🍋 Lemon Tunnel Cake (Bright, Moist & Buttery)
A Lemon Tunnel Cake is a soft, buttery Bundt cake with a creamy lemon “tunnel” baked inside. It’s perfect for brunch, spring gatherings, or anytime you want a bright citrus dessert.
🧁 Ingredients
For the Cake
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2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
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1 box (3.4 oz) instant lemon pudding mix
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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½ teaspoon baking soda
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½ teaspoon salt
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1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
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2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
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4 large eggs
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1 tablespoon lemon zest
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¼ cup fresh lemon juice
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 cup (240ml) sour cream
For the Lemon Cream Tunnel
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8 oz (225g) cream cheese, softened
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½ cup (100g) sugar
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1 egg
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1 tablespoon lemon juice
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1 teaspoon lemon zest
Optional Lemon Glaze
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1 cup powdered sugar
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2–3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Prep
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Grease and flour a 10–12 cup Bundt pan very well.
2️⃣ Make the Cream Cheese Filling
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Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
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Add egg, lemon juice, and zest.
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Mix until creamy. Set aside.
3️⃣ Make the Cake Batter
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In a bowl, whisk flour, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3–4 minutes).
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Add eggs one at a time, mixing well.
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Mix in lemon zest, juice, and vanilla.
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Alternately add dry ingredients and sour cream, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
4️⃣ Assemble the Tunnel
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Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the Bundt pan.
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Carefully spread the cream cheese filling in a ring over the batter (don’t touch the sides).
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Cover with remaining batter and smooth top.
5️⃣ Bake
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Bake 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in cake portion comes out clean.
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Cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto rack to cool completely.
6️⃣ Glaze (Optional)
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Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
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Drizzle over cooled cake.
🍋 Tips for Success
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Don’t overfill the cream layer — keep it centered for a defined “tunnel.”
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Use room temperature ingredients for smooth blending.
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Let cake cool fully before glazing to avoid melting.
If you’d like, I can also give you:
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A from-scratch version (no pudding mix)
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A shortcut boxed cake mix version
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Or a lighter/low-sugar version 😊