This Lemon Cake has mouthwatering acidity and sweetness and tender, moist crumb. Saturated with a refreshing lemon glaze that is poured over a still-warm cake, each bite bursts with fresh lemon flavor. It hits the spot for just about any occasion when you want to dazzle with a light and tangy, fall off the fork, absolutely addictive dessert!
Why You’re Gonna Love This Lemon Cake:
A Burst of Zing: The zing of a tiny amount of lemon is enough to transform chickpeas in a big way, especially if you add both the zest and the juice. That bright, citrusy quality slices through the richness and provides that fresh, tangy pop in each bite that helps it feel bright and light. It’s a small touch that lifts the entire dish.
Moist and Tender Cake: Want a surefire method for crafting a cake with stupendous softness and moisture? Simply mix a boxed cake mix with a packet of instant pudding. This duo is magic — sealing in moisture and producing a cake with a rich, tender crumb and flavor as if it were made from scratch. It’s one of those little baking tricks that always impress.
Quick and Simple: Made with everyday ingredients and easy steps, this cake goes together quick. Try our Chocolate Brownie Cake next.
A Cake for All Occasions: (Except Maybe a No-Fest Fest.) Oh my gosh, this cake is delicious.
Delightful Glaze: The lemon glaze is a lovely finish and adds an extra hit of flavor that really elevates this cake.
Key Ingredients:
Yellow Cake Mix
Base for Ease and Consistency: A boxed yellow cake mix delivers a dependable, tender base that’s simple to augment with extra flavor.
Flavor Boosts: The lemon pudding mix and zest will give the cake a homemade flavor and a burst of citrus.
Variation: To add a little extra lemony kick, use a lemon-flavored cake mix.
Instant Lemon Pudding Mix
Keeps the Cake Moist: Adding pudding mix to the batter ensures that you get a tender, moist crumb. If you like this, you'll love our Pineapple Coconut Surprise Cake.
Brightens the Lemon Flavor Even More: And on top of all that, it brightens the cake’s lemon flavor and makes it taste bright and fresh.
Tip: Use instant pudding mix, not cook-and-serve, because instant mixes more easily with the other ingredients.
Zest of a Lemon and Fresh Juice of a Lemon
Brightens Up: The lemon zest in the batter and lemon juice in the glaze give it a bright, tart flavor that only fresh lemon can provide.
Zesting Tip: Try to avoid the white pith that lies under the colored skin; it can be bitter. Grate the yellow zest, using a fine grater, or microplane, to get just that bright yellow zest.
Heavy Cream for the Glaze
Makes for a Silken Texture: Heavy cream gives the glaze some richness, and a dose of it helps set it with a smooth finish.
Substitutions: If you’d like, you can use milk instead, but a heavy cream will give a thicker, richer glaze.
Powdered Sugar for the Glaze
Perfectly Sweet: It dissolves easily, which gives you a smooth, pourable glaze.
Adjustment Variability: For a thinner glaze, drizzle in a little additional lemon juice; for a thicker glaze, sprinkle in extra powdered sugar.
Full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Before anything else, start by preheating your oven to 350°F so it’s hot when you need it. As that preheats, take a second to grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with some butter or oil, whatever’s available to you. This step ensures the cake won’t stick and will come out easily after baking, resulting in nice, clean slices. For another easy option, see our Oreo Dirt Cake.
Step 2: Make the Batter
Now you bring it all together. Find a big mixing bowl (the bigger, the better), and combine your cake mix and lemon pudding mix. Pour in the oil, eggs, water, a little vanilla extract and some freshly grated lemon zest for that bright citrus flavor. Combine it all by stirring until the batter is smooth and well mixed—it should smell fantastic already. Mix everything together just until combined — don’t overmix, or the cake will turn out a little tough.
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Step 3: Bake the Cake
Pour your batter into your greased pan, and then spread it out evenly with a spatula. Drop it in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or so. You’ll know that it’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once it’s finished, let the cake cool on a wire rack for a little while — this firms it up and makes glazing easier.
