Sweet, tangy and all around delicious, this lemon poke cake is a refreshing dessert perfect for spring and summer. Made from a boxed cake mix, you need just 7 ingredients and about 30 minutes to make this cake.
A lemon poke cake is the perfect combination of tart, tangy citrus flavor and sweet cake. It's lemon flavor makes it well suited as a spring dessert.
Poke cakes are super easy to make, but are layered desserts that are full of flavor, color and fun. This poke cake is similar to others like a heath bar poke cake, patriotic poke cake and easter poke cake.
🧁Why To Try This Recipe
Tangy & Sweet - it has a nice combination of tangy citrus and sweet cake.
Easy to make - this uses a boxed cake mix, so you only need 7 ingredients to whip this up.
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📋Ingredients
- Lemon Cake Mix
- Eggs
- Oil
- Water
- Milk
- Lemon Instant Pudding
- Whipped Topping
See recipe card for quantities.
📖Substitutions & Variations
Here are a few ideas for ingredient substitutions and flavor variations
- Replace the lemon pudding - you can substitute the lemon instant pudding for a lemon glaze or a lemon curd instead.
- Add lemon zest - add a little color and garnish to the top by adding a little lemon zest across the top of the whipped topping before serving.
- Add more lemon flavor - mix in lemon frosting or some lemon extract to the whipped topping to give every single layer of this cake a lemon flavor.
Love lemon desserts? Try out these lemon cake mix cookies.
⏲️Instructions
Follow these easy step-by-step instructions and process shots to make your own lemon poke cake.
Step one: Grease 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step two: Mix cake mix according to instructions on box. Add water, oil, eggs and dry mix to bowl and whisk together until combined.
Step three: Add cake batter to greased 9x13 pan. And bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 - 25 minutes.
Step four: while cake is cooling, prepare instant pudding. Add milk and pudding to bowl and whisk until it starts to firm slightly.
Step five: once cake is cooled, use a skewer, handle of a wooden spoon or other utensil to poke holes all over it.
Step six: Pour the lemon pudding over top of the cake. Use the back of a spoon to move the pudding around and push it down into the wholes.
Step seven: Spread whipped topping in a consistent layer on top of the lemon pudding.
Hint: make sure the whipped topping is thawed, otherwise you won't be able to spread it around evenly.
⭐Recipe Tips for Success
- Follow cake mix instructions - you can use any brand of cake mix you want. The instructions here are for the brand we used. Make sure to follow the box for whatever cake mix you choose. Same goes for the pudding.
- Don't thicken the pudding all the way - the pudding should go down into the holes in the cake. To ensure it does this well, don't whisk the pudding to the same thickness you would if eating it plain. You do want it to start to thicken, but just not all the way.
- Ensure the holes are big enough - we use a long metal straw for our holes. But whatever you decide to use for poking holes, it helps to rock it back and forth a little as you make the holes. This ensures the holes are large enough for pudding to really get down into them.
Storage
Store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 - 6 days.
Or, you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost by placing in the fridge overnight.
💭Lemon Poke Cake FAQs
It is called a poke cake because it is literally a cake that has holes poked into it. These holes are then filled with jello, pudding or other things.
You want to use something that is round and big enough, but not too big. We like to use a metal straw. Wooden skewers or small wooden spoon handles also work well.
Lemon Poke Cake
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- measuring cups
- 9x13 Pan
- Wooden skewer, spoon or metal straw for poking holes
Ingredients
- 1 Box Lemon Cake Mix
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Cup Water
- .5 Cups Oil
- 2 3.4oz Lemon Instant Pudding
- 3 Cups Milk
- 8 oz Whipped Topping thawed
Instructions
- Grease the 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray & preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add boxed cake mix, 3 eggs, 1 cup water, .5 cup oil to mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined.
- Pour cake batter into greased pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 - 25 minutes. You should be able to stick a fork or toothpick in the center without having anything stick to it.
- Remove cake from oven and allow it to cool.
- Mix up lemon instant pudding by adding 2, 3.4 oz boxes of pudding mix and 3 cups of milk to a mixing bowl. Whisk them together until pudding just starts to thicken.
- Take a metal straw, wooden skewer or other item and poke holes in the cake. They should be spaced out an inch or two apart. Make sure to move the straw or skewer back and forth a little to make the hole all the way through.
- Pour the pudding over top of the cake. Use the back of a spoon to help spread it out and push it down into the holes.
- Spread the whipped topping across the top of the pudding in an even layer.
- Add lemon zest on top, if desired.
Notes
- Follow cake mix instructions - you can use any brand of cake mix you want. The instructions here are for the brand we used. Make sure to follow the box for whatever cake mix you choose. Same goes for the pudding.
- Don't thicken the pudding all the way - the pudding should go down into the holes in the cake. To ensure it does this well, don't whisk the pudding to the same thickness you would if eating it plain. You do want it to start to thicken, but just not all the way.
- Ensure the holes are big enough - we use a long metal straw for our holes. But whatever you decide to use for poking holes, it helps to rock it back and forth a little as you make the holes. This ensures the holes are large enough for pudding to really get down into them.
- Thaw whipped topping - make sure the whipped topping is thawed so you can easily spread it on top.
- Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 - 6 days.
- Keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months; defrosting overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition information provided is just an estimate and may vary based on specific ingredients used.
