If you’re looking for a bright, lemony dessert without dragging every baking ingredient out of the pantry, this Easy Lemon Pound Cake is your answer. Using a yellow cake mix and instant lemon pudding creates a moist, dense cake with that classic pound cake texture—minus all the fuss.

It’s the kind of recipe moms have been passing around on handwritten recipe cards for decades. Simple ingredients, big flavor, and absolutely no apologies for using a shortcut.

Serves: 12-16
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45-55 minutes
Cool Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Cake 🍰

1 box yellow cake mix (15.25 ounces)
1 box instant lemon pudding mix (3.4 ounces)
4 large eggs
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup sour cream (full-fat)
2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

For the Lemon Glaze 🍋

2 cups powdered sugar
freshly squeezed juice of one lemon (more or less)
zest from half a lemon (more or less)

The ingredients in a duck brown cutting board they're super moist, Betty Crocker, yellow cake, lemons Jell-O, lemon pudding, four eggs to a brown to white unsalted butter, half a lemon, powdered sugar in a silver bowl on the counter and in the background is pink flowers in a vase

Get the full printable instructions with measurements at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

Why You’ll Love This Cake

Perfect for sharing
Bright lemon flavor
Moist and buttery
Easy shortcut recipe
Sweet-tart lemon drizzle 🍋

Step-by-Step Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F.

Step 2: Generously grease and flour a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and lemon pudding mix. Add eggs, softened butter, sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth.

Holding a yellow Jell-O lemon instant pudding mix above a white mixing bowl with cake, yellow cake mix in it thrown by lemons and a dark brown cutting board

In a large white mixing bowl are four eggs, lemon juice, lemon sauce, cake mix Jell-O mix, sour cream and unsalted softened butter, all in a large white mixing bowl on the counter with surrounded by lemons, dark brown, cutting board and yellow and pink flowers

Using an electric mixer that is blue mixing all the cake ingredients in large white bowls round by a bowl of lemons and pink flowers

Step 4: Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan.

The mixed lemon pound cake cake mix is in a large white bowl and in front of that is the prepared and greased Bundt pan on the kitchen counter in front of Bible of lemons and pink flowers.

Lemon cake batter for the poundcake is in the prepared and greased Bundt canton on the counter.

Step 5: Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning onto a wire rack.

Make the Glaze

Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest.
Ensure the glaze is thin enough to drizzle.
Drizzle over the completely cooled cake.
Let glaze set for 15 minutes before slicing.

🍋 Simply Made Tips

Garnish with lemon zest or fresh berries.
For extra lemon flavor, poke holes in the warm cake and brush with ¼ cup lemon juice mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar before glazing.
Use full-fat sour cream for the richest texture.
This cake is even better the next day.
Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week.

👉 Before you Go . . .

If you enjoyed this Easy Lemon Drizzle Pound Cake, be sure to check out some of our other favorite desserts. Our Citrus Lover’s Cake, Easy Mixed Berry Cobbler, and Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake are perfect for spring and summer gatherings. And if you make this cake, we’d love for you to leave a comment and let us know how it turned out!