Step 4: Make the Lemon Glaze
As the cake cools, whisk powdered sugar, melted butter, heavy cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a bowl. Stir until smooth. If it seems too thick, simply add a bit more lemon juice until it’s pourable.
Step 5: Glaze and Serve
Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake and gently spread it so it covers evenly. Allow it to sit for a few minutes to firm up. Then cut it up and serve warm or at room temperature: It’s tasty either way!
Serving Suggestions:
Serving ideas to elevate this Lemon Cake:
Make It with Fresh Berries: A handful of fresh raspberries or blueberries brings some color and juicy sweetness to the side. Their natural tartness is a perfect counterpoint to the bright, citrusy elements of the cake, yielding a balanced, refreshing bite.
Top it: Whipped cream — a light, airy make-ahead topping is also another nice thing to dollop on top (just hold back a little sugar to balance flavors) and adds something very light and airy. The creaminess was smooth foil for the tangy cake, smoothing every bite and raising the whole dessert, even, a notch toward decadence.
Pair With Ice Cream: Serve with a scoop of vanilla or lemon ice cream for an even more indulgent treat.
Powdered Sugar Dusting: If you want a little less glaze, dust the top with powdered sugar for an easy but elegant presentation.
For another lemon dessert, try Lemon Pound Cake Cookies, made from scratch with six pantry ingredients.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips:
It’s a great make-ahead cake, and one that’s easy to store:
Room Temperature: Wrap the cake well and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Chill: If your planning on enjoying the cake over a longer time, store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Room temperature is best for flavor before serving. You might also like our Caramel Brownie Cheesecake.
Freezing: The (unglazed) cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and foil. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and apply fresh glaze before serving.
Make-Ahead Tip: You can bake the cake the day before, and glaze just before serving it for maximum freshness.
Variations to Try:
Sure! Here is a more natural way to phrase your paragraph:
Blueberry Lemon Cake: About a cup of blueberries — fresh or frozen are both fine — will lend your lemon cake a fruity burst. Just be careful to fold them in gently at the end, so they don’t break when they hit the batter, tinting it purple. And as the cake bakes, the blueberries soften and pop, creating tiny explosions of juicy flavor that work hand-in-hand with all the bright citrus notes. They also provide the cake with a nice pop of color that makes it as pretty as it is delicious.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake: For an additional crunch and nutty flavor (if you love that classic combination), add 1 to 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds. It’s an easy touch that gives the cake a café-bakery feel.
Coconut Lemon Cake: Add ½ cup of shredded coconut to the batter and give this lemon cake a tropical turn.
Lemon Drizzle Cake: In place of a more assertive topping, you could forego the glaze altogether, instead drizzling the warm cake with a simple lemon syrup (lemon juice and sugar). Try our 4-Ingredient Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake next.
Conclusion:
This Lemon Cake To Die For is the best dessert for lemon lovers! Its softly moist crumb and bright lemon glaze make each bite sweetly tangy and delightful. Quick and easy and delicious, it’s sure to please at a gathering or at home. Each refreshing, citrus slice is a delight! If you like this, you'll love our Hot Fudge Brownie Bread.
Lemon Cake To Die For
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Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix for the cake
- 1 box instant lemon pudding mix for the cake
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil for the cake
- 3 large eggs for the cake
- 2/3 cup water for the cake
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the cake
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest for the cake
- 2 cups powdered sugar for the glaze
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, for the glaze
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream for the glaze
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice for the glaze
- Pinch lemon zest for the glaze
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan to prevent sticking and ensure easy removal.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, lemon pudding mix, vegetable oil, eggs, water, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Stir until just combined to maintain a tender texture.
- Pour the prepared batter into the greased baking pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool slightly on a wire rack.
- In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, heavy cream, lemon juice, and a pinch of lemon zest until smooth. Adjust with more lemon juice if needed for a pourable glaze consistency.
- Pour the glaze over the warm cake, spreading it evenly. Let the glaze set slightly before slicing and serving. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
