I’ve Baked This King Arthur Cake At Least 30 Times

My wife and I lived in New York City during the pandemic. Stuck in our apartment, we began to cook and bake more than ever. Our favorite cake was King Arthur Flour’s Lemon Bliss Cake. It’s not an exaggeration to say that we baked this cake dozens of times, and whenever a new one graced our kitchen table, I posted a photo of it to social media.

I rhapsodized about it so enthusiastically and so often that one day a reporter for a prominent publication left an acid-tinged comment under one of my posts. “Do you have a relationship to disclose?” he wrote. He was accusing me of secretly being a paid shill for the Vermont-based flour company. 

Why I Love King Arthur’s Lemon Bliss Cake

I wasn’t a clandestine influencer for King Arthur Flour (I wish!), so while my wife laughed, I replied that, no, we just really love this cake. Cake can’t banish the problems of the world, but I can tell you from experience that it can help.

During our darkest days, this sunny, tender, deeply flavorful cake helped us keep our heads above water. It doesn’t hurt that it will stay moist and fresh on a countertop for a solid week, but if you can prevent yourself from eating all of it within the first day or two, you’re a stronger person than either of us.

How To Make King Arthur’s Lemon Bliss Cake

It’s not tricky to make King Arthur Flour’s incredible Lemon Bliss cake. In many ways, it is a standard bundt cake. You just beat butter with sugar and salt, add the eggs one at a time, then blend that mixture with flour and baking soda in three additions before adding the milk and lemon zest. Finally, you use a standard nonstick bundt pan to bake it.

What helps this cake stand apart are its glaze and icing. The intensely flavored glaze is simply lemon juice and sugar mixed together over very low heat (or in a microwave). The icing is also easy. It’s just confectioners’ sugar, salt, and lemon juice mixed together to form a runny paste.

My Tips for Making King Arthur’s Lemon Bliss Cake

• Use Room Temp: For the cake, it’s incredibly important that the butter be soft and that the milk and eggs have reached room temperature. If you’re making this cake in the evening, set the ingredients on the counter of your room-temperature kitchen at lunch time.
• Whip It Good: Whip together the butter and sugar until they’re completely incorporated. This ensures the cake isn’t too dense.
• Take Your Time: When adding the eggs, it really does make a difference to let each egg whip for a full minute before adding the next. This improves the cake’s flavor and texture.
• Stop the Stick: Bundt cakes are notorious for sticking, so make sure to grease and flour your bundt pan as completely as possible. 
• Go Slow On the Icing: Your kitchen’s humidity will impact the icing’s consistency, and you want it to be stiff enough so that it’s not runny. Gradually add the lemon juice to the sugar to maintain that texture.

When I asked my wife just how many times we’ve actually made this cake, she combed through all of our past photos and social media posts and says we’ve made this cake a minimum of 30 times. But the number is probably closer to 50. It’s so good that it wouldn’t surprise me at all if, with time, you beat our record.