less liquids, which can lead to gumminess because they are not as easily absorbed into GF starches.
Of course you can take enjoy this lemon pound cake as is, or add pizzazz with fresh berries. Gently stir in fresh raspberries or take inspiration from this moist lemon blueberry drizzle cake and mix blueberries into the batter. Alternatively, serve fresh berries on the side with a dollop of whipped cream.
I’m obsessed with this recipe. It’s the best lemon dessert I’ve had since my Celiac diagnosis. The gluten-free chocolate chip Nothing Bundt Cake and this lemon bundt cakes are amazing!
—Belinda
Free Guide! 5 easy tips for baking like a gluten-free pro!
Simple hacks for fail-proof gluten-free dishes every time!
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Easy peasy – mix dry and add wet
In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low to combine, then add in the eggs, oil, lemon zest, and sour cream.
Boiling water trick
At this point the cake batter will be very thick. Slowly mix in the boiling water and eventually it will loosen up. The mixture will still be thick, but don’t be tempted to add in extra liquid. This is a denser, moist crumb similar to pound cake. Extra moisture will take it from moist to gummy.
Pour into the a greased bundt cake pan and spread evenly. Bake in a 350°F oven for 55 minutes, or until a long cake tester comes out clean. I especially love these cake testers for bundt cakes because a toothpick doesn’t go down far enough to see if it’s baked through.
Bundt Cake Glaze and Toppings
This homemade bundt cake has a double dose of lemon flavor by drizzling a citrusy lemon glaze over the top. It is a simple mixture of powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice that hardens into a shiny glaze.
To amp up the lemon even more, sprinkle on a dusting of fresh lemon zest or decorate the top with candied lemon slices.
If you are looking for something different than a lemon glaze, substitute milk for the lemon juice. Adding a ½ teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract would also be a tasty addition!
My Preferred Gluten-Free Flour To Use
Different flours work optimally in different types of baked goods. However, when making gluten-free cakes, I find Cup4Cup brand to work the best. The drawback of Cup4Cup is the cornstarch makes the batter very thick, but then it will magically bake up great! If C4C doesn’t work for you, King Arthur Measure-for-Measure is a good runner up.
Generally I stay away from Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour because, although it is affordable and popular, I find it to have an off putting taste and grittiness compared to other brands. However, this does seem to be less noticeable in recipes with more sugar.
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Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Moist Gluten-Free Lemon Bundt Cake with Sour Cream
Ingredients
Lemon Bundt Cake
- 2 ½ cups gluten free all purpose flour, I recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3.4 ounce dry instant lemon pudding mix, read label for GF
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ½ cup oil, any preferred
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup boiling water
Lemon Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 – 2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a nonstick 12-cup bundt cake pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low to combine.2 ½ cups gluten free all purpose flour, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 3.4 ounce dry instant lemon pudding mix, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the eggs, sour cream, oil, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until all the ingredients are combined. Slowly pour in the boiling water, mixing on low speed. Once combined, increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. The mixture will be very thick, especially if using Cup4Cup flour. Do not add more liquid or the baked texture will be off.3 large eggs, ¾ cup sour cream, ½ cup oil, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, ⅓ cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread evenly in the prepared bundt cake pan. Bake on the middle rack for 50-55 minutes, or until a long cake tester comes out clean. It's better to error on the side of slightly over-baking with GF cakes to make sure all the moisture is absorbed.
- Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting out of the pan and cooling completely.
- For the glaze, mix together the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl. The mixture should be just thin enough to drizzle on. Drizzle over the top of the cake.1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 2 – 2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
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I followed the recipe to the tee. However it did sink
Hi Fran,
I’m sorry that happened. It could have been the GF flour used required a little less liquid to set the cake or the baking time needed to be extended. Different GF flour blends have varying starches, so they aren’t universal in how they absorb moisture. I like to error on the side of slightly overbaking to make sure with GF cakes. Sometimes I will turn off the oven and let the cake sit in there for 5 minutes longer before pulling out.
Best,
Melissa
Can you make these as cupcakes?
Hi Alida,
I haven’t tried it as cupcakes, but I don’t see why not. The baking time would decrease by quite a bit, maybe 20-25 minutes, but that’s a guess. I would just make sure the tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean.
Best,
Melissa
Turned out phenomenal! The texture was really good especially for a gf cake!
Love hearing this, Channing! Thanks for sharing!
Best,
Melissa
I’m obsessed with this recipe. It’s the best lemon dessert I’ve had since my Celiac diagnosis. Please let me know if you develop a strawberry version of this cake. The gluten free chocolate chip and this lemon Bundt cakes are amazing!
I’ve made this recipe at least 10 times, using whatever gluten free flour is cheapest at the store. The only substitution I do is using boiling lemon juice instead of water for an extra kick. To top of the complications of gluten free cooking, I also live at high altitude, almost 8000ft. This recipe turns out GREAT every time, everyone loves it! I’ve done the chocolate version, an orange version, all good but lemon is the best! Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temp before starting. I also let the batter sit in the pan 10-15 minutes before I put it in the oven. Love, love, love this cake, making another one today!
Thank you so much, Julie! I appreciate the tips. It’s so helpful!
Best,
Melissa
Is the boiling water new? I haven’t made this recipe in a while but when I did I don’t remember the water…
Yes, Tianna! I’ve been getting some inconsistent feedback in the comments so I tweaked the recipe slightly. I think it needed a touch more liquid and the boiling water will soften the GF starches. Thanks for checking!
Best,
Melissa
I’ve made this cake twice; perfect both times.
So glad to hear, Tina! Thanks for taking the time to share.
Best,
Melissa
Melissa,
I have both Bob’s and King Arthur GF flour. But I just baked some GF biscotti with King Arthur’s and they were extremely grainy. So maybe I should go out and buy the brand you use. Also can these be made into mini 1 pound loaves? That’s how I make my regular lemon bread. Looking forward to making these.
Thanks, Rita
Hi Rita,
If you can have dairy, then I would definitely recommend Cup4Cup, especially if your baked goods are grainy. If it’s not available by you, I buy it off Amazon or Vitacost. Another trick to get rid of graininess is to replace about 1/4 cup of the all purpose GF flour with cornstarch (for every cup of flour called for). I haven’t tried baking in mini 1 pound loaf pans, but I don’t see that being an issue, the baking time would reduce, probably 30-35 minutes? I would fill the pans about 3/4 to the top.
Best,
Melissa
Thank you. I ordered the Cup4Cup on Amazon and it’s coming tonight!! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Perfect! Please do. It was an absolute game changer for me 🙂
Thank you for all yiur help but the recipe was awful. Im am a baker so i dont understand how this happened.
So I made the cake into mini loaves. I had to throw them all out. I followed directions to the t. I also ordered the GF flour that you recommended. The dough was like elastic similar to bread dough with yeast. After I struggled filling the loaf pans they finally came out of the oven. One was totally brown on the outside and raw on the inside. I had to put it back in. When I finally cut the loaves they were awful the consistency was not good and neither was the taste. I really wanted a GF Lemon bread and had such high hopes. Sorry for the terrible rating but I wasted ingredients and time and it’s very frustrating.
I’m so very sorry to hear this, Rita. After everything I understand why it was frustrating for you. I can’t exactly tell you what went wrong. I haven’t tested the recipe as loaves, but I’m not sure why they would have been so underbaked. I recently made this recipe again for Mother’s Day and I didn’t have the issues. I sincerely apologize though. 🙁
Best,
Melissa
Thank you for your reply.
I made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday cake. It came out dry and dense. I am sorry to post a bad review, but the only difference I can see that I did compared to your recipe is that I used King Arthur Measure 4 measure flour.
How should this be stored? I assume the refrigerator since it has sour cream?
Hi Morgan,
I apologize for leaving this information out! (I have now added it to the post) No, it does not have to be refrigerated. It will dry out the cake. Since the sour cream is baked in, it can be left at room temp, well covered for 1-2 days. Otherwise, leftovers can be sliced, wrapped and frozen.
Best,
Melissa
I found this recipe and bake this cake for a fine dining restaurant for customers with celiac and gluten sensitivities and have gotten a lot of great feedback! The only change/ substitution I make is using Bob’s red mill grain free Paleo baking flour and the zest of two large lemons.Quick and easy, very moist, great lemon flavor and bright yellow color. I now use this recipe personally, over other lemon bundt cake recipes, thank you for posting!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it and glad you found the recipe so helpful.
Best,
Melissa
I’m Celiac and haven’t had a lemon Bundt cake in over 15 years. I’ve been craving it lately so I finally worked up the motivation to get all of the ingredients and made it for Easter. I baked it according to the recipe and was very disappointed with how crispy it turned out. There was too much lemon in the glaze and not enough in the cake itself. It was also quite dry. Sorry to say how disappointed I am in this recipe.
Hi Hannah,
I’m so sorry to hear this. I promise I would never publish a recipe that had subpar results. This recipe in particular is based off of two other highly-reviewed recipes, chocolate bundt cake and copycopt GF nothing bundt cake. The basic recipes are the same, but the flavorings are modified. I can’t speak particularly to what happened when you made it, but I’m wondering what GF flour you used? Also, did you bake it in a bundt cake pan? It’s quite a tall, thick cake with just the layer of glaze at top. I never want bakers to have frustrating results because I know what an investment in time and money it is, so I’d be happy to help troubleshoot in any way.
Best,
Melissa
I’m not sure if I did something wrong, but I would recommend using a stand up mixer and not a hand mixer. It’s very dense when mixing.
Hi Nancy,
If you use Cup4Cup GF flour, it can be quite stiff because of the cornstarch in the mixture. Yes, a stand mixer with a paddle attachment would be easier. I’m so sorry the batter was hard to work with!
Best,
Melissa
Wonderful! I also zested and squeezed a tangerine. Mmmm.
Made it as a layer cake with warm berry compote in the middle and topped with whipped cream, made with lemon and tangerine zest. 5 Star restaurant quality cake.
Thank you so much! We are enjoying this right now too! But, that berry compote! Ooo that sounds good!
Best,
Melissa
I added blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries to batter and everyone loved it!
Oh my gosh, this sounds amazing!
Best,
Melissa
Hello. Your bundt cakes look amazing! What brand(s) of instant pudding mix do you use, that you find to be safely gluten free? And I’m also curious about the difference between instant vs. cooked pudding mixes as far as how they behave in this recipe. Thank you! Carrie.
Hi Carrie,
Jell-O brand is safe for gluten free. Although it’s not clearly labeled as “gluten free” all the ingredients are safe and when cross-referencing with celiac.org they confirm it’s safe to consume. You can actually use cook and serve as well. They won’t make a huge difference in the recipe.
Best,
Melissa
I made this for a birthday cake and it was a huge hit! Everyone loved it and usually nobody wants to take desert home, but everyone wanted some to go. Very good. I would definitely make this again.
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Cindy. Made my day!
Best,
Melissa