Lemon Poke Cake
Lemon is one of my favorite flavors! The fresh, tangy citrus brings joy to your face like a sweet spring or summer afternoon!
If you’ve ever had a lemon poke cake with little bits of pudding and the rest of the cake is dry, rest assured this is not that type of recipe. This cake is filled with pudding.
The trick? Poke holes into your cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, then immediately spread the pudding on top. The pudding will seep into the still-warm cake, causing the rest of the cake to get extra moist and the jello pudding flavor to spread throughout the cake.
Spreading the lemon pudding while the cake is still warm is easy to do with a little help with your spatula.
Let’s just say I am about to make baking a lemon pudding cake one of the easiest and tastiest things you’ve ever put in your oven.
Tips for Lemon Poke Cake With Pudding
- Avoid over mixing the cake batter: Mix just until the ingredients are combined to keep the cake’s texture light and fluffy.
- Level the cake: After pouring the batter into the baking dish, tap the dish on the counter to level the batter and remove any air bubbles.
- Poke while warm: Poke holes in the cake as soon as it’s out of the oven to ensure the lemon pudding soaks all the way through.
- Smooth pudding layer: Use a spatula to gently spread the pudding over the cake, ensuring it enters the holes and creates a smooth, even layer.
- Cool before refrigerating: Let the cake cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge to prevent condensation, which could make the top soggy.
- Spread Cool Whip gently: You don’t want to pull up the set pudding or disturb the cake’s surface.
How Do I Store Lemon Poke Cake?
Use an airtight container or cover the cake with plastic wrap to prevent it from absorbing other odors from the fridge.
Properly stored, lemon poke cake with pudding can last for about 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Lemon Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box 1 lemon cake mix plus required ingredients
- 2 3.4 oz instant lemon pudding mixes
- 2.5 cups milk
- 1 8 oz container Cool Whip
- Lemon zest (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare lemon cake mix according to package instructions in a 9×13 baking dish.
- Meanwhile, prepare the lemon pudding mixes by mixing it with the milk. Set aside until needed.
- Once the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and immediately poke holes in the cake using the handle of a wooden spoon.
- Spread the lemon pudding mix over the surface of the cake, spreading it evenly using a spatula.
- Allow the cake to cool, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Optional, zest some additional lemon to blend into the cool whip for a more lemony taste
- Spread the cool whip over the chilled cake.
- Garnish with lemon zest if you’d like.
