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Christmas Surprise Lemon Bundt Cake
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5 from 5 votes

Christmas Surprise Lemon Bundt Cake

Brighten your holiday season with this rich and moist Christmas Surprise Lemon Bundt Cake. It may be cold outside, but the lemony cake feels like springtime, and tastes amazing under a layer of lemon glaze. Every piece is a surprise!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Cakes, Chrismas, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 584kcal

Ingredients

Bundt Cake

  • 1-½ cups (12 ounces, 340 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature (See Tip 1)
  • 3 cups (21 ounces, 879 grams) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (2 ounces, 57 ml) fresh lemon juice (See Tip 2)
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1-½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 large eggs room temperature
  • 3 cups (15 ounces, 425 grams) cake flour
  • Red and Green gel food coloring
  • Christmas candy decorations, red and green sprinkles, etc. (See Tip 3)

Simple Lemon Syrup

  • ¼ cup (2 ounces, 57 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup (3.5 ounces, 99 grams) granulated sugar

Lemon Glaze

  • 2 cups (8 ounces, 227 grams) confectioners' sugar
  • 3 to 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Bundt Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray 10-inch Bundt pan with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
  • Using electric mixer, cream butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt; beat until well combined. Add eggs, 2 at a time; beat until combined. Add flour; beat on low just until flour starts to be incorporated. Continue folding in flour with silicon spatula just until all flour is incorporated.
  • Divide the batter into thirds, roughly 21 ounces each. Color one red and one greento desired color with gel food coloring.
  • Spoon a layer of red, green, uncolored, red, green, and uncolored batter into bottom of bundt pan. Carefully swirl with butter knife. Tap pan several times on counter to evenly distribute. Repeat the first layer, but beginning where the red and green meet on the bottom layer. Swirl with a butter knife. Tap to evenly distribute. Repeat again for the third and fourt layer.
  • Bake at 350° F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and invert onto a wire rack set in foil lied baking sheet

Simple Lemon Syrup

  • Combine sugar and lemon juice in small bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds to a minute, until sugar has dissolved. Brush syrup over hot cake. Allow to cool completely.

Lemon Glaze

  • Mix confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cake, allowing glaze to drip down sides. Let stand until glaze sets, about 30 minutes.
  • Decorate with candy Christmas decorations and red and green sprinkles, or as desired.
  • Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Notes

  1. I used full fat cream cheese, but you could also use reduced fat cream cheese.
  2. I used a total of 3 lemons for the combination of the lemon juice for the cake, lemon juice for the lemon syrup and lemon juice for the glaze.
  3. I used candy stockings, and red and green sugar sprinkles. You could use whatever decorations you want.

Nutrition

Calories: 584kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 79g | Vitamin A: 609IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg