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The most delicious way to welcome citrus season is with a sparkling citrus champagne bundt cake. With a light and lovely golden crumb and the perfume of winter citrus (I used a blend of tangerine and Meyer lemon zest), this bundt is reminiscent of the best pound cake.
I love to top this simple citrus bundt cake with a dusting of snowy powdered sugar or serve slices with creamy scoops of homemade Meyer lemon ice cream (and a glass of bubbly, of course!).
Love baking with citrus? Try my citrus champagne layer cake next!
Bundt Cake Success
- Bring butter and eggs to room temperature before beginning.
- Use fresh citrus zest and juice in this cake – I love using a blend of winter citrus like Meyer lemons and tangerines.
- For maximum citrus flavor, combine sugar and citrus zest in a food processor and process for 1 minute, until finely ground and aromatic.
- Bake cake until golden and the top springs back to the touch. A tester inserted in the center should come out with a few crumbs attached. Your baking time may vary depending on the shape of your bundt pan, so start testing for doneness after 40 minutes.
- Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Cool completely, and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- This bundt cake can be made one day in advance. Let cool completely and store at room temperature overnight. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Glaze Ideas
If you want to dress up this simple bundt cake with a glaze, here are some ideas:
- Lemon Butter Glaze – Whisk together 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest, 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice, and 3/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle lemon glaze over cake and and let set before serving.
- Orange Butter Glaze – Whisk together 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons orange zest, 2 tablespoons orange juice, and 3/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle orange glaze over cake and and let set before serving.
- Vanilla Butter Glaze – Whisk together 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and 2 tablespoons milk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake and and let set before serving.
More sweet citrus recipes you’ll love:
- Citrus Champagne Layer Cake
- Citrus Vanilla Sheet Cake
- Vanilla Citrus Sandwich Cookies
- Citrus Curd Linzer Cookies
Did you try this Citrus Champagne Bundt Cake Recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating below!
PrintCitrus Champagne Bundt Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 44 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 4 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This light and lovely citrus champagne bundt cake is perfumed with winter citrus and the perfect celebratory bundt cake for citrus season!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 Tbsp fresh citrus zest
- 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup champagne or prosecco
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed citrus juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 10-cup bundt pan generously with nonstick spray.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Combine sugar and citrus zest in a food processor and pulse for 1 minute; combine with butter in a large mixer bowl and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time. Mix in flour mixture on low speed until almost incorporated. Add champagne, citrus juice, and vanilla; mix on low speed just until combined.
- Spoon batter into prepared bundt pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Tap pan sharply to reduce air bubbles.
- Bake for 40 to 44 minutes, until cake is golden, springs back to the touch, and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes; carefully invert onto rack and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Baking pan: I used this 10-cup Heritage Bundt Pan
Made this last night and brought it to work. It was a BIG hit! I ended up topping it with a mixed berry glaze and fresh fruit. My husband begged me to keep the recipe in our dessert recipe collection! Thank you for a super easy and delicious recipe
I also used San pellegrino sparkling blood orange juice in place of the champagne since it’s all I had on hand.
So happy to hear that, thank you Amber! 🙂 The sparkling blood orange juice is such a good idea too – can’t wait to try that!
I have a family member with a milk allergy- any recs on subs for butter?
Hi Christina, I haven’t baked with any butter substitutes so I can’t speak to any impact on the texture of the cake. I would try something like Earth Balance or a similar dairy-free butter stick that can be used as a 1-to-1 replacement for butter.
Just made this with tangerines and Prosecco – so light and delicious!
Thanks Lisa, so glad you tried this recipe!
This cake is a joy to make and a joy to eat!! I used sparkling cider and Meyer lemons and it was beautiful. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Donna! 🙂
Has anyone made this, popped in freezer, then thawed and served later?
Hi Angela! This cake freezes well – let it cool completely on a wire rack. Once fully cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and then wrap again in foil or place the wrapped cake in a freezer bag and freeze up to 2 months. The day before you plan to serve, let the cake thaw (still wrapped to prevent condensation). Dust with powdered sugar or glaze just before serving.
This cake is so delicious! I just snacked on a few crumbs (and more of the batter than I care to admit).
Will definitely visit your blog more often!
Thank you so much, Jazz! So glad you tried this recipe! 🙂
I made this lovely cake as a gift for friends and they loved it so now I am making one for us! (I found Meyer Lemons at the store this morning and we are expecting snow.)
A very happy new year to you!
Thanks so much, Amy! That’s great to hear! 🙂
What type bundt pan is that and where did you purchase it?
Hi Diane, it’s the Heritage Bundt pan by Nordic Ware.
Happy new year! Looking forward to seeing new recipes in 2018! All the best!
Can you substitute the champagne for something else if you don’t have any?
Hi Marlene, you can use champagne, prosecco, or sparkling wine.