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Italian Lemon Honey Bundt Cake With Caramelized Honey Glaze

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This rich lemon honey bundt cake is loaded with the honey flavor and the perfect amount of lemon.  Top it with the caramelized honey glaze for an extra special treat.

Lifting a slice of honey lemon bundt cake.

Honey and lemon are a perfect match.  They come together beautifully in this Italian Bundt cake.  It is the perfect mix of sweet and tart and the texture of the cake itself is great thanks to buttermilk and sour cream. 

The glaze melts in to take it to the next level of amazing.  It is perfect for any special occasion.

I know it is hard to believe, but at one point MiMi was the dessert committee for our family.  I seem to have taken that over in the last few years.

Fork next to slice of honey lemon bundt cake with bite missing.

My cousins would rave over her sweets.  My siblings and I didn’t know how good we had it.

In the early stages of this site, she was helping quite a bit and having fun making paired cakes and ice creams.  On this particular day everything was Italian themed.

The dinner was a wonderful rolled beef stuff with all the good stuff.  We finished the meal with this cake and lemon Italian ice.

Slice of honey lemon bundt cake on plate with wood honey drizzler nearby.

I am not sure why we didn’t share the Italian ice recipe because it was delicious.  If that is something you would be interested in, let me know in the comments.

There would be no complaints if we whipped up more so that we could share the recipe, of that I am certain.  Just give us the excuse to need to do it!

Tips For Making This Bundt Cake Recipe

Start with softened butter and room temperature eggs, sour cream and buttermilk to make incorporating everything easier. From there the batter is super simple.

This cake is absolutely loaded with honey, it is the predominant flavor. So you may want to use a mild to moderate flavored honey unless you are a HUGE honey fan.

A fun fruity orange blossom style honey would be lovely. It might even be fun to use a little lavender honey or something if you like a bit of floral.

For a bolder lemon flavor, feel free to add a bit of lemon extract. It is easy to alter the recipe a bit to get it just the way you want it!

Making the Lemon Honey Glaze

The glaze is also super simple to make. Start by stirring together a little lemon juice, sugar and honey.

Melt it over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Then let it continue cooking until it is bubbly and golden brown, a few minutes should do it.

Stir in a pinch of salt, cream and butter to round out the caramelly goodness. Let it cool while the cake finishes baking.

Pouring the mostly cool glaze over the still warm cake allows some of it to sink into the cake. For a cleaner finish, glaze the cake over a wire rack and allow the excess to drip onto a sheet pan.

Pouring caramelized honey glaze over bundt cake.

If you don’t mind a little pool of glaze around your cake, go ahead and do it with the cake on the cake plate. Either way, it will taste amazing!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you glaze a Bundt cake hot or cold?

In most cases, you want to let the cake cool completely before adding the glaze. Trying to glaze a hot cake will thin out the glaze, causing more to drip off of the cake.

How do I store Bundt cakes?

Like most cakes, Bundt cakes are best stored covered at room temperature. They will last that way for several days. For longer storage, freeze individual slices for up to three months for a quick treat later. Refrigerating cakes tend to dry them out and make them go stale more quickly.

More Lemon Recipes

If you like lemon Bundt cakes, be sure to check out the recipe for lemon bundt cake with ginger glaze or the bright lemon blueberry bundt cake.

Maybe you prefer lemon cakes, in which case lemon velvet cake with lemon condensed milk buttercream is more your style.

Or for more lemon and honey goodness, try making a pitcher of honey lemonade.

Did you make this great recipe? Please leave a review in the recipe card below!

Lifting a slice of honey lemon bundt cake.

Italian Lemon Honey Bundt Cake

Carlee
This rich bundt cake is flavored with the perfect mix of lemon and honey.  Top it with the caramelized honey glaze for an extra special treat.
4.81 from 36 ratings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20 Servings
Calories 491 kcal

Ingredients
 

Cake

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • cups honey
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ cup buttermilk

Glaze

  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup honey
  • cup heavy cream
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 pinch salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 300°F
  • Combine flour, baking powder and salt with a whisk and set aside.
    3 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Cream butter and honey until light and fluffy.
    1 cup unsalted butter, 1½ cups honey
  • Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and almond extract.
    3 large eggs, ½ cup sour cream, 4 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • Mix 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix in half of the buttermilk and then add in another 1/3 of the flour mixture. Then mix in the rest of the buttermilk and finish by adding in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
    ½ cup buttermilk
  • Pour cake batter into a greased Bundt pan.
  • Bake for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Turn the cake over on a wire rack or cake plate and remove the pan. Let cool before glazing.
  • While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. Combine the lemon juice, sugar and honey in a medium pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves into a liquid. Continue to cook without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally. Mixture will bubble and start to darken in color.
    1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup honey
  • Once mixture is a medium brown remove from heat. Carefully stir in the butter. Add cream and stir until smooth. Add salt and stir until combined.
    ⅓ cup heavy cream, 2 Tablespoons butter, 1 pinch salt
  • Let sauce cool until just warm before pouring over the cake.

Notes

This recipe works well in a 10 cup bundt pan.
You can use milk soured with a tablespoon of lemon juice in place of the buttermilk.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 491kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 109mgFiber: 1gSugar: 64g
Loved this recipe?Please consider rating it and saving on Pinterest.

This recipe was originally published in May of 2016. It was republished with new photos and an updated glaze recipe in 2021.

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Recipe Rating




Lindsey

Monday 18th of March 2024

Hi! I was wondering what I would need to change to make these in the Nordic Ware Nonstick Cast Aluminum Honeycomb Cake Pan. Thank you

Carlee

Monday 18th of March 2024

That's a perfect pan for this! It would probably take a few more minutes in the oven because it doesn't have the tube shape.

Michelle bailey

Saturday 9th of March 2024

Made this today for my mum for mother's day, i halfed the recipe as I was using an old 5 cup bundet tin and added fresh ground ginger as its mums favourite flavour and worked great, thank you for such a great recipe and easy to follow

Carlee

Sunday 10th of March 2024

I am so glad you liked it. I'll bet the ginger was great with the lemon and honey. Happy Mother's Day to you mum!

Nancy

Monday 27th of February 2023

Am baking the cake now . Is 300 the correct temperature?

Carlee

Monday 27th of February 2023

That is correct. I hope you enjoy the cake!

G

Thursday 5th of January 2023

Is this recipe meant for a 10 cup capacity bundt pan?

Carlee

Friday 6th of January 2023

I usually make it in a 12-cup bundt pan, but my mom has made it in a 10-cup bundt pan with no problems.

Ami

Friday 20th of May 2022

Can I make this cake ahead of time to serve a couple of days later?

Carlee

Friday 20th of May 2022

Yes, you can make it a day or two ahead of time. To make it further ahead of time, I would freeze it unglazed and then glaze it when it is defrosted.