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5 from 12 votes

Champagne Lemon Bundt Cake

Add a pop of bubbly to this delicious, moist Champagne Lemon Bundt Cake. A perfect way to celebrate any occasion with the refreshing lemon and extra zest from the champagne. Not your average cake and we like it that way!
Prep Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 15
Calories: 472kcal
Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 1 ½ c unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
  • 3 c flour, spooned and leveled (plus more for greasing pan )
  • 2 c sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • ¾ c champagne (chilled)
  • ¼ c sour cream
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 lemons, zested (about 2 T lemon zest)

For the Icing:

  • 2 ½ c confectioners sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 - 3 T whole milk or cream
  • 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • pinch of sea salt

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the softened butter and sugar for about 1-2 minutes. You want the butter and sugar to be fully incorporated and nice and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate each egg before adding the next. Don't over mix in any way, just mix to incorporate.
  • Zest both of the lemons and add in the lemon zest and vanilla and mix to incorporate. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sea salt and baking powder to combine well. Pour half of this mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix just to incorporate. (The key is to alternate the mixing of dry and then wet ingredients so make sure only to beat half of the flour mixture in to start.)
  • Slowly pour in the champagne and beat to mix. This may cause the batter to look a bit curdled or bumpy, but don't worry, it will all smooth out in the next several steps. This reaction is just caused from adding the champagne to begin. Add the second half of the flour/dry ingredients to the bowl and once again beat to incorporate.
  • Finally, add in the sour cream and beat to mix until incorporated and batter is smooth and creamy.
  • Butter and flour the bundt cake pan (see post for more detailed explanation) making sure to get all the nooks and crannies of the pan. Spoon the batter into the greased and floured pan and use a spatula to even out. Give the pan a few nice taps to allow for the batter to even out as well. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a skewer or long toothpick comes out clean. (53-55 minutes seems to be the sweet spot in my oven.)
  • Allow the cake to cool for about 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. This allows some of the cake edges to naturally pull away from the pan and make removal much easier. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

For the icing:

  • When ready to ice, whisk together all of the icing ingredients. Add more confectioners sugar if icing seems too thin or more milk if it is too thick. Drizzle or spoon the glaze over the top of the cake and allow it to set before transferring to a cake plate. Garnish with lemon zest if desired.
  • Store cake at room temperature in an airtight container for about 3-4 days.

Notes

  • For a successful cake, don't over mix. When it comes to adding in things like flour and eggs, only mix until incorporated. Over mixing a cake can make for a dry cake, and no one wants that, right?
  • I use a 12 cup bundt cake pan. Using the same size pan will allow for best success and you won't overflow the pan when baking.
  • Wait about 10-20 minutes before releasing the cake from the pan. I know it can be so hard to wait, but giving it a little time will allow the bundt cake to release a bit from the pan on its own.
  • Measure things like flour and sugar correctly. This sounds obvious, but it can be easy to just scoop and go when we start moving. Stir the flour before measuring to aerate and keep from adding too much.

Nutrition

Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 655IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg