dear fellow crumbsnatchers,
i've never been more excited for national lemon juice day! i love citrus everything. from edible treats to cleaning products, there's something about lemons that just makes me happy. i blame my father. he was the ultimate lemon fan. he'd always eat our lemon starbursts. he'd always get lemonheads at the movie theater. he'd always get rita's lemon italian ice. he'd always get fresh squeezed lemonade at the theme park. he'd always have a stash of lemon candies in his cars to remedy the wright dry cough. and he'd always request lemon cake for his birthday.
my dad was a simple man. he never really asked for much but was always overtly generous to others. he loved cars, cameras and computers. he loved me and my sisters. despite his failed marriages, he'd tell us that we were the best thing in his life and this remained true to his last dying breath. i miss my dad the most on my birthday. birthdays were never extravagant by today's standards. they were simple, just like my dad. he'd wake me up singing happy birthday and after i left for college, he'd make sure he was the first call of the day. there was always a sweet treat, whether it be cake or ice-cream or both, and sometimes a rare dinner out. when it came to his birthday, he only asked for lemon cake. it didn't matter what gifts we made or bought, to him, we were his greatest gifts. this lemon cake was one of my favorite traditions.
lemon bundt cake recipe
crumb confession: this recipe is from the back of a cake box. the duncan hines cake box to be exact. these days i've been short on time. i underestimated how much more time it takes to prepare and execute virtual courses, at least ones that are designed well. and in these stressful times, i've been craving sweets. lots of them. so even though my dad isn't here to enjoy a slice with me and tell me everything will work out like he always did, at least this quick and simple cake recipe satisfies my sweet tooth and reminds me of him.
cuisine: american
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 45-55 minutes
serves: 8-12
ingredients
1 box lemon supreme cake mix
1 - 3.4 oz box lemon instant pudding mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
4 eggs
1 tbs lemon zest
icing: 1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
directions
preheat oven to 350F. generously coat a bundt pan with non-stick spray. set aside.
in a large bowl, combine all ingredients with an electric hand mixer for 1-2 minutes.
pour into bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.
remove cake from oven and cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes.
remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.
transfer cake to serving plate.
combine glaze ingredients in a liquid measuring cup and drizzle on cake.
if you love oranges, you can substitute the lemon supreme cake mix with orange supreme cake mix, lemon pudding mix with vanilla pudding mix, lemon juice with orange juice, and lemon zest with orange zest, for an easy orange bundt cake. i've seen some people substitute with strawberry supreme cake mix for a strawberry lemonade inspired cake too. whatever your flavor's desire, squeeze the day and let them eat cake!
love and crumbs,
christina & gypsie
p.s. did you make this recipe? be sure to drop us a crumb on instagram at @crumbsforgypsie and hashtag it #crumbsforgypsie.
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