Wow! This Lemon Poke Cake is an absolute stunner. Just 4 ingredients (plus cake mix ingredients) and dessert will bring the perfect presentation to the table. Served chilled, this cake is super refreshing on a warm summer day.
It goes to the top of the list when it comes to our easy cake recipes, and dare I say… easy dessert recipes!
I love when recipes are so easy to make! These are quick pantry ingredients you probably always have on hand. You do need a few hours’ warning to make this, but it’s so delicious it will be worth the wait.
If summer is already fading, try your hand at a Pumpkin Poke Cake! It’s so easy to make dessert from anything you have on hand.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It uses a few ingredients: With only 4 ingredients (plus the ingredients for your cake mix), this recipe couldn’t get any easier!
- Make-ahead recipe: This keeps for 3 days in the fridge, so it’s perfect for making at least the day before serving.
- Easy to customize: Pick your flavor of cake and pudding for the ultimate custom dessert.
Ingredients Needed
I’ve highlighted a couple of ingredients below with some relevant notes. Aside from this, some simple ingredients are all you need.
- Cake mix – Brand doesn’t matter, just pick the one you like the flavor of and generally use.
- Pudding – Lemon lovers unite! I chose lemon pudding to match the lemon cake. Make sure and grab “instant” and also NOT sugar-free.
- Milk – Low-fat is fine here, whatever you normally keep in the fridge.
- Cool whip – I go full-fat here because this is a treat!
Nope, no real lemon is used in this recipe but if you have real lemons to use, these lemon blondies are what you should try instead.
Substitutions
Sometimes substitutions are necessary because of ingredients that are unavailable or needed for dietary restrictions. Here are some suggestions that can help:
- Pudding – if you happen to grab the “cook and serve” version, that’s fine! Just prepare it according to the box and NOT with the milk in the recipe card.
- Jello – have jello on hand and no pudding? Save a trip to the store – poke cake is often made with jello so just use that instead! Prepare as the box states and pour over the cake (no milk).
Variations
Not a lemon fan? No worries! This poke cake works no matter what you love!
- Flavor – think of this as a framework rather than a must-follow-instructions sort of recipe. You can select whatever cake flavor you want and then add a pudding that matches or complements.
- Color – got a special occasion? Think about selecting a flavor that adds to the party decor. Strawberry cake with vanilla pudding for a baby shower, school colors, or the guest of honor’s favorite color.
How to Make Pudding Poke Cake
There are just 3 easy steps to get this cake on the table:
- bake the cake
- pour on the pudding
- chill, top, and serve
Make the cake the night before a party or gathering, or even first thing in the morning for a dinner party.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
STEP 1. Bake the cake. Prepare the cake according to the box directions and let cool completely.
STEP 2. Poke the cake. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make evenly spaced holes across the entire cake.
Tip: You want to use something about ¼” in diameter to poke the holes in the cake to ensure the holes are large enough to create pockets of pudding. I find thin-handled wooden spoons are perfect for this.
STEP 3. Mix the pudding. Whisk by hand until the pudding just begins to thicken.
STEP 4. Spread on the pudding. Evenly spread the pudding over the cake, taking time to push pudding into each hole.
STEP 5. Chill. Let the cake chill for at least two hours before proceeding and serving.
STEP 6. Top and serve. Spread whipped topping over the entire cake and then top with slices of lemon or zest for an extra special presentation.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Allow to fully cool. Make sure your cake is totally cool so the pudding doesn’t melt.
- Whipped cream. Not a fan of cool whip? You can definitely make homemade whipped cream from heavy cream to top the cake. Because it doesn’t have stabilizers, you won’t want to do this step until just before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Seems like a silly question, right? But it’s simply due to poking literal holes in the cake. This is necessary because while cakes with a simple syrup or milk poured over don’t need holes, a thicker ingredient like jello or pudding must have somewhere to go! These are also known as “poke and pour” cakes since you are pouring the the fun ingredient on after poking holes.
While we used pudding here, poke cake can be made with jello, kool aid, sweetened condensed milk, caramel…the list goes on! But essentially just bake a cake and poke holes once cooled. Add a fun filling and topping and that’s it! All pantry ingredients are used so you can make a poke cake on a whim.
No one likes dry cake, and that’s the benefit of adding a filling via poking. I recommend making this cake the day ahead or the morning of a dinner party, giving it just enough time to chill. You can keep this for up to 3 days, but I find you risk the cake starting to fall apart due to moisture as it reaches the end of those 3 days.
What to Serve with Lemon Poke Cake
This cake is great for a crowd, so you shouldn’t need much else on the side! You can always serve up fresh berries to be enjoyed next to or on top of the cake. This would be a perfect dessert to bring outside after everyone finishes up their Aloha Burgers.
Storage
Store leftover cake in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just remember that this cake can get fairly wet from the filling, so the sooner you eat it up the better! Also, if using homemade whipped cream rather than whipped topping, you risk the topping “breaking down” the longer it sits.
More Lemon Recipes You’ll Love
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
Lemon Poke Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon cake mix 15.25 ounces
- Ingredients to prepare cake mix per instructions oil, eggs, etc.
- 2 boxes instant lemon pudding mix 3.4 ounces each
- 3 ½ cups cold milk
- 1 tub Cool Whip, thawed 8 ounces
Instructions
- Prepare cake mix according to the package directions and bake in a 9×13 pan. Leave cake to cool completely.
- Poke holes over the cake every 1-1 ½ inches using the handle of a wooden spoon.
- Whisk the lemon pudding mix and milk by hand in a large bowl until it just begins to thicken, about 2 minutes.
- Carefully pour the pudding over the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer, making sure to press the pudding down into the holes.
- Set the cake in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours to allow the pudding the set.
- When ready to serve, spread the Cool Whip over the top of the cake. Garnish with lemon slices for the perfect presentation.
Notes
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- If you love lemon, fold one tablespoon of lemon zest into the cake batter or pudding for extra tang.
- Be sure to use instant pudding mix and not the cook-and-serve kind. If you have the cook-and-serve kind, prepare according to the box and not the milk in the ingredients list here.
- You want to use something about ¼” in diameter to poke the holes in the cake to ensure the holes are large enough to create pockets of pudding. I find thin-handled wooden spoons are perfect for this.
- The lemon pudding can be substituted with lemon jello, although I like the added creaminess the pudding adds to the cake.
- Use two cups of homemade whipped cream instead of whipped topping if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
stella nowicki says
Looks delicious. Need to try this.
Jessica says
I hope you like it too, Stella, thank you!