I Tried Martha Stewart’s Lemon Bundt Cake, and It Broke Me a Little
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Martha Stewart Lemon Bundt Cake
Leave a Comment on I Tried Martha Stewart’s Lemon Bundt Cake, and It Broke Me a Little
I wasn’t baking for anyone.
just needed something warm.
bright.
yellow like a good kind of memory.
the lemons were soft but still sharp.
and the cake came out with cracks.
and it still felt like comfort.
What the Original Looked Like
Martha’s version is sunlight in cake form.
butter, sugar, lemon zest, eggs.
flour folded with sour cream until the batter goes quiet.
she bakes it in a 12-cup Bundt pan, greased within an inch of its life.
cools it slow.
then pours a lemon syrup over the whole thing—poke, brush, wait.
does it again.
the result? soft.
moist. (yeah, I said it.)
a little golden, a little glazed.
and somehow both dense and light at once.
What I Did Differently
I used lemons from the back of the drawer.
the ones with the hard skins and soft hearts.
zested until my hands smelled like summer.
my sour cream was low-fat.
Martha would probably faint.
I forgot to tap the pan.
got a big air pocket on one side.
looked like a fault line.
I loved it anyway.
The Way It Happened in My Kitchen
the butter was soft.
the kind of soft that makes the mixer sing.
I creamed it with sugar until it went pale like a whisper.
added eggs one at a time.
zest in. juice after.
batter started smelling like Mae’s laugh used to sound.
I alternated flour and sour cream like I was keeping a rhythm.
almost forgot to stop.
didn’t overmix though. not this time.
the pan was greased, floured, imperfect.
I spooned the batter in gently.
tapped it once.
forgot to do it again.
into the oven it went.
while it baked, I made the syrup.
just lemon juice and sugar and silence.
didn’t boil it. just let it melt.
when the cake came out, I waited.
30 minutes in the pan.
then a flip that held.
a crack down one side.
I smiled.
poked holes with a toothpick and started brushing syrup.
slowly.
like an apology.
it soaked in.
not all at once.
I waited.
A Few Things I Learned While It Cooled
lemon sinks into warm cake like memory into skin.
air pockets don’t ruin flavor.
and cracks can be beautiful.
What I Did With the Extras
wrapped slices in foil.
gave one to the neighbor who never says thank you.
left one on Mae’s doorstep.
ate one cold at midnight, barefoot, quiet.
Would I Make It Again?
yes.
on a Sunday.
or a memory-heavy Tuesday.
That’s As Much As I Remember
the syrup stuck to the knife.
the crumbs stuck to my fingers.
and the scent stuck to the kitchen like someone had just come home.
this reminded me of the lemon bars i made when i thought he’d come back. he didn’t. the bars still set.
FAQs
yeah. or at least a tube pan. it needs that middle space to breathe.
you can. it works. but it won’t be as soft. or as forgiving.
only if you drown it.
brush slowly. let it drink.
then don’t make it.
this one’s about brightness. you need the real thing.
yes. but wrap it twice. lemon needs protection.
Martha Stewart Lemon Bundt Cake
Description
Soft, sharp, sweet, and sad in the best way—this lemon cake knows what it’s holding.
Ingredients
Lemon Syrup:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. butter and flour your Bundt pan like you’re trying to impress someone who doesn’t visit anymore.
- Whisk the flour, lemon zest, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. dry ingredients get mixed together first. that’s how you keep the chaos contained.
- Beat the butter and sugar until it’s light. fluffy. like you could climb into it and rest.
- Add the eggs one at a time. each one disappears before the next arrives. stir like you’re letting them go. mix in the lemon juice.
- Alternate the flour mix and sour cream. start and end with the flour. don’t overthink. don’t overmix. just fold and breathe.
- Spoon the batter into the pan. smooth the top. tap it hard once. forget to do it again. it’s okay.
- Bake for 55–60 minutes. test with a toothpick. listen for the silence that comes when it’s ready.
- Cool for 30 minutes in the pan. then flip.it might crack.mine did.
- Make the syrup—lemon juice and sugar, melted over low heat until it stops trying to be anything else.
- Poke the cake with a skewer. brush the syrup slow.let it soak.wait.brush again.wait again.
- Let it sit.then slice.then feel.then maybe smile.or maybe cry.both are fine.