You’ll never know this lemon poke cake recipe starts with boxed cake mix. Tender cake topped with lemon glaze and cream cheese frosting.
If you like this recipe, check out my Jello Cake Recipe next!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Being from the midwest I grew up on sheet cakes. And what’s not to love about them? They’re quick to bake and take along with you. It’s a decidedly unfussy dessert. And everyone seems to devour them. So I keep adding to my collection of cake recipes that are baked and served from the same pan.
You don’t have to be a certified lemon lover to appreciate this lemon poke cake. It’s pure comfort food in dessert form with a light lemon flavor and creamy homemade whipped cream cheese frosting.
More sheet cake recipes
Ingredients for lemon poke cake
- Cake Mix – Use your favorite brand of boxed yellow cake mix for this recipe.
- Lemon – Bottled lemon juice is mixed together with powdered sugar to make the glaze that is poured over top of the warm cake. I cut a fresh lemon into slices for garnish on top of each cake slice.
- Cake Ingredients – The cake mix is “doctored up” with a 3.4 oz box of instant lemon pudding. Plus four large eggs, 3/4 cup of cold water and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.
- Frosting Ingredients – The homemade frosting gives the cake an elevated flair. Cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and heavy whipping cream are whipped together while the cake is cooling.
- Variation – If you’re in an extra hurry, you can simply frost this cake with Cool Whip.
Instructions
I have a video tutorial, so keep scrolling to the bottom of this post, below the free recipe card. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix and pudding mix.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, water and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the cake and pudding mixture. Use a whisk and stir vigorously for a couple of minutes until smooth. Pour the cake batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for the time instructed on the box. My cake only took 23 minutes to bake. It will spring back when lightly touched on top when it is done. Or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, whisk together lemon juice with two cups of powdered sugar until smooth. After the cake comes out of the oven, use a metal chopstick (or fork) to poke holes into the top of the cake. Evenly pour the lemon glaze over top of the cake. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for one hour. You can also pop it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
While the baked cake is cooling on the counter, use a hand or stand mixer to whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and remaining powdered sugar and stir on low speed until combined. Gently stream the heavy cream into the bowl while the mixer is still running on low speed. Then slowly increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. You’ll probably have to scrape down the mixing bowl a couple of times with a rubber spatula during this process.
Evenly frost the cake using an offset spatula with the cream cheese frosting. Slice the cake into 12 squares and garnish the top of each piece of cake with a slice of lemon.
Serving suggestions
If you’d like to use this as a birthday cake, I suggest serving each slice with a scoop of ice cream, like vanilla, raspberry sorbet or even salted caramel. I think mediterranean foods go well with lemon. Here’s some of my Greek inspired recipes to turn this cake into a complete meal –
Storage directions
Place leftover cake slices in an airtight container. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days. I don’t recommend freezing the cake after it’s been frosted.
Kitchen tools
- This is my new favorite nonstick cake baking pan
- A small spatula for serving cake slices
- My favorite set of mixing bowls with lids
Lemon Poke Cake
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 9x13 Nonstick Baking Pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3.4 oz instant lemon pudding
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Video
Foodtastic Mom is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program (Amazon Associate), an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any highlighted, clickable Amazon links you see are affiliate links that I may earn advertising fees on when you click to purchase.
Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of Foodtastic Mom. Be sure to PIN to Pinterest and print this recipe! Like and tag ‘Foodtastic Mom’ on Facebook and Instagram if you make this recipe! And of course leave a star rating if you make any of my recipes and enjoy them!
Leave a Reply