White Wine Pound Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
This White Wine Pound Cake is the brunch dessert that gets people asking for the recipe before they’ve finished their slice.
It starts with a box of yellow cake mix, but don’t let that fool you. White wine, cinnamon, and a secret ingredient transform it into something that tastes completely from scratch. Dense, moist, warmly spiced, and finished with a thick cream cheese lemon glaze that drips down the sides in the most satisfying way.
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Make it the night before, glaze it in the morning, and show up looking like you spent your whole weekend baking. Nobody needs to know.
This is the centerpiece dessert for a Mother’s Day brunch alongside the Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes and the Crustless Mini Bite-Sized Cheesecakes. It’s a full dessert table that looks completely intentional.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Starts with a box mix — elevated beyond recognition with a few smart additions
- White wine in the batter — adds a subtle complexity that makes people ask what’s in it
- Make ahead friendly — bake the night before and glaze the morning of
- That cream cheese lemon glaze — thick, tangy, and completely over the top in the best way
- Stunning on a table — a glazed bundt cake always looks like you really tried
Before You Start
A couple of things worth knowing:
- Prep the bundt pan thoroughly — spray every crevice with nonstick spray and dust with flour; a stuck bundt cake is heartbreaking
- Don’t overbake — start checking at 55 minutes; every oven runs differently and overbaked pound cake is dry
- Cool completely before glazing — a warm cake will absorb the glaze instead of letting it drip beautifully down the sides
- Glaze consistency matters — thick but pourable is the goal; add powdered sugar to thicken or milk to thin one tablespoon at a time
White Wine Pound Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a bundt cake pan thoroughly with nonstick baking spray. Add a tablespoon of flour and shake to coat the entire interior, tapping out any excess.
- Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to blend.
- Add the vegetable oil, water, white wine, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake at 325°F for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking at 55 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully invert onto the rack and cool completely — at least 1 hour — before glazing.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, lemon extract, and milk until smooth.
- Adjust consistency as needed. Add more powdered sugar if too thin, more milk one tablespoon at a time if too thick. The glaze should be thick but pourable.
- Spoon or drizzle over the completely cooled cake, letting it run naturally down the sides.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
Tips & Easy Variations
- Use a good white wine — you don’t need anything expensive but use something you’d actually drink; it adds a real subtle flavor to the cake
- Add lemon zest to the batter — a tablespoon of lemon zest in the cake batter ties the lemon glaze together beautifully
- Swap lemon for vanilla — use vanilla extract instead of lemon in the glaze for a more classic flavor
- Add a powdered sugar dusting — skip the glaze and simply dust with powdered sugar for a more elegant, understated presentation
- Make it a day ahead — this cake is genuinely better the next day when everything has had time to settle
Shop This Recipe
- Bundt Cake Pan — a good quality pan with defined ridges makes the cake look stunning
- Nonstick Baking Spray with Flour — the only way to guarantee a clean release from a bundt pan
- Wire Cooling Rack — essential for cooling the cake properly before glazing
- Electric Hand Mixer — makes mixing the batter and glaze effortless
- Cake Stand — a glazed bundt cake on a beautiful stand is a whole moment
- Semi-Homemade Desserts Cookbook — if box mix magic is your love language, this book is for you
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I taste the wine? A: Subtly. It adds a depth and complexity more than an obvious wine flavor. If you’re looking for a boozy cake this isn’t it; if you want something that tastes more interesting than a regular pound cake, this is exactly it.
Q: What white wine works best? A: Something dry to semi-dry. Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay all work great. Avoid anything too sweet.
Q: My cake stuck to the pan. Help! A: Let it cool in the pan for the full 15 minutes before inverting. A warm cake is more likely to stick. Next time make sure every crevice of the bundt pan is coated in spray and flour.
Q: Can I freeze this cake? A: Yes. Freeze unglazed and well wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature and glaze before serving.
More Brunch Desserts Worth Making
- Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes — bright, citrusy, and stunning alongside this cake on a brunch table
- Lemon Poppy Seed Coffee Cake — another brunch-perfect bake with that same lemon energy
- Crustless Mini Bite-Sized Cheesecakes — individually portioned and make-ahead friendly for a full dessert spread
- Scotcheroos — when you want something no-bake alongside the showstopper cake
This White Wine Pound Cake is the brunch centerpiece that looks like it took all weekend and takes about twenty minutes of actual effort. Make it the night before, glaze it in the morning, and accept the compliments graciously.
